Wednesday 14 April 2010

'40ies Disney health-care & propaganda

Today we had a seminar according to History of Film theory, Cinema Novo. At the end of the lecture our teacher noticed the series of health-related educational shorts produced by the Disney studios and the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs for showing in Latin America.
(it doesn't have any relation to Cinema Novo, but it relates to Latin America in the above mentioned way).
And I am posting few of these shorts, because I find it interesting to see how they tried to educate through animation more than 60 years ago. It has some kind of historical-documentary message too. Moving pictures have been existing for 120 years, and it is now long enough for this medium to become an authentic way of historical documentation. Here I am not saying, that what is shown in the shorts is 100% correct, but that one could analyse these and get a picture :-)

Cleanliness Brings Helath '44

"In this propaganda cartoon, a narrator focuses on two families: the clean family and the careless family. The narrator explains how the two families differ. The clean family washes up all the time and keeps their house clean and food covered while the careless family does not wash up before eating and they do not keep their house very clean."
The Winged Scourge '43

"The first of a series of health-related educational shorts produced by the Disney studios and the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs for showing in Latin America. It was also the only one to use established Disney characters (the Seven Dwarves).

In this propaganda short, the viewers are taught about how the mosquito can spread malaria. A young mosquito flies into a house and consumes the blood of an infected human. She then consumes the blood of a healthy human, transmitting the disease into him. It turns out that this is actually a film within a film and the Seven Dwarves are watching it. They volunteer to get rid of the mosquito by destroying her breeding grounds."

The Unseen Enemy '45
"The film is also known as El Enemigo Invisible or The Unseen"

Planning for Good Eating '45

"Defines the three types of food necessary for good health.
Sponsored by U.S. Office of Inter-American Affairs."

Stop that Tank '42

"This film, made for Canada, begins with an interesting cartoon showing Hitler (depicted as a ranting madman speaking in phony German) and an armada of tanks trying to invade a peaceful-looking village, only to be fought off by a barrage of gunfire from anti-tank guns, so much so that it sends Hitler to Hell. The rest of this short is a dry and technical explanation and description of the Boys Anti-Tank Rifle. Just like the previous short, animation is limited."

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