Selling
Democracy: Films of the Marshall Plan, 1948-53
Saturday,
January 28 + Sunday, January 29
 Selling
Democracy is a symposium and film festival that examines public
diplomacy efforts during the immediate aftermath of WWII and
start of the Cold War, and contrasts them with a discussion
of today’s public diplomacy strategies. Click
here for Selling Democracy events at the Annenberg
School.
This
landmark series features 25 films made after WWII in Europe
by the Marshall Plan’s Motion Picture Section and by the Documentary
Film Unit of the US Office of Military Government (OMGUS). It
is a fascinating cross-section of the more than 250 films originally
produced to encourage the democratization of Germany and to
hasten the reconstruction of Europe. These rarely-seen films
demonstrate American cultural diplomacy in action and remain
timely in its handling of issues related to public diplomacy,
international relations, nation-building, and the role media
and communication play in politics at home and abroad. Due
to a 1948 law that prohibited the propagandizing of American
citizens, few films in Selling Democracy have ever been seen
in the United States. In 1990, Senator John Kerry introduced
legislation overturning the ban, and this is the first public
showcase of the films in America since then. Against the
backdrop of US efforts to democratize Iraq and Afghanistan,
these historic films have particular resonance.
Sponsored
by the Annenberg School’s Project for Global Communication Studies
with the support of the Cinema Studies Department and
the Middle East Center at the University of Pennsylvania.
Detailed
information on the films can be found at www.sellingdemocracy.org.
Saturday,
January 28 at 11:00am
Program
I: Out of the Ruins
approx
100 mins
Focusing
on Marshall Aid to Germany and Italy, this program features
Hunger, It’s Up to You, Between East and
West, The Bridge, Me and Mr. Marshall,
In Life and Death of a Cave City, one of the rare color
films, and Houen Zo, a symphony of sounds and music
that shows the city coming back to life, which won a special
prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Saturday,
January 28 at 2:30pm
Program
II: Help is on the Way
approx
100 mins
The
films in Program II embody the can-do spirit of the Marshall
Planners before anti-Communist anxieties set in. These themes
are amusingly tackled in The Extraordinary Adventures of
a Quart of Milk, The Home We Love and Rice
and Bulls, all set in France. Thrilling struggles to reclaim
land and find water for irrigation are recounted in Island
of Faith and Town Without Water. Hansl
and the 200,000 Chicks and Action No. 5 takes
you on a tour of aid projects in Portugal, Great Britain, Belgium
and Greece - all set to the jaunty tunes typical of 50’s newsreels.
Sunday,
January 29 at 11:00am
Program
III: True Fiction
approx
120 mins
Marshall
Plan filmmakers created a sense of drama in nearly all of their
films and numerous documentaries were partially staged docudramas.
The Marshall Plan also commissioned full-fledged fiction films.
Program III illustrates both approaches in The Story of
Koula, Aquila, a beautiful example of early Italian neo-realism,
The Promise of Barty O’Briens, The Smiths and the Robinsons
and Let’s Be Childish, a delightful ode to the
future of Europe.
Sunday,
January 29 at 2:30pm
Program
IV: Strength for the Free World
approx
120 mins
The
invasion of Korea cut short the optimistic phase one of the
Marshall Plan. During phase two – under
the Mutual Security Agency, filmmakers would make more films
with anti-Communist themes, stressing the virtues of political
unity and military strength. The fear of Communist inroads haunts
The Hour of Choice, Without Fear, Struggle
for Men’s Minds, Whitsun Holiday, Do Not Disturb!
and The Shoemaker and the Hatter, a cartoon parable
about the virtues of a common market.
Free
Admission. Tickets available at the box office 1/2 hour before
showtime.
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