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Cartoons of the Moment – Today the German Monster Threatens the World (c.1916)

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'Your help is needed'

This clip chosen to be G

Clip description

This cartoon begins with a caption that reads, ‘the German monster threatens the world with bloodshed, slavery and death’. An animated King Kong-like monster wreaks havoc on the world, destroying villages, women and children. At the end of the clip, an intertitle says ‘your help is needed and needed now’, accompanied by an illustration of a soldier to encourage young men to enlist in the armed forces.

Curator’s notes

This is a good example of a propaganda cartoon that uses emotive language and an exaggerated cartoon character to persuade Australian men to join the war effort. Words and phrases used in connection with the German threat include 'bloodshed’, 'slavery’, 'death’, 'banquet of blood’, 'slaughter’, 'vengeance’ and 'deadly peril’.

Animator Harry Julius emphasises the brutality of the German forces to provoke a patriotic response in Australian audiences, particularly men of enlistment age. Julius’s cartoons frequently satirised the German forces during the First World War. As the war dragged on and Australian troop numbers declined, Julius’s cartoons for the Australasian Gazette became increasingly explicit in their support of Prime Minister Billy Hughes’s push for conscription.

Scenes of the 'German monster’ stomping on villages and killing innocents in the middle of this clip are difficult to make out because of decomposition of the nitrate film. Nitrate film base is fragile and begins to degrade as soon as it is made. Symptoms of nitrate decomposition include fading of the silver image, stickiness in the base, film blistering, shrinkage and brittleness. When prepared for preservation at the National Film and Sound Archive, this film was already moderately scratched, sticky and heavily shrunken.

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australianscreen is produced by the National Film and Sound Archive. By using the website you agree to comply with the terms and conditions described elsewhere on this site. The NFSA may amend the 'Conditions of Use’ from time to time without notice.

All materials on the site, including but not limited to text, video clips, audio clips, designs, logos, illustrations and still images, are protected by the Copyright Laws of Australia and international conventions. All rights are reserved.

When you access australianscreen you agree that:

  • You may retrieve materials for information only.
  • Where permitted, you may embed materials for your personal or non-commercial educational use only.
  • The National Film and Sound Archive’s permission must be sought to amend any information in the materials, unless otherwise stated in notices throughout the Site.

ANY UNAUTHORISED USE OF MATERIAL ON THIS SITE MAY RESULT IN CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LIABILITY.

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