''Victims of the Past'' (original German title: '' Opfer der Vergangenheit: Die Sünde wider Blut und Rasse ("Victims of the Past: The Sin against Blood and Race")'') is a

Nazi propaganda The propaganda used by the German Nazi Party in the years leading up to and during Adolf Hitler's dictatorship of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 to 1945 was a crucial instrument for acquiring and maintaining power, and for the implementation o ...

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

made in 1937. This movie was a sequel to ''

Erbkrank ''Erbkrank'' ( en, The Hereditary Defective, italic=yes, link=yes) is a 1936 Nazi propaganda film directed by Herbert Gerdes. ''Erbkrank'' was one of six propagandistic movies produced by the NS-Rasse und Politisches Amt (National Socialist Ra ...

'' (''Hereditarily Ill''), which showed horrific images of lunatics in German asylums in order to bolster public support for the planned

T-4 Euthanasia Program (German, ) was a campaign of mass murder by involuntary euthanasia in Nazi Germany. The term was first used in post-war trials against doctors who had been involved in the killings. The name T4 is an abbreviation of 4, a street address of t ...

for the mentally ill. The practices of providing institutions and care for the victims of hereditary diseases are described as transgressing the law of natural selection, and the expense of such care is depicted as drain on healthy workers, and preventing the use of such money to help healthy Germans make better lives. It was shown in every cinema in Germany.

Erwin Leiser Erwin Leiser (May 16, 1923 – August 22, 1996) was a German-born Jew and director, writer, and actor. Born and raised in Berlin, he fled to Sweden at the age of 15 to escape the Nazi Party. He graduated from the University of Lund and worked as a ...

, ''Nazi Cinema'' p90

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

reportedly liked it. Like the other five movies depicting the condition of the mentally ill in Germany, the movie was produced by the NS-Rasse und Politisches Amt (National Socialist Racial and Political Office). However, this film was the only one produced with sound.

References

External links

* 1937 documentary films 1937 films Black-and-white documentary films German documentary films Nazi propaganda films Films of Nazi Germany Films about euthanasia German black-and-white films 1930s German films {{1930s-Germany-film-stub

See also

References

External links