The Master Race

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Audience Member Interesting and original central plot, more than negated by over-the-top propaganda and preachiness. 1944 and the Allies are pushing the Germans back on all fronts. In a last-ditch attempt to prolong the Third Reich and impose their will upon the world, the Nazis come up with a diabolical plan. Agents are sent to soon-to-be-liberated towns with the intention of blending in with the local population and turning them against the Allied liberators. One such agent is Colonel Frederick Von Beck. His aim is to sow seeds of distrust and revolution among the inhabitants of a small Belgian town. Very original central plot, giving the movie heaps of potential. However, unfortunately, the year of release gives away how things develop from there. Being made during WW2 meant this was going to be a propaganda film. This doesn't have to be the death knell for a film - it is possible to make a propaganda film that remains watchable decades after the war has ended. Unfortunately, this is not an example of such a movie. Incredibly one-dimensional and heavy-handed in its propaganda, there is no subtlety here. The Germans are evil to the nth degree. Even the Russians are portrayed as angels - anything for the war effort. Quite over-the-top in the extremeness of the propaganda. This isn't the worst of it. A stark black-and-white good vs evil film could still have been entertaining. However, there's really not much action. Instead, we have speeches upon speeches, none of which say anything new or edifying - it's all stuff we already know: the Nazis are bad, fascism is bad, people need to be free, etc. Yet, every chance is grabbed to jam in a speech. What should have been one line in a dialogue turns into a several-minute monologue. It's all so tedious and preachy. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member I had expected a mediocre B flick with a few moments of brilliance; instead I got a sobering character study on rebuilding a community after a prolonged war. Yes the circumstances are a bit contrived within the narrow cast, but that is to be expected in most stories. Perhaps this became "the war effort" by each cast member which allows this film to work so effectively. The true societal costs of war are the emotional scars, which unconditional "love for thy neighbor" can usually overcome. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Master Race

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