Trenker Western

The film was most clearly a Western and could easily be viewed simply as that. However, going into the film thinking of it as a work of Nazi cinema greatly altered how I saw it. As a Western the film could be viewed as focusing purely on this man's life and struggles. Viewing it as a Nazi film made me think of the film in more broader terms, focusing on the workers as a whole and the endeavors with the land and gold as general problems, instead of simply Sutter's problems. I also found that instead of just following the story line of the film, I kept questioning what everything was supposed to mean in terms of a Nazi agenda. Had I seen this film believing it was only a Western I think I would have sympathized more with Sutter and his family. Questioning the meaning behind things set me farther apart from the immediate story and the characters. 

Therefore I think the film should be approached as a Western, not a Nazi film. The idea of Heimlot is important, but it has just as much impact when the film is viewed as a Western. It doesn't have to be specifically about Germany, just about the home, or roots, in general.