"Why We Fight" is Fascinating

Once upon a time, when America was preparing to enter into WWII, Hollywood directors were recruited by the U.S. government to help make propaganda films.  Among the most famous were the "Why We Fight" series, seven films helmed by Frank Capra and Anatole Litvak.  They were conceived of as a direct response to Leni Riefenstahl's "Triumph of the Will," which glorified the Nazi regime.  The making of these films is fascinating, and covered in part by the excellent documentary series, "Five Came Back."  However, I'd never seen the films themselves, and I thought it was worth taking the time to seek them out - they're all public domain and available through several online archives.

The most successful and commonly viewed part of "Why We Fight" is the first film, 1942's "Prelude to War," which sets out the philosophical underpinnings of the Americans' argument for war.  It's Democracy versus Fascism, the free world versus the "slave" world - Germany, Italy, and Japan.  Relying heavily on narration and repurposed, recontextualized footage from newsreels and foreign propaganda sources, the film makes a case for Americans joining the fight in order to protect their own way of life.  The next two installments, "The Nazis Strike" and "Divide and Conquer," chart the rise and advancement of the Nazis.  "The Battle of Britain," "The Battle of Russia," and the "Battle of China," cover developments in the war from the point of view of the various Allied powers.  Finally, "War Comes to America," released in 1945, reiterates America's stake in the war, ending with a depiction of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

"Why We Fight" presents a picture of the world as it existed in the 1940s, full of old and outdated terminology that would be considered inappropriate today.  The maps have all changed, and the alliances have too.  There's a significant feeling of cognitive dissonance watching "The Battle of Russia" and "The Battle of China," where significant pains are taken to glorify and lionize the Russian and Chinese people, and their war efforts.  However, I found it very interesting to see some of the earliest images of the war and its combatants, glimpses of figures like Queen Elizabeth II and Madame Chiang Kai-Shek.  Clearly some scenes were staged, but I admit that I couldn't tell the difference between most of the legit combat footage and the staged footage.  There have been so many cinematic dramatizations of WWII over the years, it's sobering to get a look at something close to the actual reality of the time, rough and biased as most of these films are.   

Despite being aimed at general audiences, "Why We Fight" is not a particularly easy or engaging watch.   History buffs will enjoy seeing geopolitics from the POV of an American in the 1940s, but the super simplified history lessons and essay-like format make it very clear that we're watching propaganda.   I repeatedly found myself losing interest whenever the maps would come out, and the narrators would walk us through the battles and troop movements on the various fronts of the war.  The ultimate message is always the same, made explicit as every episode ends with a quote from Army Chief of Staff George Marshall: "The victory of the democracies can only be complete with the utter defeat of the war machines of Germany and Japan." 

Looking at these films in the context of filmmaking history, it's one of the major early examples of commercial filmmaking techniques being used to create a narrative around current events.  What really distinguishes this series is that it was made with Hollywood talent and filmmaking techniques.  In addition to the involvement of Litvak and Capra, who worked on several other propaganda films over the same period, "Why We Fight" features the work of Hollywood writers, composers, editors, and many others.  Actor Walter Huston narrated most of the installments, and Disney animators contributed the map and chart graphics.  

In many ways, the series set an unfortunate precedent for worse to come - everything from political attack ads to outright misinformation campaigns have followed the lead of "Why We Fight," borrowing many of the same rhetorical and presentation tactics.  The series looks downright evenhanded next to some of the media it has inspired.  However, it's also a valuable piece of history - a snapshot of not only how America saw the rest of the world, but how it saw itself.        

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