Cinema: a cultural industry under control
Even if the cinema wasn’t an industry like the others, this business sector wanted, like the others, to make money. And making a film requires a lot of money, even under Nazism. Maybe even more under a regime who saw this art like a way to enlighten and educate the masses, but also to entertain them. To do that, the film must be liked by many people, in Germany and abroad, whatever the political view of the audience was.
Goebbels wanted to make cinema an entertaining and efficient propaganda weapon, in particular, when the historical context required it. And he has very well understood that to be efficient; the propaganda must be unseen.
The objective was to produce around a hundred films by years. The cinematographic industry achieved that between 1933 and 1939, but with the beginning of the war, it became more difficult to make films. In 1942, only fifty-three films were released by the four most important studios: U.F.A, Bavaria-Film, Terra-Film et Tobis AG, who became UFA-Film (U.F.I) in January 1942. A complete nationalisation marking the Nazis’ total takeover of the film industry, carried out discreetly: the films retained the logos of their original studios.
The numbers of movie theaters also increased, rising from 5,071 in 1933 to 7,042 in 1942.
It was possible thanks to major investments, and by the expansion of the Reich as conquests were made. The Reich obtained the movie theater in these territories. Thanks to this major investment, the audience increased, rising from 245 million tickets sold in 1933 to more than one billion in 1942,1943 and 1944. This total demonstrated the center place of cinema in the life of the population in Germany and in the annexed territories. By comparison in France: 1944 was the most prolific year with 300 million tickets sold.
Photo 21 : National Archives of Netherlands – Projector in U.F.A studios (1930).
Photo 22 : National Archives of Netherlands – Mixing deck in U.F.A studios (1930).
Photo 23 : Bundesarchiv (Bild 183-1990-1002-500) – Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels visiting U.F.A studios in Babelsberg (Postdam) in January 1935.