The Negro Soldier (Short 1944)

The Negro Soldier: Directed by Stuart Heisler. With Clyde Turner, Carlton Moss, William Broadus, Bertha Woolford. Documentary focusing on the contributions to the American war effort of African-American soldiers.

“This documentary was interesting enough considering that it is propaganda. If youu0026#39;re looking for a documentary heavy on facts about the contributions of African Americans, then itu0026#39;s probably not the best film since it takes many creative liberties to appeal to their audience and attempt to convince to join the American Army.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOne way the film attempts to convince black people to join the army is by reading them excerpts from Mein Kempf that talk about black people and call them apes that are incapable of benefiting society. It makes sense to read them such an insane and offensive claim and compare it to their treatment in America because, despite the racism that they would have experienced, Mein Kempf is incredibly disturbing and bound to make anyone who reads it feels immense anger.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIf you are interested in history, particularly American history, and would like to see an old propaganda film meant to aspire patriotism and encourage African American males to enlist in the army, then you should check it out because it is decent and has some interesting parts. I could see how this film might do a good job at inspiring some young black Americans to want to join the fighting forces and help in the effort to take down the Nazis for once and for all.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMy biggest criticism is that I found the focus to change a lot. I felt that it bounced back and forth between ideas and not in an organized fashion. There were many scenes that just had nothing to do with war at all. I thought that since the documentary was short, they could have provided a lot more organization and focus on the film. Overall, it was not the best documentary, but it was very interesting to take a look at the past and see what types of propaganda were being consumed by the general populace and compare to the propaganda of the modern world.”