Wednesday's audience at the Granada Theatre witnessed the "Face of the Enemy," as part of the latest Emporia State University Veterans Roundtable.
The spring Roundtable event took a different approach by showing the 1930s German propaganda film "Triumph of the Will." Produced in 1934 with an unlimited budget and a cast of millions, the film showcases a 1934 victory rally of the Nazi Party in Germany. ESU student Alex Winkler, a junior secondary education major, says the impact of the film lies in understanding the timeframe.
Charles Rayl, a retired Col. in the Kansas National Guard, was stationed in Germany in 1968, '69, and '70. He says he had been exposed to a lot of German culture, and even talked to some old Germans who were soldiers during World War II. After watching the film, Rayl says he wasn't surprised by the content.
The film is widely regarded as one of the best and most famous documentaries in history, and modern filmmakers still watch it to study the production techniques. The film is also used as a learning tool, teaching the effects of psychological weapons on the masses.
This film was also shown on a notable date: on May 7, 1945, the German forces officially surrendered in World War II.