| Der Fuehrer's Face | |
|---|---|
 Donald Duck in Der Fuehrer's Face. |
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| Distributed by | RKO |
| Release date(s) |  January 1, 1943 |
| Running time | 8 minutes |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Der Fuehrer's Face is a 1943 animated cartoon by the Walt Disney Studios, starring Donald Duck. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC The year 1943 in film involved some significant events Events Top grossing films (U English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The year 1943 in film involved some significant events Events Top grossing films (U An animated cartoon is a short hand-drawn (or made with computers to look similar to something hand-drawn Film for the cinema, Television or computer Donald Duck is a cartoon character from The Walt Disney Company. It was directed by Jack Kinney and released on January 1, 1943 as an anti-Nazi propaganda piece for the American war effort. Jack Kinney ( March 29, 1909 - February 9, 1992) was an American Animator, director and producer of Animated shorts New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German Propaganda is a concerted set of messages aimed at influencing the opinions or behaviors of large numbers of people The United States of America —commonly referred to as the In Politics and Military planning, a war effort refers to a coordinated Mobilization of society's resources&mdashboth industrial and The film won the 1943 Academy Award for Animated Short Film and was voted #22 of the 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time by members of the animation field. The Academy Award for Animated Short Film is an award which has been given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as part of the Academy Awards every year The 50 Greatest Cartoons As Selected by 1000 Animation Professionals is a 1994 book by Animation Historian Jerry Beck, consisting of articles
Contents |
Plot
A German brass band (including Hirohito on sousaphone and Mussolini on bass drum) marches through a small German town (where everything, including the clouds and trees, is decorated with the Nazi swastika), singing the virtues of the Nazi doctrine. A musical ensemble is a group of two or more Musicians who perform instrumental or vocal Music. also known as, (April 29 1901 – January 7 1989 was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order reigning from December 25 1926 until his death The sousaphone is a wearable Tuba descended from the Hélicon, and designed in an ergonomically efficient way such that it fits around the body of the wearer and A bass drum is a large Drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The swastika (from Sanskrit: svástika sa स्वस्तिक Hindu IS CORRECT if 'ि' is positioned incorrectly see -->) is Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German Passing by Donald's house, they poke him out of bed with a bayonet to get ready for work. A bayonet (from French baïonnette) is a Knife - Dagger - or spike-shaped Weapon designed to fit on or over the muzzle Because of wartime rationing, his breakfast consists of ersatz bread (50% sawdust), coffee brewed from a single hoarded coffee bean, and a spray that tastes like bacon and eggs. Rationing is the controlled distribution of resources and scarce goods or services The band shoves a copy of Mein Kampf in front of him for a moment of reading, then marches into his house and escorts him to a factory. Mein Kampf ( English: My Struggle/My Battle) is a book by Adolf Hitler.
Upon arriving at the factory (at bayonet-point), Donald starts his 48-hour daily shift screwing caps onto artillery shells in an assembly line. A shell is a payload-carrying Projectile, which as opposed to shot, contains an explosive or other filling though modern usage includes large solid projectiles An assembly line is a Manufacturing process in which parts (usually Interchangeable parts) are added to a product in a sequential manner using optimally planned Mixed in with the shells are portraits of the Fuehrer, so he must interrupt his work to do a Hitler salute every time a portrait appears. The Hitler salute (Hitlergruß also known in Germany during World War II as the Deutscher Gruß (literally German Greeting) or in English as the The pace of the assembly line intensifies (as in the classic comedy Modern Times), and Donald finds it increasingly hard to complete all the tasks. Modern Times is a 1936 Comedy film by Charlie Chaplin that has his iconic Little Tramp character in his final silent-film appearance At the same time, he is bombarded with propaganda messages about the superiority of the Aryan race and the glory of working for The Führer. The " Aryan race " is a concept in European culture that was influential in the period of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
After a "paid vacation" that consists of making swastika shapes with his body for a few seconds in front of a painted backdrop of the Alps, Donald is ordered to work overtime. Kraft durch Freude ( KdF, literally "Strength through Joy" was a large state-controlled Leisure organization in the Third Reich, a part of the He has a nervous breakdown with hallucinations of artillery shells everywhere. Mental breakdown (also known as nervous breakdown or snapping) is a non-medical term used to describe a sudden acute attack of Mental illness such as A hallucination, in the broadest sense is a Perception in the absence of a stimulus. When the hallucinations clear, he finds himself in his bed—in the United States—and realizes the whole experience was a nightmare. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A nightmare is a Dream which causes a strong unpleasant emotional response from the sleeper typically fear or horror being in situations of extreme danger or the sensations The short ends with Donald embracing a miniature Statue of Liberty, thankful for his American citizenship. Liberty Enlightening the World (La liberté éclairant le monde commonly known as the Statue of Liberty (Statue de la Liberté was presented
History
Before the film's release, the popular band Spike Jones and His City Slickers, noted for their parodies of hot songs of the time, released a version of Oliver Wallace's theme song, "Der Fuehrer's Face" (also known informally as "The Nazi Song"). Lindley Armstrong "Spike" Jones ( December 14, 1911 – May 1, 1965) was a popular musician and bandleader specializing in performing Oliver George Wallace ( August 6, 1887, London &ndash September 15, 1963, Los Angeles) was a British-American composer Unlike the version in the cartoon, some Spike Jones versions contain the rude sound effect of an instrument he called the "birdaphone", a rubber razzer (aka the Bronx Cheer) with each "HEIL!" to show contempt for Hitler. For the album by The Jam see Sound Affects. Sound effects or audio effects are artificially created or enhanced Sounds Blowing a raspberry or strawberry or making a Bronx cheer is to make a noise signifying derision (and/or silliness made by sticking out the tongue between the lips The so-called "Bronx Cheer" was a well-known expression of disgust in that time period and was not deemed obscene or offensive (except, presumably, to the person who was being deliberately insulted by it). (The sheet music cover bears the image of a tomato splattering in Hitler's face. ) Jones recorded two versions of the song at the request of RCA Victor Records which released the song on the Bluebird label - one with a trombone note after each "HEIL!" and the other with a razzer called a 'birdaphone'. RCA Records (originally The Victor Talking Machine Company, then RCA Victor is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. Bluebird Records is a sub- label of RCA Victor Records originally created in 1932 to counter ARC Records in the "3 records for a dollar" The birdaphone version was the one released. The success of Jones' record prompted Disney to change the short's title, originally Donald Duck In Nutzi Land, to match the song.
Due to the propagandistic nature of the short, and the depiction of Donald Duck as a Nazi, Disney has kept it out of general circulation since its original release. Der Fuehrer's Face finally received an official U. S. video release in 2004, when it was included in the Walt Disney Treasures limited edition DVD set Walt Disney: On the Front Lines. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The "Walt Disney Treasures" are two-disc DVD sets of classic Disney works covering work from the studio's earliest days to more recent work The term special edition ( deluxe edition and collector's edition are also used is a term generally used as a Marketing incentive for various kinds of products DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is The third wave of Walt Disney Treasures was released on May 18 2004 It also appeared on another Walt Disney Treasures set: The Chronological Donald Volume Two, released in December 2005. The fifth wave of Walt Disney Treasures was released on December 6 2005
Other versions
- Harry Turtledove adapted the song in one of his Colonization novels, in tune with the novels' theme. Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14 1949) is an American historian and novelist who has written Historical fiction, Fantasy, and Colonization is a trilogy of books written by Harry Turtledove. See the page on the Race for the lyrics. Characteristics Biology Apparently evolved from predatory ancestors members of the Race are physically shorter in height than Humans and have numerous lizard-like
- Spike sings a short version of the song in the comic book Spike vs. Dracula #3. Spike (aka William "the Bloody") played by James Marsters, is a Fictional character Spike vs Dracula is a comic book limited series based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel Television series
- In the M*A*S*H episode "Dr. Pierce and Mr. Hyde", Hawkeye Pierce sings part of the song to Radar, while suffering from insomnia. M*A*S*H was a Medical drama / Black comedy produced by 20th Television Fox for CBS. "Dr Pierce and Mr Hyde" Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce is a Fictional character and lead protagonist in the M*A*S*H novels, film, and Corporal “Radar” Walter O’Reilly is a Fictional character in the M*A*S*H novels, the film, the television series Insomnia is a symptom of a sleeping disorder characterized by persistent difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep despite the opportunity This is the Spike Jones version, with the raspberries included. Lindley Armstrong "Spike" Jones ( December 14, 1911 – May 1, 1965) was a popular musician and bandleader specializing in performing
- In the movie Hart's War, a group of American POWs are seen playing the song and dancing to it in elaborate costumes. Hart's War is a 2002 Film about a fictional World War II Prisoner of war (POW based on the novel by John Katzenbach
- Herman Wouk built a scene around the song in his novel War and Remembrance.
Other references
- This short was one of the many featured in Donald Duck's 50th Birthday. Donald Duck's 50th Birthday was a Television special broadcast on The Magical World of Disney on November 13, 1984 on
See also
Further reading
Young, Jordan R. Education for Death The Making of the Nazi is an animated Short film produced by Walt Disney and released on January 15, (2005). Spike Jones Off the Record: The Man Who Murdered Music. Albany: BearManor Media ISBN 1-59393-012-7 3rd edition.
External links
- Der Fuehrer's Face at the Internet Movie Database
- Disney Archives: Donald Duck Character History
- Der Fuehrer's Face at The Encyclopedia of Disney Animated Shorts
- Walt Disney Home Video: Walt Disney: On the Front Lines
- Banned Cartoons, including Fuehrer
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