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Article: Shooting on the home front (German propaganda movies, WWII).
- Article from:
- Queen's Quarterly
- Article date:
- March 22, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Queen's Quarterly. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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IN the history of cinema, there is probably no stranger epic than the making of Veit Harlan's film Kolberg (1941-45). Loosely based on the tale of a German town besieged by Napoleon in 1807, the film was intended to rival Gone With the Wind, which it certainly did in terms of expense. Filming involved some 187,000 people, 6,000 horses, and 10,000 costumes. Troops were requisitioned to serve as extras, and trains were commandeered to provide the film crew with 100 cars of salt, which was spread over the countryside to suggest snow. At the same time, the German empire was crumbling, and Germany itself was being overrun by invaders. The film had to be parachuted into the town ...