In 1932 (a year before Adolph Hitler became Chancellor of Germany) Herman J Mankiewicz wrote an original screenplay, The Mad Dog of Europe, a film that reflected the rise of “Adolph Mitler” and anticipated the Nazis’ persecution of the Jews, the events of Kristallnacht (that would play out in 1938), and the war that was to consume Europe by the end of the decade.
Mankiewicz — who would go on to write Citizen Kane with Orson Welles — recognized just how dangerous Hitler was, and wanted to use the film to mobilize public opinion against him. But even though the major Hollywood studios were run by Jews, no one was willing to back the project. Anti-Semitism was rife in America, this topic was too hot to handle. Even the anti-defamation league opposed the production. So too did Germany’s consul to Los Angeles, who exerted considerable influence behind the scenes. This is the story of one of the important movies never made.
For more of Hollywood’s response to the rise of nazism, see The Mortal Storm, Three Comrades, and To Be Or Not To Be at VIFF Centre this week.
Rubika Shah
France/Germany
2026
English
Indigenous & Community Access
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Credits
Screenwriter
Rubika Shah, Ed Gibbs
Cinematography
Janis Mazuch
Editor
Giles Gardner
Original Music
Aisling Brouwer
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