Kautsar Achouchen: Film Studies A2 Unit F634

How are Jewish people represented in films of the 1930s-1940?

Jewish people are represented as vulnerable and victims in films set in the 1930s to the
1940s. The essay will analyse how Jewish people were represented during the era of World War 2.
There are a number of factors which contributed towards this, In particular, Hitler, Germanys
leader, creating the Aryan race. The Aryan race consists of individuals having to have a particular
physical appearance such as blonde hair and blue eyes.
World War 2 occurred in 1939-1945, which Germany fought in as they were the main
country that instigated the war. The war began due to Germany invading Poland, which led to
France and Britain declared war on Germany two days later. This portrays Germany as the
antagonist and the perpetrators in films as they initiated the war, which would lead to the portrayal
of Jewish people as victims as the war was waged against them. This also led to great unemployment
and economic instability. Jewish people were seen as an advantage to Germany as they owned many
companies, which earned money for the government. Hitler used the Jewish people as a scapegoat,
blaming them for Germany's economic and social problems. The Nazi party promised to resolve
these issues, and in 1932 won 37% of the vote.
1
This means that the Jewish people were no longer
needed as the Nazis were now in power. Like Carl Marx exemplifies, the class difference in films is
the main factor that creates the tribulations. Jewish people were stereotypically highly educated,
middle class and had important professions. They were wealthier than working class people who
mainly were Germans and Hitler saw the Jews as greedy, manipulative and selfish.
The Eternal Jew (1940), portrayed Jewish people as wandering cultural parasites,
consumed by sex and money.
2
This was a movie made to encourage the hatred towards Jewish
people as it represented Jewish people as taking over German land and money. This is because
Hitler manipulated the Germans and made them believe that it was the Jewish peoples fault that
they were positioned lower in the hierarchy; hence the Germans are inferior to the Jewish people
because the Jewish people owned most of the businesses and properties. This created a mutual
hatred towards Jewish people by the public, causing the Nazi group to gain more power. This film
was created to pursue the vulnerability of Jewish people. The film consists of anti-Semitic messages,
which represents the idea of Jewish people being victimized as they are abused. However, they are
portrayed as the villain in the film because the films portrays them a greedy for money, which
escalates, resulting in the Germans rebelling against the Jewish community. Through this, the Nazis
gained more power, which they used to capture the Jewish people from their homes and place them
in captivity. Their vulnerability is represented as the Jewish people try to escape from imminent
captivity by the Germans and flee as they have no other option and cannot fight back from the
Germans armed forces, as they are unarmed.
In the book Film, he claims that over 1,000 films were made under the Nazis that mostly
contained anti-Semitic propaganda pieces. This means that the Jews were displayed as rich and
pretentious representing them as the antagonist and adversary
3
. For example, propaganda was
used in cartoons and expresses them as rich and devouring; the cartoons include signs that show
Jews that are not wanted and they resulted in being stereotypically represented. This embodies
them, as the victims because propaganda was used to create the perceptions of the how the Jews
are profane. This further represents them as victims instead of perpetrators as they are not the ones
creating propaganda but in fact it is the Nazis. Their vulnerability is also shown through propaganda.
This is shown in films that have an ending which escalates into the Jews losing their wealth as they
are too weak to fight back the Germans.

1
http://www.bl.uk/learning/histcitizen/voices/testimonies/life/backgd/before.html
2
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005274
3
Bregan, Ronald,

Film. Eye witness companions, Sydney. 2006. Page 204.
Kautsar Achouchen: Film studies A2 unit F634
Jewish people are represented similarly in all the films revolving around the holocaust and
this is because Hitler thought that they were not part of the Arian race. In particular Jewish people
are depicted as the victims. In the film Schindlers List, the character Schindler speaks directly to the
Jewish man and tells him that Jews are known to be wealthy and own a lot of businesses.
3
This
represents Jews as being wealthy and the dominant group in society, which led Hitler to harbour
hatred for all Jewish people as he viewed them as having power over true German citizens. The
Jews are seen as malevolent and spiteful by the Germans who believe the Jewish society is trying to
usurp Germany. This makes them victims of the Nazis and also vulnerable. In this film, the Germans
treat the Jews like they are some sort of disease and have no respect at all towards the Jewish
citizens and this created mutual hatred towards the Jewish people which led to the German leaders
to prosecute the Jews. The Germans actions bound the Jews to try and run in fear of being
captured. The film revolves around a character name Schindler, whose greed for money encourages
his actions for creating a work camp for himself and employing Jewish people who he would be in
control of and would be cheap labour. The Jews are seen as vulnerable as they follow the
instructions given of working in those camps. They are also oppressed by Schindler as he forces them
to comply to work with him or they would risk getting beaten by German soldiers.

In one scene, a number of German Nazi soldiers are seen evacuating a Jewish family from
their home. Their belongings indicate that the family is very rich, yet theyre income does not have
an impact on them being thrown out of their home. This indicates that no matter what the status of
a Jewish person is, they will still be left vulnerable and thought to be inferior to German soldiers.
Even though Jews are known to be the wealthiest in Germany, they are being thrown out of their
houses by the Nazis. The Jews have a higher income and population which in this case may be an
advantage for the Jews. However, the vulnerability of the Jews is exposed as they do not defend
themselves nor try and get away. Hence they boycott the idea of taking a stand against the German
Nazi soldiers or protesting in fear of being punished or being killed. This shows that the Germans
take complete control over their lives and possessions as theyre belongings are put in the work
camps and are separated into categories so that the Germans may reuse them again. This victimises
the Jews and depicts them as being oppressed as it is fundamental for them to follow the
commandment given by German Nazi soldiers.

In Schindlers List, the Nazi soldier in charge of building the work camps demonstrates acts of
cruelty, greed and his ambitions for conflict as well as self-centeredness. He views Jewish people as
vermin, creatures unworthy of possessing basic human rights.
4
The method of shooting a Jew in the
head is a repetitive action that occurs. This shows the pure hatred the Nazis have of the Jews. It
symbolises the life being bled out of the Jewish lives which satisfies the Nazis. This represents the
Jews as victims because they are attacked out of hatred and not of an actual reason. They are
represented as vulnerable as they get shot in the head repeatedly without any remorse as the Jews
have no right to object. Young women are represented in this film, as fulfilments of the Nazis sexual
needs. This is seen in the film because the Nazi soldier in charge develops lustful desire for his Jewish
maid. This shows that the maid is treated like she is not worth anything as he beats her violently.
The vulnerability of the Jewish women is shown through the actions that the Nazis undertake.
Following orders is not seen as a choice but is compulsory thus creating fear in the women. The idea
of using the maid as pleasure as well as cleaning, instigates that the Nazis can do as pleased and the
women must cooperate with what is told. In the Nazis view, the idea of being in control of their own
maid insinuates their ego as they believe that through making the maid suffer, they are making the

3
Schindlers List, Steven Spielberg, 1993
4
http://www.sparknotes.com/film/schindlerslist/canalysis.html

Kautsar Achouchen: Film Studies A2 Unit F634


whole Jewish nation suffer. This also shows that the Nazis believe that by taking the Jewish women
they have a certain possession over the Jews which they can use and exploit as much as they want.
The little Jewish girl that hides underneath a bed represents the Jewish nation as vulnerable and
scared of German Nazis. Her fear of being seized and dispatched from her home into a
concentration camp indicates that Jews have no other choice but to hide. The idea of someone
hiding is usually the idea of someone fleeing from a brutal antagonist. This can reflect to the Jews in
hiding. Therefore, the Jewish people are represented as vulnerable victims due to the way they are
treated.
The Book Thief demonstrates the vulnerability and victimising of the Jews. In this film, a
German family keeps a Jewish man in hiding due to the Jews being captured. Propaganda is
illustrated towards the German public through posters that depict the Jews as conceited and
rapacious. For example, newspapers in Germany, above all Der Strmer (The Attacker), printed
cartoons that used anti-Semitic caricatures to depict Jews. This displayed Jews in a negative way and
that led to the increase in the hatred for Jews. The Jewish man that is hiding from the Nazis
represents the Jews as vulnerable and a victim, as his only resort is to hide. They cannot oppose the
Nazi forces as they are aware they will be executed. This is because the Nazis main attacks and
captures are aimed towards the Jews. The only way the Jews may seek some freedom is through
escapism, as it will bring them to a safer area as well as protection. Instead of making them leave the
country, the Nazis insisted that they must be tormented and suffer desolation. The Jews that find
out the truth of what is destined for them run away. This impersonates the Jews as petrified because
they can do nothing to stop these horrendous actions of the Jews. As the idea of being captured is
seen as appalling, the only option is either to hide or run away. The vulnerability is expressed
through these actions as the Jewish man has no other options and is frightful of the Nazis as he
knows what they are capable of doing. Hitler reproduced in photos, film, and radio broadcasts,
becomes a symbol of power and leadership for those who follow him, and a symbol of horror and
terror for his targets.
5
The targeted people are the Jews. Hitlers position gives him the opportunity
to exterminate anything related to Jews such as books written by Jews. For the Nazis, the books
represent the Jewish nation and by burning the books, it symbolises for them the extinguishing of
the Jewish people. This represents how the Jews are vulnerable as not even their books have any
significance in the Nazis lives, as there is no one to stop this event to happen.
The Eternal Jew represents the Jews in a negative way as being the victims. This film represents
them as prosecutors as the film shows how the Jews are the main aspect for the problems the
Germany is facing. The film delivers the message of the Jews being bloated with money as they own
most business and even though they are rich, their houses are shown as filthy from the inside to
show that the Jews actually dont care about hygiene as their minds has taken over by their egos
due to them earning a lot of money. However as the film gradually comes to the final scenes, original
shots of a kosher butchering are revealed
6
. These scenes instigated disgusting thoughts in the
Germans minds of the Jews as the Jews are represented as brutal and unbearable for the Germans.
This finished with the Germans instigating their distaste towards the Jews. This represents the Jews
as the victims, as the propaganda is used to illustrate false ideas into the Germans heads about the
Jews as the kosher butchering is a religious action in which is not described to the Germans. Thus,
the Germans mutual hatred develops and the Jews become the victims of the society as they are
presented in these films as violent as well as patronizing in the eye of the Germans.

5
http://www.shmoop.com/book-thief/symbolism-imagery.html

6
http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org/holoprelude/derewigejude.html

Kautsar Achouchen: Film studies A2 unit F634
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas represents the Jews as victims is the film. The film consists of
a boy that is the son of a Nazi soldier who befriends a Jewish boy that is stuck in a concentration
camp. The little Jewish boy called Shmuel is displayed as a hungry little Jewish boy who is lonely. This
contradicts the idea of Jews as Jews are seen to be wealthy and popular. However, due to the
concentration camp, the Nazis have eaten their lives out of them. The little boy is represented as
vulnerable as he is afraid of being captured by the Nazi soldiers. This shows the brutality that the
Nazis enforce onto the Jewish workers. Even though Shmuel is just a little boy he has to take part in
labour work. The idea of the Jewish boy working for the Nazis can be so that the Nazis want the
Jews to work for them to make them suffer as the Jews have lived a wealthy and honourable life
before. In the Nazis perspective this was done so that the Jews can feel how the German people
that were working class had to work whereas the Jews just sat there. Shmuel eats roughly when he
gains a piece of bread from his friend. This shows that the Jewish people are being starved and gain
less food. This can also be seen as done because the Nazis want the Jews to feel like they have lost
everything and they dont deserve to have the luxury of eating a good amount of food. Therefore, he
represents the Jews as victims of the society as they are blamed for the wealth of Germany and this
makes them get treated in a harsh way by the Nazis so that they can assure that the Jews learn their
lesson. The vulnerability is exposed through scenes and this elaborates the idea of their
vulnerability. For example, a scene which illustrates a Nazi camp in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas,
all the Jewish inmates are emaciated and forced to hard labour depicting their vulnerability against
the Nazis and also as victims, because they are tormented and starved by the Nazi portraying them
as victims of Nazi abuse.
The way the concentration camp is surrounded by a fence has guards everywhere illustrates
how the Jews are captured and being treated. The idea of the fence is made for them not to escape
and it can be seen as a fence to protect the outside world from the Jews. This represents the Jews as
vulnerable as they follow the commands given. The film includes a scene where the Jewish workers
have to separate the clothes of the Jews that got killed. The miserable face on the Jewish workers
shows the pain and suffering that they are going through as they have to bear with the idea that a
Jew that got killed wore this type of clothing. The Jewish workers are all displayed as thin as possible
and also as weak. This contradicts the view of the Jews because Jews are seen to be rich and fat as
they earned a lot of money. The theorist Carl Marx states how the classes are differentiated in films.
This is illustrated in this film through the way the idea of status is distinguished. So the Nazis
changed their lives and this represents them as vulnerable as they cannot even feed themselves
properly because the Nazis are restricting them from staying healthy.
Defiance represents the Jews as vulnerable. The Jewish people that have to fend for them in
the forest show how vulnerable they are, as they had to leave their homes. This includes them
having to look for shelter, food and equipment to provide them with hunting equipment. The idea of
Jewish people living in the forest shows how much control the German have over the Jews as they
have to leave their homes to hide from the German soldiers. This also represents them as victims as
they are the victims of the German people because they are seen as the depraved and egoistic. The
idea of the Jews fleeing for safety connotes how they are vulnerable due to their action of not being
able to defend themselves. The act of vulnerability is discovered through the children cowering away
when they are captured by soldiers as they are not struggling to get free.
In conclusion, my thesis was based on the idea that Jewish people are represented as
vulnerable and victims in films set in 1930s to the 1940s (World War 2 era). The films I have
analysed for my thesis are, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Schindlers List, Defiance and The Eternal
Jew. From the evidence that I have collected, my thesis is proven true as the representation of the
Jewish majority as vulnerable and victims through different portrayals.