In this age of A&E's Biography, and cable channels devoted to documentaries, sometimes it's eye-opening and entertaining to go back and watch one made "in the past" when theatrical showings were the only outlet.
Then again, sometimes it's not.
Black Fox actually seems older than it is- I'm surprised when I see that it was filmed in 1962, because it comes across as a heavy-handed propaganda piece concurrent with Hitler's reign.
It's almost embarrassing to watch, as the "documentary" actually has very little to say, and Marlene Dietrich gives her all to give it some kind of meaning. The film switches back and forth between Hitler's machinations and doings, and an odd, old folk-tale of a "black fox" and his dealings with his fellow animals. The folk-tale is illustrated with static woodcuts- you half expect a picture of Vlad Tepes somewhere along the way. It's as if the directors were either trying to put the whole WW2/Europe story into something acceptable for children, or were trying to emulate George Orwell's Animal Farm, and turn history into an anthropomorphic parable.
The film is very heavy-handed, and the parable just bogs the whole thing down. I admit I write this with a view of the modern documentary in mind... but Black Fox isn't entertaining, isn't educational, and was a waste of a purchase.
Then again, sometimes it's not.
Black Fox actually seems older than it is- I'm surprised when I see that it was filmed in 1962, because it comes across as a heavy-handed propaganda piece concurrent with Hitler's reign.
It's almost embarrassing to watch, as the "documentary" actually has very little to say, and Marlene Dietrich gives her all to give it some kind of meaning. The film switches back and forth between Hitler's machinations and doings, and an odd, old folk-tale of a "black fox" and his dealings with his fellow animals. The folk-tale is illustrated with static woodcuts- you half expect a picture of Vlad Tepes somewhere along the way. It's as if the directors were either trying to put the whole WW2/Europe story into something acceptable for children, or were trying to emulate George Orwell's Animal Farm, and turn history into an anthropomorphic parable.
The film is very heavy-handed, and the parable just bogs the whole thing down. I admit I write this with a view of the modern documentary in mind... but Black Fox isn't entertaining, isn't educational, and was a waste of a purchase.