Crisis


1h 44m 1939

Photos & Videos

Film Details

Genre
Documentary
Release Date
Mar 13, 1939
Premiere Information
New York opening: 11 Mar 1939
Production Company
Arthur Mayer
Distribution Company
Mayer-Burstyn, Inc.
Country
United States

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 44m
Film Length
7,551ft (8 reels)

Synopsis

This documentary, which opens with a photograph of the cover of German Chancellor Adolf Hitler's book Mein Kampf , chronicles the events leading to the destruction of Czechoslovakia following the Nazi Austrian putsch (the Anschluss) on 12 March 1938. Before showing the destruction of Czechoslovakia, which Hitler outlined in Mein Kampf , the film presents the history, culture, architecture, geography and people of Czechoslovakia. An exterior shot of the cathedral of Saint Francis is presented, and mention is made of the country's Constitution, which is said to be modeled after the American Constitution. A scene depicting citizens buying gas masks, fitting them on children and horses, and taking classes on chemical warfare is shown. After a performance by two Czech comedians, Kline documents the general disorder and destruction that occurred in Czechoslovakia after Hitler's Nuremburg speech. The growth of Konrad Henlein's Sudeten party, which was responsible for violent meetings organized in German frontier towns to gain support for an attack on Sudetenland is traced. The film also examines the aftermath of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's meeting with Hitler in Munich, at which time Chamberlain took orders from Hilter that resulted in the eventual domination of all of South East Europe by the Nazis. The effect that Chamberlain's conciliation had on the citizens of Czechoslovakia is depicted in the final scene, in which thousands of Czechs are seen rioting in the streets of Prague.

Photo Collections

Crisis - Behind-the-Scenes Photos
Here are a few photos taken behind-the-scenes of Crisis (1950), directed by Richard Brooks.

Film Details

Genre
Documentary
Release Date
Mar 13, 1939
Premiere Information
New York opening: 11 Mar 1939
Production Company
Arthur Mayer
Distribution Company
Mayer-Burstyn, Inc.
Country
United States

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 44m
Film Length
7,551ft (8 reels)

Quotes

Trivia

Notes

No credits appeared on the viewed print of this film. According to the film's publicity material, following Adolf Hilter's Nuremburg speech, there was a growing suspicion of all motion picture cameras in Europe, which made the filming of Crisis more difficult. Due to new censorship laws that were enforced when Hitler took over the Czech government, transporting Crisis out of Prague also proved problematic. Crisis was the only film to be made in Czechoslovakia during the months between Hitler's annexation of Austria and the Peace of Munich, and was hidden in a basement in Prague for five months after its completion to prevent it from being confiscated by the Gestapo. Publicity material also notes that co-director Hans Burger was hidden in a car during production because he was Jewish. According to modern sources, producer and director Herbert Kline obtained permission to film actual footage of a Nazi "fifth column" attacking Czechs and German democrats, only after he and his wife Rosa met with the Nazis and lied to them about their intentions. On the pretext of filming scenes that would show Sudeten German support for Konrad Henlein and Hitler, Kline and his crew were given permission to film the Nazis, and were provided with a guide by the Gestapo.
       Modern sources also note that the film was produced by the Mayer-Burstyn Film Corporation and that it was edited in secret at the Bata Shoe Film Department, the location of which has not been determined. Kline reportedly helped a number of people involved in the film, including Hans Burger, Alexander Hackenschmied and comedians Voscovec and Werich (presumably the comedians referred to in the plot descriptions) to escape Czechoslovakia just before the film was released.
       Although the Motion Picture Herald review lists Mayer-Burstyn as the film's distributor, a September 1938 Hollywood Reporter article noted that the distribution was set for Garrison Film Distributors, Inc. The Hollywood Reporter article also noted that Kline was expected to return to the United States at the end of the month with over 25,000 feet of film, which he shot in Europe during Sep.
       According to material contained in the MPAA/PCA Collection at the AMPAS Library, the PCA required the producer to delete all shots of nude children and "all dialogue which presents prominent citizenry unfairly, with particular reference to Prime Minister Chamberlain and Premier Daladier." The film was given a temporary PCA certificate number (2497), but it was withdrawn after the producers requested that the film be withdrawn for consideration for certification. Some, or all, of the changes ordered by the PCA were apparently ignored, and as a result, Massachusetts, Ohio and Maryland censors eliminated scenes of nude children themselves.
       Crisis was named as one of the "Ten Best Films of 1939" by the National Board of Review.