Visual Depictions of Bodies in Nazi Ideology - Term Paper Example

 Visual Depictions of Bodies in Nazi Ideology and the Suppression of Jews ‘unfit’ Bodies Introduction The main intention of Aryan was to remove theinfluence of Jews from all aspects of German society. The Nazi made their ideas complex and portrayed a bad attitude towards the Jews. Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party considered itself to be solely responsible for advancing the Aryan race. Therefore, every move or reform that they introduced was geared towards making the Aryan race flourish. The Nazi’s domination spanned all areas (especially the core ones) of the German society. The key arenas for advancement of their race and the ones that have been extensively studied in history were the 1936 Olympic Games, the political rallies, and the detention camps where Jews were subjected to starvation. All these historical moments are well documented in many articles, films, books, magazines, and other visual materials. This paper will explore several visual materials to compare and contextualize representations of the bodies of the Aryans and Jews as men, women, children, workers, mothers, athletes, among other roles. The paper will also show how the Aryans elevated their bodies while destroying the bodies of the ones they deemed ‘unfit’, specifically the Jews. Jews Detention Camps – Emaciation of the body Nazis did not consider a person’s body to be their own. The body was considered to be a public site. 1In Sick Heil, Cocks documents how Nazis used cruelty against other people.2This may explain the reason why the Nazis destroyed the bodies of Jews through denying them food. Nazis advanced their fascist ideology in order to serve their ideological ambitions. Lack of food affects individuals both physically and mentally. The physical effects of starvation of the body include body wasting, susceptibility to disease and eventually death. Starvation physically transforms its victims. Jews were the victims of Nazis food policies. If a body is starved, it will compensate for lack of calorie intake by consuming body fat. Bodies experience rapid weight loss where even their clothing becomes too big for their bodies. One of the articles which record the effects of starvation to bodies of the Jews was Oskar Rosenfeld Ghetto diaries.3 However, a sign of physical transformation of ghetto inhabitants was an advertisement recorded in the chronicle stating, “Men’s Collars Taken in a barber shop at 13 Lutomierska Street”. In his Ghetto diaries, Rosenfeld further observed that in the beginning, “the abdomen gets loose and eventually sags.”4 A description of victims of starvation in the Divine Comedy as quoted by Piero Camporesi in his work Bread of Dreams similarly took note of the sagging, empty stomach of the starving further observing how on victims of hunger, “The flesh becomes thin, and remains attached to the bones like a spider-web.”5 The Nazis were aware of the murderous effects of their food policies, and they allowed those policies to continue, resulting in the mass execution of the Jews in the ghettos. Nazi ideologues including Himmler, food distribution bureaucrats, regular and special police, among others all played a role in implementing the slow process of extermination of the Jewish people through man-made famine. Films as tools of Propaganda and Body Elevation The Nazi government perpetuated most of their atrocities through using one of its main weapon – the Ministry of Propaganda which produced many films and documentaries which were aimed at elevating the Aryan race and discrediting other racial groups which the government deemed enemies of the people or ‘dangerous’. Many film makers rise in defense of films that were produced during the Nazi period claiming that they did not propagate propaganda at all. Nevertheless, this paper argues that these films expressed the same doctrines as were laid down in Mein Kampf, and more specifically the idea of racial inequality. Some films and articles do this more bluntly than others. Many films worked to convince German citizens of the truthfulness of Nazi claims, particularly regarding Jews, and the necessity of Nazi actions against their so-deemed ‘enemies’. In the film, Triumph des Willens (Triumph of the Will) documented the Nazi Party rallies of 1934. The images and spoken words told the audiences of the goodness and strength of the Nazi Party and the cause for which it fought. Olympia documented the 1936 Summer Olympics while at the same time it reinforces Nazi views of Aryan superiority and the Greek ideal. Jud Suss is a recount of a story about Jewish Finance Minister and Duke Karl Alexander, both of whom are portrayed as betrayers of Germany through their greed. Another film, Der ewige Jude (The Eternal Jew) presents an evidence of the destructive effects of the Jews on German society as well as the entire world. These visualized images were aimed at convincing people to conform to a certain view of physical beauty, political loyalty, and racial identity. The producers of these films kept their messages to the public simples and restated their points several times. They sowed the seeds of propaganda among the people though their visualization of the different images. The nature of these films made it possible for the filmmaker to bring his message to life in order to capture the interests of his audiences. Hitler’s stated aim and the Nazi’s idea was to disseminate propaganda which Hitler stated that “must be addressed exclusively to the masses.”6 The Nazi government under the leadership of Hitler denied loans and financing to film makers whose films did not champion their ideologies. This regime excluded the Jewish film makers, and other film makers who according to Nazis were racially impure. This reduced the number of artistic professionals. This is a comparable scenario to the one discussed earlier in the paper where non-Aryans and physically disabled were barred from participating in the 1936 Olympic Games. These films elevate and worship Nazi leaders and people. For instance, in Triumph des Willens shows Hitler in the clouds, descending to earth. Rienfenstahl used her artistic skills to capture and captivate her audiences through elevation of the body. She shows the strength of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party through bodies – as German civilians, participants, and Nazi leaders. Party ideologies, including Aryan ideal are highlighted in the film. Hitler’s body is elevated as the Germans absolute leader to the extent where he is worshiped as god. The visual depiction of Hitler as he goes through the cloud and descends to earth from the heavens above in this film helps to reinforce the Nazi’s ideology. The image of Hitler descending over the rooftops of Nuremberg, after having been given the above introduction, expressed a very specific view of Hitler. Descending from heaven to meet his cheering followers below reinforced the idea of a sort of deification of the political leader. The placement of cameras while shooting this film is at an angle showing the sunlight reflecting brightly off Hitler’s hand. The onlookers are seen blocking the bright light from their eyes as Hitler’s entourage passes. This effect added to the illusion of Hitler as a savior whose glory was too bright for the eyes of the people. Women are used in the film to portray their deep devotion towards Fuhrer. The filmmaker also uses the children and portrays them as captivated by their leader too. Even a cat is used where it turns its head to see Hitler. Hitler looked upwards to see if the cat is watching him. The impression that is given in this caption is that Hitler is totally aware of all the happenings around him including even the minor details – a cat on a high window. All the body images in this film seem to fortify the notion of Hitler’s glory. Outside the hotel, a group of SS men portrays the discipline of the German men. The physical appearance of the people is not left out as people are shown shaving, bathing, and dressing. As they conducted these activities, they are shown spraying each other with a hose and part each other’s hair. The camera captures all these happy scenes and it shows predominantly Aryan types. This footage is reinforcement to the views of Nazis concerning racial purity and the physical ideal. The body in this footage is maintained with a good form without concealing it with the ‘foppish fashions”. Both were key to the Nazi ideology of racial purity. Such a concentration served to enable one to better see the differences between Jews and Aryans. Physical training of the body is shown in both Triumph des Willens and the Olympia. However, it is only shown briefly in the former in the instance where wrestled and played games with one another. This portrayed the new regime that is placed on body fitness. The 1936 Berlin Olympic Games were a venue of showing the world the ideal body type. This is well portrayed in the film Olympia.7 David Welch in his Propaganda and German Cinema (1933-1945) asserts that he found documents and records showing that the film was financed by the Nazi government because the government did not want a direct involvement stating that it would appear “unwise for the government itself to appear as producer.” 8Olympia focuses on the Nazi idea of the beauty and artistry of the human body showing the body in a positive light. The Nazi ideology of beauty is shown in the opening part of the film. In order to achieve her objective of elevating the Nazis, Riefenstahl begins by showing the mystical ruins of Ancient Greece. The men and women are in form of sculptures but as the film continues, these sculptures are replaced by live subjects in form of Aryan flesh. The javelin and discuss throwers that had been frozen for a long time have now come back to life in form of Aryans. The naked bodies of these athletes were shown from a low camera angle with the sky above them. The camera placement gave the Aryans an appearance that seems to be larger than life and the viewers have to look up at the towering images of mysterious beauty. Reifenstahl’s Olympia celebrates the human body, specifically the Aryan body. The background music seems to reveal the strenuous work of the athletes while at the same time maintaining the feeling of each athlete’s strength and energy. Even if the transformation in the film is great, the misty figures change from male to female. The screen is then filled with nude female bodies waving their hands, jumping in the air, and throwing balls to one another. Throughout the film, the air is filled with mystical mood through displays of the human body. Reifenstahl gives a comparison between the Ancient Greece’s physical beauty and the modern Aryan beauty. The views in the film are Similar to the ones expressed by Hitler in MeinKampf, “The Hellenic ideal of culture should remain preserved for us in its exemplary beauty.” Reifenstahl played everything well by portraying Aryan athletes according to the desires of the Nazi government. In Mein Kampf, Hitler rises in the opposition of educating the individuals who had no physical capability to work in order to help the nation. He further argued that the body gains physical strength through sport and physical strain. The ideas of Hitler are reinforced in Olympia. The women in the Olympic flame are a clear representation of the Nazi ideal of beauty which is common in the Olympic Games as well as other athletic events. As women symbols were consumed in the flames, another strong naked Aryan figure arises from the flames holding the torch high. His body depicts the model of Aryan beauty and beliefs which were held in high esteem. As if to add salt to the injury, the Aryan runs through the ruins of Greece carrying the torch. These Aryan images in this film are accorded total power. The Nazi ideal of beauty had been carried from the ruins of Ancient Greece to the modernity of 1930s Germany. The gymnastics events are used by Riefenstahl to illustrate the ideas of ‘well-formed bodies. Another event used in the film to reinforce ‘beautiful bodies’ is diving. The slowing of athletes’ progress is intended to give the viewers an opportunity to see the divers’ bodies more clearly. The shots have been taken from below making the bends and curves to appear extremely graceful. The placement of cameras under the water in the swimming and diving events is intended to reveal the human body’s full power. In the film, Hitler is quoted by Riefenstahl saying that the Germans have no chance of winning medals. Athlete’s Body – 1936 Berlin Olympic Games Some sports events such as Olympics Games usually have more than two hundred participating countries. These are usually multi-billion-dollar enterprises reaching both television and internet audiences. In this perspective, these games are watched by billions of people around the globe. These games include athletics, ball games, among other activities. Some of these events have become prime venues for symbolic competitions between different nations. Some countries have invested heavily in these especially athletics which are considered to be the activity in these Games. Over the years these Games have become loftier that the mere training of the body. There is a special fascination with the physiques of competitors that is stimulated by these Games.In their article, Gender Sightings, Butler and Wamsley show how these events serve as the unique arena for exposing athletic bodies. In turn, these images are consumed by the spectating public especially when it comes to female bodies and male bodies to a lesser degree. In this perspective, a new ground has been broken to constitute what is considered to be socially-acceptable public display of the human body. The viewing publics consider this to be permissible and desirable which makes the athletes to increase exposure and the organizers to increase approval.9 Visual depictions of athletes’ bodies continue to reinforce the elements of Nazi Ideology. The organizers have a certain dressing-code that the athletes are supposed to maintain. There have been instances where athletes from certain countries have declined to participate in these events because the dressing-code that they are required to clad is against their cultural values. For example, women from the Islamic countries have been sidelined for many years and not until recently when they were allowed to clad in outfits that do not go against their cultural values. Butler and Wamsleyshowhow the Olympic Games have failed to become women-friendly.10 Women are press-judged by their bodies and appearance, their social decorum, with their athletic performance not highly considered. Spectacular and sexualized bodies remain central to public consumption of Olympics among other athletic events. The two events that drew the largest viewers in the 1932, 1936, and 1948 Olympic Games were women’s aquatic events and women’s figure skating. As Critical Issues of our Time observes, these events were the biggest crowd pleasers simply because they were the ones that featured women in their most revealing costumes.11 The most studied Games were the 1936 Olympic Games paving way for the exploration of the relationship between sports, politics, and visual culture in Nazi Germany. Nazi Germans used the 1936 Olympics Games to glorify themselves through displaying their Aryan athletic accomplishments. The used ‘beautiful’ bodies and hid the ones that they deemed ‘unfit’ to appear in public view. In the exhibition, there is a 44 cintra wall and shelf panes. In addition, there is a CD player which contains three radio clips extracted from 1936 Olympics, and finally, a laminated imitation of Olympia Zeitung which is the official 1936 Olympic newspaper is displayed. One particular film, Olympia offers a very controversial documentary about the 1936 Olympic Games. These Games were held in Berlin. The film director, Riefenstahl rises in full appreciation of the male muscular body. However, he played it right in the hands of the Nazis who used it as a propaganda vehicle, particularly in celebrating the strong, healthy, athletic, and Aryan human body. In this film, German athletes are demonstrated as healthy. Through the use of human body, a positive publicity about Germany is painted.12 Hitler both directly and indirectly inherited negative ideas. In his publication, Meim Kampf in 1925, Hitler boldly wrote that “in every mingling of Aryan blood with that of lower peoples the result was the end of cultured people”. Hitler warned the Germans to avoid “defilement of blood.”13Hitler uplifted the concepts of Aryan superiority. Framing bodies exhibition explored how the Nazis viewed the body, their celebration of “Aryan” bodies, and how they portrayed and regulated those who were excluded from the ideal. In particular, the second section of the exhibition, ‘Dangerous Bodies’ refer to those who were excluded from the “Aryan ideals” such as Jews and the disabled. Conclusion Nazi’s ideology concerning the body denied men and women any freedom over their bodies. Nazis promoted the idea that male and female bodies are only important if they are used to promote and advance the Aryan race. Their attitude was conservative in nature. In order to enforce their values, the Nazi government engaged a number of methods including subjecting the people they deemed ‘unfit’ to starvation, and the employment of propaganda. Nazi ideology had significant impact on German society. Aryan supremacy is deeply rooted in racism. Some historians consider the supremacy to be one of the most primitive forms that in it initial stage, existed as xenophobia. The supremacy became ingrained in the minds of the Aryans/Germans to the extent that they viewed other races as inferior to their own.14Aryans elevated their bodies while destroying the bodies of the ones they deemed ‘unfit’. Bodies are traditionally placed, thus creating a fusion between subjects and places to a point where ideologically marked bodies that signify the specificity of a people, or a race’s relation to a place are formed. Bibliography Barsam, Richard M.,Nonfiction Film: A Critical History. Indiana : Indiana University Press. 1992. Butler, Katie and Kevin Wamsley, Gender Sightings: The Olympic Games and the New Athletic Body 1896 – 1928, North American Society for Sport History Proceedings, 2006, 104 – 5. Bytwerk, Randall and Calvin Colleg. It’s Them or Us: Killing the Jews in Nazi Propaganda, accessed February 7, 2015, http://www.bytwerk.com/papers/Symbolic-Violence.pdf Butler,Katie and Kevin Wamsley, Critical Issues of our Time: Spectacular Olympic Bodies: From Hollywood to Hitler and Beyond, Centre for American Studies, (2012), 10: 1-25 Camporesi, Piero, Bread of Dreams: Food and fantasy in early modern Europe, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1989. Cocks, Geoffrey, Sick Heil: Self and Illness in Nazi Germany, Chicago Journals, 22, 2007. Gordon, Terri J., Fascism and the Female Form: Performance Art in the third Reich, in Sexuality and German Fascism, ed. Dagmar Herzog, New York: Berghahn Books, 2005. Hitler, Adolf, Meim Kampf, trans. Ralph Manheim, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1943. Riefenstahl, Leni, prod., Triump des Willens, Los Angeles: Embassy Home Entertainment, 1986. Rogoff, Irit. Terra Infirma: Geography's Visual Culture. London: Routledge, 2013. Rosenfeld, Oskar, In the Beginning was the Ghetto: Notebooks from Lodz. Trans. Brigitti M. Goldstein, Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 2002. Welch, David, Propaganda and the German Cinema, 1933-1945, New York: I.B. Tarius, 2006. Wilson, George, Racialized Life-Chance Opportunities across the Class Structure: The Case of African Americans, Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 609. Read More