Weimar-era institutions for people with disabilities and the elderly
Creator(s)
- Deulig Film (Production Company)
- Bundesarchiv (Germany). Filmarchiv
Biographical History
Deulig Film or Deutsche Lichtbild-Gesellschaft was a German film production and distribution company. It was established in 1916 by the German business tycoon and media mogul Alfred Hugenberg. The company's foundation, during the First World War, was intended to promote Germany's military cause but it also supported the commercial interests of several major industrial companies who backed the enterprise. The company developed a reputation for the production of short propaganda films and kulturfilms but also released feature films. In response to the company's success several rival industrial firms in alliance with the Deutsche Bank founded their own film company UFA in 1917, which in the decade that followed became Germany largest film enterprise. In 1927 when Hugenberg launched a successful takeover bid for UFA, the two companies merged. Deulig continued to release newsreels but was otherwise swallowed into the larger UFA conglomerate.
Scope and Content
The second part in a five part film entitled "Vom Unsichtbaren Koenigreich." This part of the film shows the inhabitants of three institutions in Germany. In addition to those translated below, there are other titles shown on the screen, which describe the patients and their activities. There are also religiously-inspired statements about life and the duty to care for the elderly and disabled. Title on screen: "Die Anstalt fuer bloede und epileptische Frauen in Neuendettelsau in Bayern. [The institution for feeble-minded and epileptic women in Neuendettelsau in Bavaria]." The scenes at Neuendettelsau show both mildly and severely disabled patients performing various activities, including sewing and playing with dolls. The patients are shown mostly out-of-doors, sometimes in the company of nurses. The women are neatly dressed and seem well-cared for. Title on screen: "Bei den Alten im Maennerheim Salon bei Ludwigsburg [The elderly in the male salon in Ludwigsburg]." Various shots, including a bird's eye view, of the grounds of the home. A new resident arrives by car and is greeted by the staff. The residents doing various activities, including playing with a little girl, who is described in a title as the sunshine of the house. The men are also shown gardening and playing chess. Title on screen: "Das Altfrauenheim in Kaiserswerth am Rhein [The home for elderly women in Kaiswerswerth on the Rhein]." Nurses attend to elderly women. Again, the scenes are primarily outdoors in neat, spacious surroundings, and the women seem well-cared for and happy.
Note(s)
Used in USHMM special exhibition "Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race." (Video 2)
Subjects
- RACIAL SCIENCE
- CHILDREN
- WEIMAR (INTERWAR GERMANY)
- GERMANY
- PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
- WOMEN
- NURSES
Places
- Ludwigsburg, Germany
- Kaiserswerth, Germany
- Neuendettelsau, Germany
Genre
- Film
- Documentary.
Copies
-
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum holds copies of Holocaust-relevant archives from Bundesarchiv, Berlin-Lichterfelde (Abteilung Filmarchiv)