national socialism and motion pictures

Describes how Hitler, who considered himself an artist, blended politics and culture and created a Nazi version of Hollywood that churned out films amidst scandals, starlets and secret agents and brought to prominence actress and filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl.

"Propaganda," Adolf Hitler wrote in 1924, "is a truly terrible weapon in the hands of an expert." State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda documents how, in the 1920s and 1930s, the Nazi Party used posters, newspapers, rallies, and the new technologies of radio and film to sway millions with its vision for a new Germany -- reinforced by fear-mongering images of state "enemies." These images promoted indifference toward the suffering of neighbors, disguised the regime's genocidal actions, and insidiously incited ordinary people to carry out or tolerate mass violence.