Misjudged People
Misjudged People (German: Verkannte Menschen) is a 1932 German documentary film that features the German deaf community. It was produced by the Reich Union of the Deaf of Germany to give the German public a positive perception of the capabilities of deaf people. It was banned by the Nazis in 1934 to avoid promoting that perception.
| Misjudged People | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Wilhelm Ballier |
| Produced by | Alfred Kell |
| Written by | Wilhelm Ballier |
Release date |
|
Running time | 60 minutes (est.) |
| Country | Germany |
Synopsis
The documentary has two parts, with the first part focused on education and the second on deaf people as actively contributing German citizens.[1]
Production
The organization Reich Union of the Deaf of Germany (Reichsverband der Gehörlosen Deutschlands or REGEDE) was formed in 1927 from multiple regional associations. REGEDE wanted to create a more positive perception of deaf people for the rest of the German public, so they produced a documentary based on a script written by Wilhelm Ballier, who was deaf and a Nazi sympathizer.[1]
Release
The film was released in 1932, but the Nazis did not want the positive perception promoted, so Joseph Goebbels, the minister of propaganda, banned it in 1934.[1][2]
Analysis
Carol Poore, writing in Disability in Twentieth-Century German Culture, said Misjudged People "is an important document about the German deaf community" in the Weimar Republic's last years.[1]
The Encyclopedia of Disability said Misjudged People was an example of Deaf Europeans trying "to counter popular impressions of deaf people as inferior" by instead representing themselves "to hearing society as healthy, vigorous, and thoroughly modern individuals".[3]
References
- Poore, Carol (2007). "Disability in the Culture of the Weimar Republic". Disability in Twentieth-Century German Culture. Corporealities: Discourses Of Disability. University of Michigan Press. pp. 57–58. ISBN 978-0-472-11595-2.
- Leigh, Irene W. (2009). "The Influence of the Past". A Lens on Deaf Identities. Perspectives on Deafness. Oxford University Press. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-19-532066-4.
- Albrecht, Gary L., ed. (2005). "Deaf, History of the". Encyclopedia of Disability. SAGE Publications. p. 347. ISBN 978-1-4522-6520-9.
Bibliography
- Schuchman, John S. (2002). "Misjudged People: The German Deaf Community in 1932". In Ryan, Donna F.; Schuchman, John S. (eds.). Deaf People in Hitler's Europe. Gallaudet University Press. p. 98–113. ISBN 978-1-56368-126-4.