Metadata
- Title: THESE ARE THE MEN [Main Title]
- Film Number: COI 230
- Other titles: INTO BATTLE (NUMBER 4) [Alternative Title] INTO BATTLE [Series Title]
- Summary: A ringing denunciation of the Nazi leadership for their crimes in "setting Man against men".
- Description: Visually, the film is based mainly on selective re-use of Nazi propaganda film, especially TRIUMPH OF THE WILL. Opening scenes show men, "the makers, the workers", potentially anywhere in the world, peacefully at work; gradually film and commentary show how such men are now suffering in war and killing each other: who is responsible? The German film then shows Hitler as the object of something very like worship, followed by filmed speeches by Hitler, Goering, Goebbels, Streicher and Hess ("These are the men, these are to blame"), but, in place of original soundtrack, English voices make them seem to utter candid autobiographical accounts of evil motives and actions. The film looks to the young men these leaders have mobilised: "You obeyed your leader's word, you must suffer his reward." Some, however, may not be so poisoned that they cannot be comrades again after the war "But for those who taught them the business of death, who crippled their hearts with cruelty, never, never, never shall there be pardon or pity."
- Access Conditions: IWM
- Featured Period: 1939-1945
- Production Date: 1943-03
- Production Country: GB
- Production Details: Ministry of Information (Production sponsor) Strand (Production company) Taylor, Donald19111966British film producer and director. (Production individual) Osbiston, Alan (Production individual) Thomas, Dylan Marlais19141953British poet and dramatist; Dylan Marlais, preferred form Dylan (Production individual) Osbiston, Alan (Production individual) Thomas, Dylan Marlais19141953British poet and dramatist; Dylan Marlais, preferred form Dylan (Production individual) Cameron, Ken (Production individual) Whitehall, Ernest (Production individual) Neumann, Robert (Production individual) McKechnie, James (Production cast) Herbert, Bryan (Production cast)
- Personalities, Units and Organisations: Hitler, Adolf (person) Goebbels, Paul Joseph (person) Göring, Hermann Wilhelm (person) Hess, Rudolf Walter Richard (person) Streicher, Julius (person)
- Keywords: propaganda, British - inflammatory (object name) Germany (geography)
- Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W Sound format: Sound Soundtrack language: English Title language: English Subtitle language: None
- Technical Details: Format: 35mm Number of items/reels/tapes: 1 Footage: 1073 ft; Running time: 12 mins
- Notes: Remarks: brilliant - especially by comparison with much other British propaganda. The combination of denunciation and ridicule with broad aspirations, all voiced in Thomas' words, is very powerful and effective; it is very well realised.
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