The Collaboration Audiobook By Ben Urwand cover art

The Collaboration

Hollywood's Pact with Hitler

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The Collaboration

By: Ben Urwand
Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
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To continue doing business in Germany, Hollywood studios agreed not to make films attacking Nazis or condemning persecution of Jews. Ben Urwand reveals this collaboration and the cast of characters it drew in, ranging from Goebbels to Louis B. Mayer. At the center was Hitler himself - obsessed with movies and their power to shape public opinion.

©2013 Ben Urwand (P)2013 Audible, Inc. 20th Century Americas Art Business Aspects Entertainment & Performing Arts Europe Film & TV Germany History & Criticism Military Modern United States Wars & Conflicts World World War II Socialism Dwight Eisenhower
Informative History • Intriguing Topic • Good German Accent • Profound Impact • Educational Content
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What did you like best about The Collaboration? What did you like least?

I think the first half is excellent the second half felt padded

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Collaboration?

no one moebt stands our

What does Oliver Wyman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He does a good german accent

Do you think The Collaboration needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I think the author said what he had to say-it was interest

A good listen but

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If you could sum up The Collaboration in three words, what would they be?

Hitler did not speak English with a German accent... he spoke German... so translations of his speeches into English should not have an accent!

Annoying narration

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It's interesting to watch the havoc that occur when one side has power and is willing to use it. The Germans updated their film laws so that they could threaten to ban all films from a Hollywood studio unless all copies worldwide of a particular movie were made so as to not offend German (Nazi) sensibilities. This explains some of the travesties committed to otherwise good books. This was an era where businesses stove to maintain a non-political stance, particular those selling to consumers so as not to alienate potential customers. It is sad to note that so much of Hollywood at the time was owner and/or run by Jews. The author also makes it clear that America knew more about the oppression of Jews in Europe. There is another theme which is not well explored, which was antisemitism in the West and in the US, in particular. There are a number of mentions of being unwilling to draw to much attention on themselves (Jews) because of a fear of a backlash. That's another sad chapter of that time period. It was an interesting contrast to reading about the war careers of some of the big names in Hollywood like Wyler, Houston, and Capra.

Pact may be a bit hyperbolic

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The book is a very revealing portrait of buried history as is the case with so many aspects of US collaboration with the Nazis. There are quite a few revelations in here that will shock you but also infuriate and sadden you but you will be informed by the time you finish the book. Good books should emotionally affect their audiences.

Very revealing account of buried history

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The first reason is that it's a well done entertaining history on a topic not well known. The author asks hard questions. How was it that in the 1930's and even after, an industry largely owned and controlled by Jews engaged in such aggressive self censorship collaborating with the Nazi's to hide what the Germans were doing, in particular what they were doing to Jews? And it wasn't just films exported to Germany. It's fascinating how one decision after another led to self censorship globally including within the US.
The other reason is that what happened then is happening again though with a new form of Nazi, the Chinese dictatorship. Hollywood with very few exceptions accepts censorship of its movies removing pretty much anything the Chinese indicate may result in the film losing distribution within China, a market that often grosses more than US/Canada on major pictures. Those profits are enough to give the Chinese leverage over the production of American made movies just as they did in the '30's with the Nazi's. And the studios, as they were in the 1930's, are so afraid of offense that the influence extends beyond to all their productions. You will hear or see few references to organ harvesting or the oppression of minorities (it's not just the Uighur concentration camps), nor many 'bad guy' Chinese villains. A modern producer is more likely to cast a Nazi as a villain than some aspect of the Chinese government.

Two Reasons to Read

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I enjoyed this book, it answered some questions I've always had about why most of the Hollywood films from the pre World War 2 era always stop short in covering the powder keg in what would eventually become the second World War. The feeling I got from this book is that in the end, the major motion picture studios were only going along to get along so that they could keep making what was the only thing important to them and that is "SPOILER ALERT" MONEY, the studio heads definitely were not Nazi sympathizers, they were just trying not to offend the Nazi government so that they could continue to show their movies in Germany and continue their revenue stream. and it's a problem we are still dealing with today whenever money is involved people won't always do the right thing.

Nazi's at the movies!

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, it's fascinating. I've told friends, my parents and my film history professor about it.

I book I recommend

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Reading this book had a profound impact on my already existing view of those in powerful positions already flush with money personally, but unbelievably greedy. Imagine those of us who would allow family and extended family to be exterminated (that is murdered for no other reason than race) and say nothing? Even worse, to capitulate with the enemy to the point that they have access to everything including decision making that the average person does not, and to call all the shots to boot? This all in the name of making money?
Shame on Hollywood then, and shame on them today and all those who would manipulate the news rather than report the truth!
This book is a must read for those not privy to the stories told by their fathers who returned from that war. Also, those who want the generation of today to believe and learn that such real crimes by nations and people that look the other way, can and do occur.

Disgraceful

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I always learn something new when I read about Hitler, but Ben Urwand tries too hard in "The Collaboration." Hitler's links to Hollywood over one reel, (All Quiet on the Western Front) was a bit of a stretch for a book. The author just tries too hard on hot Hitler had a strong hold on Hollywood.

After a while, I lost interest in the book because I couldn't connect the dots. It's an interesting subject, but not well explain. This book is poorly bounded with loose information. It lacks in structure.

The subject needs to be redone by an historian.

Poorly Bounded

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The idea of Hollywood collaborating to hide Nazi crimes and Anti-semitism is intriguing.

But this book tries way to hard to connect the dots.

The performance is interesting, especially the accents for the Germans, but it wouldn't have hurt without the accents.

It's not that interesting.

Making mountains out of molehills

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