The Wall poster
FilmDocumentary

The Wall (1962)

1962-11-08 · 9m · EN
70%
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Like the best USIA films, The Wall distills political events into an emotionally clear and compelling ideological "story". In 1962 Walter de Hoog gathered footage from U.S. and German newsreel sources and crafted this taut short film about the first year of the Berlin Wall. Straightforward, keenly balanced narration portrays Berliners as "accepting the wall but never resigned to it". The extraordinary footage of the first escapes was propaganda enough-- His challenge was to make the politics human.

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Walter de HoogDirector, Writer

Top billed cast

Full cast & crew →
Peter FechterPeter FechterHimself (archive footage)Alexander ScourbyAlexander ScourbyNarrator (uncredited)

Keywords

ShortCold warPropagandaBerlin, germanyBerlin wallShort film

Movie DNA

Genre affinityDocumentaryTheme affinityShort · Cold War · PropagandaPacingShortEmotional intensityCold WarDirector preference831162Actor preference179826 · 831161

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Frequently asked questions about The Wall

What is The Wall about?

Like the best USIA films, The Wall distills political events into an emotionally clear and compelling ideological "story". In 1962 Walter de Hoog gathered footage from U.S. and German newsreel sources and crafted this taut short film about the first year of the Berlin Wall. Straightforward, keenly balanced narration portrays Berliners as "accepting the wall but never resigned to it". The extraordinary footage of the first escapes was propaganda enough-- His challenge was to make the politics human.

How long is The Wall?

The Wall has a runtime of 9 minutes.