Film During WWII

By the time of world war II, film had become an established medium. Television did exist by this point, but few people owned one due to their prohibitively high price at the time, so film was where most went for information and entertainment. The cinemas in the U.S. and Europe were regulated by governments, who, of course, already knew the potential of film.

Britain created the Ministry of Information - the department that managed publicity for country during WWII - the day after the outbreak of the war. British war movies would generally use a suspenseful story while presenting the messages that the ministry wanted the filmmakers to show.

In America, the department that managed publicity and film was the Office of War Information. This department would work with filmmakers to film wartime activities while keeping an eye on the content, in an effort to portray the war in a positive light. The growth of the film industry during this time period led to the establishment of major celebrities and their influence; movie stars would do advertisements, urging citizens to buy war bonds and support their country's war effort. American theater attendance was higher than ever in 1946.