In (successful) propaganda films, everything has a purpose. From the characters' behaviors and actions to the director's cinematographic style, each aspect is chosen in order to send the right message; the same holds true for the gender roles in "Hitlerjunge Quex." The roles of the males and females were orchestrated to help the viewer "realize" that following the Nazi Party provided a better future than following the Communist Party.
The males in "Hitlerjunge Quex" contrasted the supposed unhealthy and unproductive habits of the Communist Party with the order and value of the Nazi Party. Adult males in the CP were often portrayed as dirty, lazy, and malicious in their acts against the Nazis. Heini's father, an unemployed, overweight man, threatens to beat his wife if she does not give him money to buy a beer; this is compared to Fritz and Ulla's father, a Nazi member, who is busy all day with meetings as a doctor. At the campsite, various other older Communist men try to tempt pure Heini with numerous vices, such as gambling and drinking. Even the members of the Communist youth group are shown as rascals with no respect for authority and no desire to better themselves. The members of the Nazi party, both young and old, show a respectable amount of order and respect for one another (except for the Hitler Youth that betrays the party to get the attention of the Communist girl, but even she wouldn't touch him after his lowly acts).
The females in "Hitlerjunge Quex" are also molded to contrast the morality of Nazi party with the destructive vices of the Communist Party. Aside from Heini's mother, who meets a tragic end in her own conflicted state, there are only a couple of female roles in the movie. The Communist girl uses her vanity and suggested sexuality to manipulate weak men (non-Nazi members and the easily corrupted Hitler Youth) for the Communist Party. Ulla, the daughter of a wealthy Nazi doctor and sister of active Hitler Youth Fritz, is at the beckon of the Nazi party weather it is cooking, bandaging the wounded, or helping Heini print more propaganda fliers.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
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