Cinema-going in German-occupied Territory in the Second World War. The Impact of Film Market Regulations on Supply and Demand in Brno, Brussels, Krakow and The Hague

Abstract

This chapter analyses the effects of the policies of the Nazi regime on film supply and demand in four cities in four countries during the Second World War: Brussels (Belgium), The Hague (the Netherlands), Krakow (Poland) and Brno (Czechoslovakia, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia). We show that even though the German occupiers completely controlled film exhibition, distribution and production, still regulations and practices were somewhat geared to national and local cultures and film preferences. In Brussels, this meant that a large portion of French films could still be shown, and in Brno it meant that domestic production could maintain a relatively high output. In the Netherlands, German films obtained a virtual monopoly position. They had been popular from before the war, and this trend continued during the occupation. In Poland German films dominated as well, but the Krakow audiences stayed away when only German films were offered in the cinemas.