As anyÂone who watchÂes the HisÂtoÂry ChanÂnel can tell you, stoÂries about the SecÂond World War still fasÂciÂnate. StoÂries about Nazi GerÂmany specifÂiÂcalÂly seem to fasÂciÂnate more than they ever have before. ComÂbine that with the curÂrent AmerÂiÂcan desire to gaze upon the dark side of its own once-beloved instiÂtuÂtions, and HarÂvard hisÂtoÂriÂan Ben Urwand may have a hit on his hands when his book The ColÂlabÂoÂraÂtion: HolÂlyÂwood’s Pact with Hitler comes out next month. (Read an excerpt here.) Emory UniÂverÂsiÂty hisÂtoÂriÂan DebÂoÂrah LipÂstadt uses an even more apt term: “I think what this guy has found could be a blockÂbuster.” She is quotÂed in an artiÂcle by the New York Times’ JenÂnifer Schuessler on Urwand, his disÂcovÂerÂies, and his book. “On page after page,” Schuessler writes, “[Urwand] shows stuÂdio bossÂes, many of them JewÂish immiÂgrants, cutÂting films scene by scene to suit Nazi offiÂcials; proÂducÂing mateÂrÂiÂal that could be seamÂlessÂly repurÂposed in Nazi proÂpaÂganÂda films; and, accordÂing to one docÂuÂment, helpÂing to finance the manÂuÂfacÂture of GerÂman armaÂments.”
As if Urwand’s findÂings about these deals between HolÂlyÂwood stuÂdios and the Third Reich won’t cause enough of a stir by themÂselves, his perÂspecÂtive on them has already fired up an acaÂdÂeÂmÂic conÂtroÂverÂsy. Schuessler quotes BranÂdeis’ Thomas P. DoherÂty as callÂing Urwand’s use of the word “colÂlabÂoÂraÂtion” a “slanÂder” and menÂtions, by conÂtrast, UniÂverÂsiÂty of SouthÂern CalÂiÂforÂnia hisÂtoÂry proÂfesÂsor Steven J. Ross’ forthÂcomÂing book which tells “the litÂtle-known stoÂry of an extenÂsive anti-Nazi spy ring that began operÂatÂing in Los AngeÂles in 1934, financed by the very stuÂdio bossÂes who were cutÂting films to satÂisÂfy Nazi offiÂcials.” You can read a fuller criÂtique of Urwand’s arguÂments from DoherÂty at the HolÂlyÂwood Reporter. At the top, you can watch that pubÂliÂcaÂtion’s brief conÂverÂsaÂtion with Urwand himÂself, in which he explains and defends his use of the word “colÂlabÂoÂraÂtion” — which, he says, the HolÂlyÂwood execÂuÂtives in quesÂtion used themÂselves. FinalÂly, just above, you can hear more from Urwand in HarÂvard UniÂverÂsiÂty Press’ clip about The ColÂlabÂoÂraÂtion. As with most modÂern research into World War II, the book no doubt raisÂes more hisÂtorÂiÂcal and moral quesÂtions than we can answer, though I do doubt that anyÂone who reads it will ever watch picÂtures from HolÂlyÂwood’s GoldÂen Age in quite the same way again.
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
The MakÂing of a Nazi: Disney’s 1943 AniÂmatÂed Short
The Nazis’ 10 ConÂtrol-Freak Rules for Jazz PerÂformÂers: A Strange List from World War II
ColÂin MarÂshall hosts and proÂduces NoteÂbook on Cities and CulÂture and writes essays on litÂerÂaÂture, film, cities, Asia, and aesÂthetÂics. He’s at work on a book about Los AngeÂles, A Los AngeÂles Primer. FolÂlow him on TwitÂter at @colinmarshall.
