Heart of Humanity (1918)

(picture of the infamous rape scene)

#1 How does this film relate to chapter 20 in Foner?

The movie Heart of Humanity covered multiple class topics, the largest being propaganda, followed by women’s freedom and America’s involvement in World War I. This film is an example of evil, portrayed in the evil German Eric Von Eberhard, and liberty shown in Nanette. When the war is announced it’s assumed that all of age men will join and fight in the war. This is an example of propaganda because it’s forced upon the individuals (aka men of the time) that they would go to the war. This was talked about in Foner with the mandatory draft that was held (Foner 726). The media at this time was used for pro war propaganda from every outlet available to them (Foner 728). This manipulation was something that had never been seen before this time. In the movie, widow Patricia eventually sees all of her sons into the war, which kills all but John.  Eric Von Eberhard is wounded during the war and when Nanette comes by with water he forces himself upon her but the red cross dog attacks him, making this attack another example of propaganda. The biggest example would be the next rape scene in the film with Nanette, a child, and Eric Von Eberhard. In the Red Cross nursery she tries to stop the rape, he gets upset at the child wailing leaves her and throws the child out the window.

We also see women’s freedom becoming something bigger in the film. When Nanette reads about how the children are suffering she goes to the Red Cross and volunteers. She takes care of children while her own child grows up at home without herself or the father, because their both helping with the war. In the book it’s said that women didn’t usually get these rights to go off and fight. Women were allowed to join the Red Cross and travel to the war zone to help out as nurses which Nanette does successfully in the movie.

America in this film is shown first as the reason the milk is thrown in the streets instead of given to the children. Next America is shown when they decide to come into the war and help the allies win the war. While we didn't do much fighting the supplies and the men brought to the war did help make the difference. In the movie this is shown very easily but in Foner it's said that even though we wanted to remain neutral, when Germany tried to recruit Mexico we stepped in (Foner 725)

#2 Why are children so significant to this film?

Childen are huge in the film Hearts of Humanity. The biggest scene that sticks out is when the Belgium children are begging for milk from the German guards. A German guard looks at the milk and says that American’s have interfered with it, they should dump it, the milk is then spilled all throughout the streets while the children and mothers cry. While at the Red Cross Nanette is seen as a huge help, she keeps the kids happy and in line. She breaks up all the fights, gives toys, smiles, and helps the other nurses who don’t know what to do out. When John runs into her she even explains how one child saw their parents killed before their eyes. The next big scene involves Nanette going back to the Red Cross nursery for a child that was left behind. When she gets there it’s realized that the evil Eric Von Eberhard followed her in plans of raping her. She protects the child as much as she can but eventually when trying to take her clothes off he gets upset with the child crying. He silences the kid by throwing him out of the window of the building, which makes Nanette snap. Another child that plays an important role is that of Nanette and John’s, the child is left at home with the widow Patricia who is slowly losing all of her children to the war that’s going on. These are both great examples of children in the movie. When Nanette’s child is born and one of Patricia’s sons if taken she says that it’s “the exchanging of two” and she takes care of the child while both parents are gone. Widow Patricia also has a strong bond with her sons so she knows when each one is taken away from her and she moves on each time. At the end of the movie it turns out that Nanette and John live happily with more kids that I believe were adopted.

#3 How are female roles represented in the film? Does WWI require a "new" type of woman?

In the film I would say that two types of woman were portrayed. There was Nanette’s character, who is a woman willing to do anything she can to help. Then there’s widow Patricia who has all her sons in the war and is at home taking care of Nanette and John’s child while holding down the home fort. Nanette’s character is a new type of woman for the time of war. After reading the letter of how children were suffering she needed to do everything she could to help. At the time this was something still new and so she was a volunteer nurse because she couldn’t go into the war and help fight that way. She took care of sick and abandoned children. She was also a great help to other nurses. Her bravery for going back to get the child that was left in the building was rewarded in the end with the military. Widow Patricia’s character stayed at home and waited for any news from the family to tell her how everyone was, and she stayed strong even after losing all but one son. This was a more typical way for woman to react during the war., to stay at home and wait on word from her husbands or sons. I would say in the end that the type of woman that World War I looked for was a motherly, take charge figure. If you weren’t good with children or the war, you wouldn’t have been able to do anything to help. 

#4 What would an audience think of Germans after viewing this film?

After viewing Heart of Humanity  I think an audience at the time of the movie would be very upset with how the German's acted. Since this is a film it plays upon the emotions of the movie goer, so when they show the bad guy who is a German trying to rape an innocent woman not once but twice, and throwing a child out the window I think there would be a lot of anger. People wouldn't be happy with the way the German's acted during war, like they were better then the other side. That they could march into any town they want and take it over. At the time this was a huge propaganda film so people read more into the messages they were seeing and related to it. Emotions would be high because people would be happy they lost the war as well, and take pride in their country for winning (if that's the case). Whereas if German's viewed this film they would be upset because of how they're shown as villains and evil while American's are shown as war heroes.  

Works Cited:

Image:

http://www.silentera.com/video/heartOfHumanityHV.html

Book:

Foner Chapter 20

Film: 

Heart of Humanity