The California Reich

The California Reich is a 1975 documentary film on a group of Neo-Nazis in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Tracy, California, USA. They are members of the National Socialist White People's Party, a United States Nazi party started by George Rockwell.[1] The film received a nomination at the 1976 Academy Awards in the Best Documentary category.[2][3] It was also screened at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival, but wasn't entered into the main competition.[4]

The California Reich
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKeith F. Critchlow
Walter F. Parkes
Produced byKeith Critchlow
Walter F. Parkes
Music byCraig Safan
Edited byKeith Critchlow
Walter F. Parkes
Distributed byIntercontinental Releasing Corporation
Release date
  • 1975 (1975)
Running time
55 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The film features scenes with Jewish Defense League (JDL) leader Irv Rubin confronting American Nazis.

The documentary was "Unofficially sanctioned by the Nazis and The Jewish Anti-Defamation League finds it too mild in its condemnation."[5]

Production

According to a report in The New York Times the journalist, John J. O'Connor, the two filmmakers "Spent more than a year with the Neo-Nazis before cameras were allowed to record families and rituals."[6] The filmmakers were quoted in the same article that they "Wanted to show the Nazis as members of our society, not as human monsters, but the people next door."[7]

The documentary borrows its style from the French film movement Cinema Vérité where narration was absent through the film and they let the subjects speak for themselves.[8]

Reception

In his 1978 report John J. O'Connor said the filmmakers "Succeed all too well as their working-class subjects become grotesque parodies of disturbing elements that can be detected in varying degrees at all levels of society." in response to their goal to not portray the communities as monsters. He also said that the "most poignant episodes involves a 10 year old boy who says he does not share his father's philosophy. He goes to youth meetings to please his dad." [9]

Legacy

The opening of this film shows NSWPP member Arnie Anderson recording a racist outgoing message on the party's phone machine. Later, the film shows a gathering of Nazis giving a Pledge of Allegiance to Adolf Hitler. Portions from both of these were used in the 1980 film "The Blues Brothers" as the speech given by the leader of the "American Socialist White People's Party" during a rally in a Chicago park, as he taunts angry counter-protesters.

See also

References
  1. The California Reich
  2. Awards Information for The California Reich. IMDb. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  3. "NY Times: The California Reich". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-11-15.
  4. "Festival de Cannes: The California Reich". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
  5. "CALIFORNIA REICH - ProQuest". search.proquest.com. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
  6. O'Connor, John J. (1978-12-12). "TV: 'California Reich' Visits West Coast Nazis". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
  7. O'Connor, John J. (1978-12-12). "TV: 'California Reich' Visits West Coast Nazis". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
  8. O'Connor, John J. (1978-12-12). "TV: 'California Reich' Visits West Coast Nazis". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
  9. O'Connor, John J. (1978-12-12). "TV: 'California Reich' Visits West Coast Nazis". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
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