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{{short description|1943 Donald Duck cartoon}} | |||
] | |||
{{Infobox film | |||
| name = Der Fuehrer's Face | |||
| image = Der Fuehrer's Face poster.jpg | |||
| alt = | |||
| caption = Theatrical release poster | |||
| director = ] | |||
| producer = ] | |||
| story = ]<br />] | |||
| narrator = | |||
| starring = ]<br />]<br />] | |||
| music = ] | |||
| animator = Bob Carlson<br />]<br />]<br />]<br />]<br />John Sibley | |||
| layout_artist = ]<br />]<ref name="Encyclopedia">{{cite web|title=Der Fuehrer's Face|url=http://www.disneyshorts.org:80/shorts.aspx?shortID=359|website=Encyclopedia of Disney Animated Shorts|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610020733/http://www.disneyshorts.org/shorts.aspx?shortID=359|archive-date=June 10, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
| background_artist = | |||
| studio = ] | |||
| distributor = ] | |||
| released = {{Film date|1943|01|01}}<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8mNlCwAAQBAJ&dq=nazi+donald+duck+january+1943&pg=PA102 | title=Motion Pictures from the Fabulous 1940's | isbn=978-1-329-81141-6 | last1=Rowan | first1=Terry | date=6 January 2016 | publisher=Lulu.com }}</ref> | |||
| color_process = ] | |||
| runtime = 8 minutes | |||
| country = United States | |||
| language = English | |||
}} | |||
'''''Der Fuehrer's Face''''' (originally titled '''''Donald Duck in Nutziland'''''<ref>{{cite magazine|title=New U.S. War Songs|magazine=LIFE|date=2 November 1942|volume=13|issue=18|page=44|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JkAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA44|access-date=20 January 2012}}</ref> or '''''A Nightmare in Nutziland''''') is an American ] ] ] ] produced by ], created in 1942 and released on January 1, 1943 by ]. The cartoon, which features ] in a nightmare setting working at a factory in ], was made in an effort to sell war bonds and is an example of ].<ref>{{cite book | |||
] | |||
| last = Blitz | |||
| first = Marcia | |||
| title = Donald Duck | |||
| year = 1979 | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
| location = ] | |||
| isbn = 0-517-52961-0 | |||
| page = 133}}</ref> The film was directed by ] and written by ] and ].<ref name="bcdb">{{Cite news|url=http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/5347-Der_Fuehrers_Face.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130118091214/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/5347-Der_Fuehrers_Face.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 18, 2013|title=Der Fuehrer's Face|website=Bcdb.com|date=2012-12-16}}</ref> ] released a version of ]'s ] for the short before the film was released. | |||
''Der Fuehrer's Face'' won the ] for ] at the ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1943|title=The 15th Academy Awards | 1943|website=Oscars.org|date=4 October 2014 |access-date=21 January 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Biographies of 10 Classic Disney Characters |url=http://d23.disney.go.com/archives/biographies-of-10-classic-disney-characters/#DonaldDuck |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130103044313/http://d23.disney.go.com/archives/biographies-of-10-classic-disney-characters/#DonaldDuck |archive-date=2013-01-03 |access-date= |website=Disney D23}}</ref> It is the only Donald Duck film to receive the honor, although eight other films have also been nominated.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jack Hannah |url=https://d23.com/walt-disney-legend/jack-hannah/ |access-date=2023-02-17 |website=D23 |language=en-US}}</ref> In 1994, it was voted Number 22 of "]" of all time by members of the animation field.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Beck |first1=Jerry |title=The 50 Greatest Cartoons: As Selected by 1,000 Animation Professionals |date=1994 |publisher=Turner Publishing |isbn=978-1878685490}}</ref> However, because of the propagandistic nature of the short and the depiction of Donald Duck as a Nazi (albeit a deeply reluctant one), Disney kept the film out of general circulation after its original release. Its first home release came in 2004 with the release of the ] DVD sets. | |||
'''''Der Führer's Face''''' is a ] ] by ] starring ], as well as a song from that short. Both mock ]. | |||
==Plot== | |||
It was directed by ] and released on ], ] as an anti-] ] piece for the ] ]. It won the 1943 ] and was voted #22 of the ] of all time by members of the animation field. | |||
An ] band{{snd}}composed of ] ] on the trombone, ] on the snare drum, ] on the sousaphone, ] on the piccolo and ] on the bass drum{{snd}}marches while singing the virtues of the ]. They are in a caricature of a ] town, where the trees, windmill blades, fences, telephone poles and clouds are all shaped like ], while the houses resemble ]'s face. | |||
Donald Duck, apparently a German citizen in this world, is awoken by his ]-wearing alarm clock at 4 a.m. He smashes the clock with his fist. His cuckoo clock chimes with a Hitler-esque bird, only for Donald to throw a shoe at it. The rooster outside does the ] and crows "]". Passing by Donald's house, the band members poke him out of bed with a ]. Donald faces and salutes the portraits of Hitler, ], and Mussolini, then tries to go back to bed, only for someone to splash him with water while yelling angrily in ]. | |||
{{spoil}} | |||
Donald goes to make breakfast. Because of ], it consists of bread that's so stale and hard it resembles wood (and must be cut with a saw), coffee brewed from a single hoarded coffee bean, and a bacon-and-egg-flavored ]. The band shoves a copy of '']'' in front of him for a moment of reading, then marches into his house and escorts him to a factory, with Donald now carrying the bass drum and Göring kicking him. | |||
==Plot== | |||
right in Der Fuehrer's face".]] | |||
A brass ] (including ] on ] and ] on ]) marches through a small ] town (where everything, including the clouds and trees, is decorated with the Nazi ]), singing the virtues of the ] doctrine."WHEN THE FUEHRER SAYS, WE ARE THE MASTER RACE!..." Passing Donald's house, they poke him out of bed with a ] to get ready for work. Because of wartime ], his breakfast consists of stale bread (hard enough that it requires a saw to cut), coffee brewed from a single hoarded coffee bean, and a spray that tastes like ], and his uniform (with hat) is made completely out of paper; it also appears that he is hiding his food from the Nazi marching band as well. The band shows a copy of '']'' in front of him for a moment of reading, then marches into his house and escorts him to a factory. | |||
Upon arriving at the factory (at bayonet-point), Donald starts his 48 |
Upon arriving at the factory (at bayonet-point), Donald starts his "48 hours a day" shift of screwing caps onto ] on an assembly line. Mixed in with the shells are portraits of ], so Donald must perform the Nazi salute for each portrait, all while screwing the caps on with his other hand, much to his disgust. Each new batch of shells is of a different size, ranging from individual bullets to massive shells larger than Donald. The pace of the assembly line intensifies (as in the ] comedy '']''), and Donald finds it increasingly hard to complete all the tasks. The band's song intermittently resumes, but is now more cynical, saying that Der Fuehrer "lies and rants and raves", the citizens "work like slaves" and that they'd like to see Hitler blown up. A different German-accented voice shouts propaganda messages about the superiority of the ] and the glory of working for Der Fuehrer. When Donald momentarily grumbles in frustration, the guards overhear him and point their bayonets at him, forcing him to fearfully recant his complaints. | ||
Donald has "paid vacation" which consists of forced exercise (contorting his arms into swastika shapes and quickly Nazi-saluting) in front of a painting of the ]. This only lasts for a few seconds before the voice declares that Donald, "by special decree of Der Fuehrer", must work overtime. The work resumes at an even faster pace while the voice constantly screams orders. Donald has a nervous breakdown with hallucinations of artillery shells, including snake- and bird-shaped shells, army boot shells crushing Donald, and marching band shells that hiss the music. (Some of the animation in this sequence is recycled from the "]" sequence from '']''). | |||
When the hallucinations are cleared, Donald wakes up in another bed (wearing stars-and-stripes patterned pajamas), only to see the shadow of a figure holding its right hand up. Believing it to be a Nazi salute, he begins to do so himself until he sees that it's the shadow of a miniature ] on his windowsill. Donald realizes that the whole thing was a dream and he lives in the ]. He embraces the statue, saying, "Am I glad to be a citizen of the United States of America!" | |||
==History== | |||
Before the film's release, the popular band ] 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'''"). Unlike the version in the cartoon, some Spike Jones versions contain the rude ] of an instrument he called the "birdaphone", a rubber razzer (aka the ]) with each "HEIL!" to show contempt for Hitler. The underlying implication of passing gas in Hitler's face, a very vulgar theme for that time period, illustrates how normal censorship of the public media tends to be relaxed when the subject is an enemy. Jones recorded two versions of the song at the request of ] which released the song on the ] label - one with a trombone note after each "HEIL!" and the other with a razzer called a 'birdaphone'. 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. | |||
The short ends with a caricature of Hitler's angry face and a tomato is thrown at it, with the splatter forming the words ''The End''. | |||
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 Führer's Face'' finally received an official U.S. video release in ], when it was included in the ] ] ] set '']''. It also appeared on another Walt Disney Treasures set: '']'', released in December 2005. | |||
==Voice cast== | |||
* ] as ] | |||
* ] as ] lead singer | |||
* ] as Off-stage Nazi<ref>{{cite book |last1=Scott |first1=Keith |title=Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2 |date=3 October 2022 |publisher=BearManor Media |language=en}}</ref> | |||
==Song== | |||
{{Infobox song | |||
| name = Der Fuehrer's Face | |||
| cover = Derfuehrersfaceposter.JPG | |||
| alt = | |||
| type = single | |||
| artist = ] and His City Slickers | |||
| album = | |||
| released = | |||
| format = | |||
| recorded = 1942 | |||
| studio = | |||
| venue = | |||
| genre = | |||
| length = | |||
| label = | |||
| writer = ] | |||
| producer = | |||
| prev_title = | |||
| prev_year = | |||
| next_title = | |||
| next_year = | |||
}} | |||
Before the film's release, the popular band ] and His City Slickers, noted for their parodies of popular songs of the time, released a version of ]'s theme song, "Der Fuehrer's Face" (also known informally as "The Nazi Song"), itself a parody of the ], in September 1942 on ] ] #11586.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=The Week's Best Releases |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MQwEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Der+Fuehrer%27s+Face%22&pg=PT62 |newspaper=Billboard |page=66 |date=September 26, 1942 |access-date=June 17, 2014}}</ref> Unlike the version in the cartoon, some Spike Jones versions contain the ] of an instrument he called the "birdaphone", a rubber razzer (also known as the ])<ref name=pc05>{{Cite web | url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1633240/m1/#track/5 | title = Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #5 | year = 1972 | website=Digital.library.unt.edu}}</ref> with each "Heil!" to show contempt for Hitler<ref name=dn04/> (instead, the cartoon version features the sound of a tuba). The so-called "Bronx Cheer" was a well-known expression of disgust in that time period and was not deemed obscene or offensive. The sheet music cover bears the image of ] throwing a tomato in Hitler's face. In the Jones version, the chorus line, "Ja, we is the supermen—" is answered by a soloist's "Super-duper super men!" effeminately delivered<ref name=pc05/> suggesting the prevalence of ]s among Nazis; in the Disney version, these lines are delivered flatly but with effeminate gestures by Hermann Göring. The recording was very popular, peaking at No. 3 on the U.S. chart.<ref name=dn04>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2004/03/03/2004-03-03_scorn_and_disdain_spike_jone.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090408091714/https://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2004/03/03/2004-03-03_scorn_and_disdain_spike_jone.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 8, 2009|title=SCORN AND DISDAIN SPIKE JONES GIFFS HITLER DER OLD BIRDAPHONE, 1942|website=]|date=April 8, 2009}}</ref><ref name="Whitburn1986">{{cite book |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |title=Pop Memories 1890-1954 |year=1986 |publisher=Record Research, Inc. |location=Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin |isbn=0-89820-083-0 |page= |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/joelwpopmemories00whit/page/242}}</ref> | |||
===Other versions=== | ===Other versions=== | ||
* ] recorded the song in July 1942 on the OKeh label.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://countrydiscoghraphy2.blogspot.ca/2015/02/johnny-bond.html |title=Praguefrank's Country Music Discography: Johnny Bond|website=Countrydiscography2.blogspot.ca |date=19 February 2015 |access-date=11 December 2015}}</ref> | |||
*] adapted the song in one of his ] novels, in tune with the novels' theme. See the page on ] for the lyrics. | |||
* ] recorded the song in the ] soon after the cartoon's release.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umYO28mRcZA|title=Der Fuehrer's Face|date=18 June 2018 |access-date=21 January 2022|via=]}}</ref> | |||
*] sings a short version of the song in the comic book ] #3. | |||
* ] adapted the song in one of his '']'' novels, in tune with the novel's theme of an ] alien invasion during World War II. | |||
*In one '']'' episode, ] goes insane from lack of sleep and sings part of the song to ]. This is the ] version, with the raspberries included. | |||
*In the movie ], a group of American ]s are seen playing the song and dancing to it in elaborate costumes. | |||
] | |||
*Herman Wouk built a scene around the song in his novel ''War and Remembrance''. | |||
==Political themes== | |||
Although the film portrays events in Nazi Germany, its release came while the ] also was on ] footing. Coffee, meat and food oils were being ], civilians were ] in military production, and ] (such as the film itself) was pervasive. The film's criticism therefore emphasizes violence and terror under the Nazi government, as compared with the dull grind that all the warring nations faced.<ref>Van Riper, A. Bowdoin (2011) ''Learning from Mickey, Donald and Walt: Essays on Disney's Edutainment Films''</ref> | |||
==Censorship== | |||
In 2010, ''Der Fuehrer's Face'' was ruled by a local court in ], ] to be included in the national list of extremist materials, which was first created in 2002. This was due to a local who received a suspended sentence of six months for uploading it to the internet and "inciting hatred and enmity". In July 2016, another Russian court reversed the ruling of the local court, removing the short film from the list. The court highlighted that the film's portrayal of Nazism through caricature form cannot be deemed "extremist" in nature.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kozlov |first1=Vladimir |title=Oscar-Winning Donald Duck Short About Nazi Germany Taken Off Russia's List of Extremist Material |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oscar-winning-donald-duck-short-913151 |access-date=21 July 2016 |work=] |date=21 July 2016}}</ref> | |||
==In popular culture== | |||
* In August 1943, the cover of the comic book ''Four Favorites'' #11 depicted ], ], ], ], and Magno's sidekick Davey all singing "Right in Der Fuehrer's face!" while an anthropomorphic ] simultaneously knocks out Hirohito, Hitler, and Mussolini in one punch. | |||
==Home media== | |||
The short was released on May 18, 2004 on '']''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Walt Disney on the Front Lines DVD Review |url=https://www.dvdizzy.com/onthefrontlines.html |website=Dvdizzy.com |access-date=14 February 2021}}</ref> | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
*] | * '']'' | ||
* '']'' | |||
* '']'' | |||
* ] | |||
==Further reading== | |||
* Young, Jordan R. (2005). ''Spike Jones Off the Record: The Man Who Murdered Music'' (3rd edition) Albany: BearManor Media {{ISBN|1-59393-012-7}}. | |||
==References== | |||
{{reflist}} | |||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
{{Wikiquote}} | |||
*{{imdb title|id=0035794|title=Der Fuehrer's Face}} | |||
* {{Internet Archive|DerFuehrersFace}} | |||
* | |||
* {{YouTube|dZlFBSRrSR0|Listen to "Der Fuehrer's Face" by Spike Jones}} | |||
* at | |||
* {{IMDb title}} | |||
* | |||
* {{DisneyAtoZ|title=''Der Fuehrer's Face''}} | |||
* | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610020733/http://www.disneyshorts.org/shorts.aspx?shortID=359 |date=2016-06-10}} | |||
{{Donald Duck in animation}} | |||
==Further reading== | |||
{{Donald Duck World War II|state=collapsed}} | |||
Young, Jordan R. (2005). ''Spike Jones Off the Record: The Man Who Murdered Music.'' Albany: BearManor Media ISBN 1-59393-012-7 3rd edition. | |||
{{Disney World War II propaganda films}} | |||
{{AcademyAwardBestAnimatedShortFilm 1941–1960}} | |||
{{Authority control}} | |||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuehrer's Face, Der}} | |||
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Latest revision as of 16:58, 8 December 2024
1943 Donald Duck cartoonDer Fuehrer's Face | |
---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Jack Kinney |
Story by | Joe Grant Dick Huemer |
Produced by | Walt Disney |
Starring | Clarence Nash Cliff Edwards Charles Judels |
Music by | Oliver Wallace |
Animation by | Bob Carlson Les Clark Bill Justice Milt Neil Charles Nichols John Sibley |
Layouts by | Don DaGradi Andy Engman |
Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | Walt Disney Productions |
Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 8 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Der Fuehrer's Face (originally titled Donald Duck in Nutziland or A Nightmare in Nutziland) is an American animated anti-Nazi propaganda short film produced by Walt Disney Productions, created in 1942 and released on January 1, 1943 by RKO Radio Pictures. The cartoon, which features Donald Duck in a nightmare setting working at a factory in Nazi Germany, was made in an effort to sell war bonds and is an example of American propaganda during World War II. The film was directed by Jack Kinney and written by Joe Grant and Dick Huemer. Spike Jones released a version of Oliver Wallace's theme for the short before the film was released.
Der Fuehrer's Face won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film at the 15th Academy Awards. It is the only Donald Duck film to receive the honor, although eight other films have also been nominated. In 1994, it was voted Number 22 of "the 50 Greatest Cartoons" of all time by members of the animation field. However, because of the propagandistic nature of the short and the depiction of Donald Duck as a Nazi (albeit a deeply reluctant one), Disney kept the film out of general circulation after its original release. Its first home release came in 2004 with the release of the third wave of the Walt Disney Treasures DVD sets.
Plot
An oom-pah band – composed of Axis powers leaders Joseph Goebbels on the trombone, Heinrich Himmler on the snare drum, Hideki Tojo on the sousaphone, Hermann Göring on the piccolo and Benito Mussolini on the bass drum – marches while singing the virtues of the Nazi doctrine. They are in a caricature of a German town, where the trees, windmill blades, fences, telephone poles and clouds are all shaped like swastikas, while the houses resemble Adolf Hitler's face.
Donald Duck, apparently a German citizen in this world, is awoken by his pickelhaube-wearing alarm clock at 4 a.m. He smashes the clock with his fist. His cuckoo clock chimes with a Hitler-esque bird, only for Donald to throw a shoe at it. The rooster outside does the Nazi salute and crows "Heil Hitler". Passing by Donald's house, the band members poke him out of bed with a bayonet. Donald faces and salutes the portraits of Hitler, Hirohito, and Mussolini, then tries to go back to bed, only for someone to splash him with water while yelling angrily in German.
Donald goes to make breakfast. Because of wartime rationing, it consists of bread that's so stale and hard it resembles wood (and must be cut with a saw), coffee brewed from a single hoarded coffee bean, and a bacon-and-egg-flavored breath spray. 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, with Donald now carrying the bass drum and Göring kicking him.
Upon arriving at the factory (at bayonet-point), Donald starts his "48 hours a day" shift of screwing caps onto artillery shells on an assembly line. Mixed in with the shells are portraits of Der Fuehrer, so Donald must perform the Nazi salute for each portrait, all while screwing the caps on with his other hand, much to his disgust. Each new batch of shells is of a different size, ranging from individual bullets to massive shells larger than Donald. The pace of the assembly line intensifies (as in the Charlie Chaplin comedy Modern Times), and Donald finds it increasingly hard to complete all the tasks. The band's song intermittently resumes, but is now more cynical, saying that Der Fuehrer "lies and rants and raves", the citizens "work like slaves" and that they'd like to see Hitler blown up. A different German-accented voice shouts propaganda messages about the superiority of the Aryan race and the glory of working for Der Fuehrer. When Donald momentarily grumbles in frustration, the guards overhear him and point their bayonets at him, forcing him to fearfully recant his complaints.
Donald has "paid vacation" which consists of forced exercise (contorting his arms into swastika shapes and quickly Nazi-saluting) in front of a painting of the Alps. This only lasts for a few seconds before the voice declares that Donald, "by special decree of Der Fuehrer", must work overtime. The work resumes at an even faster pace while the voice constantly screams orders. Donald has a nervous breakdown with hallucinations of artillery shells, including snake- and bird-shaped shells, army boot shells crushing Donald, and marching band shells that hiss the music. (Some of the animation in this sequence is recycled from the "Pink Elephants on Parade" sequence from Dumbo).
When the hallucinations are cleared, Donald wakes up in another bed (wearing stars-and-stripes patterned pajamas), only to see the shadow of a figure holding its right hand up. Believing it to be a Nazi salute, he begins to do so himself until he sees that it's the shadow of a miniature Statue of Liberty on his windowsill. Donald realizes that the whole thing was a dream and he lives in the United States. He embraces the statue, saying, "Am I glad to be a citizen of the United States of America!"
The short ends with a caricature of Hitler's angry face and a tomato is thrown at it, with the splatter forming the words The End.
Voice cast
- Clarence Nash as Donald Duck
- Cliff Edwards as Nazi lead singer
- Charles Judels as Off-stage Nazi
Song
"Der Fuehrer's Face" | |
---|---|
Single by Spike Jones and His City Slickers | |
Recorded | 1942 |
Songwriter(s) | Oliver Wallace |
Before the film's release, the popular band Spike Jones and His City Slickers, noted for their parodies of popular songs of the time, released a version of Oliver Wallace's theme song, "Der Fuehrer's Face" (also known informally as "The Nazi Song"), itself a parody of the Horst-Wessel-Lied, in September 1942 on RCA Victor Bluebird Records #11586. Unlike the version in the cartoon, some Spike Jones versions contain the sound effect of an instrument he called the "birdaphone", a rubber razzer (also known as the Bronx Cheer) with each "Heil!" to show contempt for Hitler (instead, the cartoon version features the sound of a tuba). The so-called "Bronx Cheer" was a well-known expression of disgust in that time period and was not deemed obscene or offensive. The sheet music cover bears the image of Donald Duck throwing a tomato in Hitler's face. In the Jones version, the chorus line, "Ja, we is the supermen—" is answered by a soloist's "Super-duper super men!" effeminately delivered suggesting the prevalence of epicenes among Nazis; in the Disney version, these lines are delivered flatly but with effeminate gestures by Hermann Göring. The recording was very popular, peaking at No. 3 on the U.S. chart.
Other versions
- Johnny Bond recorded the song in July 1942 on the OKeh label.
- Tommy Trinder recorded the song in the United Kingdom soon after the cartoon's release.
- Harry Turtledove adapted the song in one of his Colonization novels, in tune with the novel's theme of an alternate history alien invasion during World War II.
Political themes
Although the film portrays events in Nazi Germany, its release came while the United States also was on total war footing. Coffee, meat and food oils were being rationed, civilians were heavily employed in military production, and propaganda in support of the war effort (such as the film itself) was pervasive. The film's criticism therefore emphasizes violence and terror under the Nazi government, as compared with the dull grind that all the warring nations faced.
Censorship
In 2010, Der Fuehrer's Face was ruled by a local court in Kamchatka, Russia to be included in the national list of extremist materials, which was first created in 2002. This was due to a local who received a suspended sentence of six months for uploading it to the internet and "inciting hatred and enmity". In July 2016, another Russian court reversed the ruling of the local court, removing the short film from the list. The court highlighted that the film's portrayal of Nazism through caricature form cannot be deemed "extremist" in nature.
In popular culture
- In August 1943, the cover of the comic book Four Favorites #11 depicted The Unknown Soldier, Captain Courageous, Lightning, Magno, and Magno's sidekick Davey all singing "Right in Der Fuehrer's face!" while an anthropomorphic war bond simultaneously knocks out Hirohito, Hitler, and Mussolini in one punch.
Home media
The short was released on May 18, 2004 on Walt Disney Treasures: Walt Disney on the Front Lines.
See also
Further reading
- Young, Jordan R. (2005). Spike Jones Off the Record: The Man Who Murdered Music (3rd edition) Albany: BearManor Media ISBN 1-59393-012-7.
References
- "Der Fuehrer's Face". Encyclopedia of Disney Animated Shorts. Archived from the original on June 10, 2016.
- Rowan, Terry (6 January 2016). Motion Pictures from the Fabulous 1940's. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-1-329-81141-6.
- "New U.S. War Songs". LIFE. Vol. 13, no. 18. 2 November 1942. p. 44. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
- Blitz, Marcia (1979). Donald Duck. New York: Harmony Books. p. 133. ISBN 0-517-52961-0.
- "Der Fuehrer's Face". Bcdb.com. 2012-12-16. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013.
- "The 15th Academy Awards | 1943". Oscars.org. 4 October 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- "Biographies of 10 Classic Disney Characters". Disney D23. Archived from the original on 2013-01-03.
- "Jack Hannah". D23. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
- Beck, Jerry (1994). The 50 Greatest Cartoons: As Selected by 1,000 Animation Professionals. Turner Publishing. ISBN 978-1878685490.
- Scott, Keith (3 October 2022). Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2. BearManor Media.
- "The Week's Best Releases". Billboard. September 26, 1942. p. 66. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
- ^ "Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #5". Digital.library.unt.edu. 1972.
- ^ "SCORN AND DISDAIN SPIKE JONES GIFFS HITLER DER OLD BIRDAPHONE, 1942". New York Daily News. April 8, 2009. Archived from the original on April 8, 2009.
- Whitburn, Joel (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, Inc. p. 242. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- "Praguefrank's Country Music Discography: Johnny Bond". Countrydiscography2.blogspot.ca. 19 February 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
- "Der Fuehrer's Face". 18 June 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2022 – via YouTube.
- Van Riper, A. Bowdoin (2011) Learning from Mickey, Donald and Walt: Essays on Disney's Edutainment Films
- Kozlov, Vladimir (21 July 2016). "Oscar-Winning Donald Duck Short About Nazi Germany Taken Off Russia's List of Extremist Material". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
- "Walt Disney on the Front Lines DVD Review". Dvdizzy.com. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
External links
- Der Fuehrer's Face at the Internet Archive
- Listen to "Der Fuehrer's Face" by Spike Jones on YouTube
- Der Fuehrer's Face at IMDb
- Der Fuehrer's Face at Disney A to Z
- Der Fuehrer's Face on the Encyclopedia of Disney Animated Shorts Archived 2016-06-10 at the Wayback Machine
Donald Duck World War II films | |
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Army films |
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Propaganda films |
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Disney World War II propaganda films | |
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Donald's films |
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Stand-alone films |
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Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film | |
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1932–1950 |
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1951–1975 |
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1976–2000 |
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2001–2025 |
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- 1943 films
- Protest songs
- Films about Adolf Hitler
- Cultural depictions of Benito Mussolini
- Cultural depictions of Hermann Göring
- Cultural depictions of Joseph Goebbels
- Cultural depictions of Heinrich Himmler
- Cultural depictions of Hirohito
- Cultural depictions of Hideki Tojo
- Animation based on real people
- American World War II propaganda shorts
- Best Animated Short Academy Award winners
- 1940s Disney animated short films
- Donald Duck short films
- Films about Nazi Germany
- Films about nightmares
- Films directed by Jack Kinney
- Films produced by Walt Disney
- Films scored by Oliver Wallace
- Bluebird Records singles
- Anti-fascist music
- 1943 animated short films