Don't Be a Sucker! (1947)

★★★★★ · Excellent · trafalgar · 2004-03-14

I was expecting another Prelinger laff riot, but I became engrossed in this eloquent argument against discrimination, which stresses how the powers that be divide the population in order to conquer it. Sadly enough, it's even more relevant today. Sure, you can quibble with some details, but the thesis is right on the nose, and the wise old Hungarian man gives a top-notch performance. Beat Bush in '04!

★★★★★ · Did They Listen? · donwert · 2010-02-07

Excellent film produced by the War Dept. presumably for viewing by the armed forces just after the end of WW II warning about bigotry and using the history of Nazi Germany as the object lesson for what can happen if prejudice is left unchecked. I suspect this kind of film would have excited Joe McCarthy's suspicions---perhaps it did. What's sad is the realization that many of the Tea Partiers of today and other right-wing extremists would probably find this film to be dangerous and subversive--witness their common references to our "Kenyen" president...

★★★★★ · Excellent Post-War "Civil" Propaganda · JeepnHeel · 2024-08-25

While there can be *much* to criticize in the post-war propaganda film genre, this one is strikingly even-tempered and covers some topics in ways that were clearly well ahead of its time. Unfortunately, some of the examples they use are shockingly applicable today, though the bedrock we brace against has (hopefully) grown stronger through the years. This film is a time capsule warning us about the people fear-mongering with words like "migrant invasion," "stealing jobs," and "infestation." The dangers of conspiracism, corporatism, and McCarthy-ism have only deepened with the advent of the…

★★★★★ · Beautiful · moderator · 2004-03-20

I rare look at positive propoganda; all of it so very true! The scene with the professor was particularly moving.

★★★★★ · The Secret Connection btw Prejudice & Fascism · Struwwel · 2006-02-06

This is a film made in 1947 to put a stop to racism in the military by simply revealing the connection between prejudice and fascism. Prejudice is a con game used to gain power by people who want to destroy freedom (in the name of freedom!). In the end, we are told, "This film will not be shown to the general public without permission from the War Department," indicating that the U.S. government felt this information should only be given out on a need-to-know basis FOR SOME REASON. An important film to see if you're interested in waking yourself up out of "the matrix," haha.

★★★★★ · Excellent film showing the spread of prejudisim, · ERD · 2006-02-06

The film is well done, and still holds true today.