A Challenge to Democracy (1944)

Original title

A Challenge To Democracy

Genre

propaganda film

Country

United States

Runtime

18 min

Rating

10.0 of 10 from 1 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This 1944 short film presents the forced relocation of Japanese Americans during World War Two. It acknowledges the harsh conditions of barren camps guarded by armed soldiers and scarce medicine. The film also shows internees creating self-government, schools, and war industries, and notes that loyal families could leave.

somberinformativerestrainedsoberinghistoricalstarkseriousstraightforwardpropagandistic

What happens

A Challenge to Democracy is a 20-minute short film produced in 1944 by the War Relocation Authority. The film could be considered a companion piece or sequel to 1942's Japanese Relocation. This film is more sober in its description. The film makes it clear that the Japanese Americans were forced from their circumstances, and that they were made to live in a rather barren relocation camp, which was surrounded by armed guards. The film states bluntly that the medicine available at the camp was the same as that of everybody else in war time—barely adequate. More positive features of camp life are also shown, whatever their historical accuracy may be: it shows the internees organizing a self-government, schools, and places of worship, as well as contributing to the war effort through industry. It also shows that some families were allowed to leave the camp if they were considered to be loyal enough. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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