Postwar misery plagued all of Europe, and in Hunger (video, 7 minutes), Germany is blamed. German audiences rejected the film, so it was pulled from theaters by the U.S. military government there. It’s Up to You! (16mm, 20 minutes), another controversial film, focused on de-Nazification and reorientation. Divided Berlin quickly became a locus for propaganda battles developing in Between East and West (16mm, 22 minutes). The Bridge (16mm, 15 minutes) documents the dramatic rescue of West Berlin by the airlift. Me and Mr. Marshall (35mm, 13minutes), the first Marshall Plan film, celebrates the rebuilding of Germany. Italy, like Germany, also had to be reintegrated into Europe. In Life and Death of a Cave City (video, 11 minutes), one of the rare color films, Italian families live in underground warrens until Marshall aid builds them new houses. In the Cannes prize-winning Houen Zo (35mm, 21 minutes), a symphony of sounds and music accompanies images of Rotterdam, a city bombed to rubble by the Nazis, as it comes back to life.
Post-screening discussion: Dr. Eric D. Weitz, professor of history and Director, Center for German & European Studies; and Dr. Lisa Disch, professor of political science
