UFA Goebbeled

Five years ago potent Publisher Alfred Hugenberg, at that time head of an ardent Nationalist Party, was picked by many a wiseacre as the likeliest man to stop the march to power of Adolf Hitler. Publisher Hugenberg was wiser. Even before Adolf Hitler became Chancellor, Alfred Hugenberg prudently dissolved his own party, loudly and publicly joined the Nazis. Herr Hitler was grateful, for a while, but last week Alfred Hugenberg was forced to resign from his last important job: director of UFA, Germany's largest motion picture company.

Nineteen other directors went out with him, and a new board of twelve was set up. consisting of six bankers, five actors and directors and a representative of Paul Joseph Goebbels' film chamber. In effect this meant that Propagandist Goebbels had gobbled the entire firm, for all the other directors were hand-picked by him.

Tobis, only other important German producing company, has already been completely Nazified with paunchy Emil Jannings as one of its actor-directors. The gobbling of UFA not only gave the Goebbels office a hold on Germany's cinema industry as strong as that it already has over the press; it gave Goebbels virtual ownership. In March, even before the switch in directors, an anonymous group bought control of UFA from the Hugenberg group. Berlin film men insisted last week that the real owner of UFA and Tobis is the Franz Eher Publishing Co., which in turn publishes the Nazi news-organ Volkischer Beobachter, and of which Adolf Hitler is supposed to be a partner.

Nazi dissatisfaction with the old UFA management stemmed directly from the fact that the average German still has an unconverted preference for U. S. films. The company made a little money last year, but not enough to pay a dividend, nor were its propaganda films at all successful abroad. Stormed Dr. Goebbels: "Our films are too commercial, they must be more artistic. . . .* The German film has reached the point where it must fulfill its duty to the state, nation and culture. It must exercise international influence, it must become a spiritual world power. ..."

Still uncut and unedited last week was what Nazi authorities long ago announced as the exclusive, official film of the Olympic Games, produced under the direction of beauteous Leni Riefenstahl, good friend of the Fuehrer. Over 2,000,000 ft. of film were exposed by German cameramen, no foreign cameras being permitted. When cut and assembled, this footage is to make one full-length German film of Nazi triumphs at the games, and 20 separate short films, with dialog in the languages of countries that sent teams to Berlin. Berlin film men said last week that the job would take nearly another year.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.