Line #41 Main/Newsreel


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13	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/newsreel.png]]
14
15	A news program shown in cinemas, typically. Pioneered by Creator/{{Pathe}} in UsefulNotes/{{France}} in 1908 (in the {{early films}}[=/=]{{silent\|Movie}} era), these were almost always in black and white. Many of them had a propaganda element to them, subtle or blatant.
16
17	A fictional example of the former:
18
19	"Soviet troops enter Warsaw. The people of Warsaw cheer the end of Nazi tyranny and the restoration of freedom."
20
21	To give a fictional example of the latter:
22
23	"Comrades, the mighty Red Army continues to crush the evil fascists. The brave men of the ''Rodina'' have now taken Warsaw and liberated Poland from their evil grip. Casualties were heavy, but the Red Army prevailed."
24
25	Pretty notorious even in their own day for being ''flamboyantly'' censored and emotionally manipulative (edging dangerously close to DocumentaryOfLies territory in some cases), and for [[WorstNewsJudgmentEver often outright ignoring "troubling" topics in favor of "cute" human-interest stories]].
26
27	The footage recorded for these newsreels is one of the primary audio-visual records of the first half of The20thCentury, especially UsefulNotes/WorldWarII; the Allies in particular would send each other footage to appear in their respective newsreels. As a result, it will often appear in documentaries (with their counterpart from UsefulNotes/NaziGermany, the ''Wochenschau'') and if you watch a lot of them, you will start seeing the same clips turn up a lot.
28
29	The newsreel faded away in TheFifties and TheSixties due to the rise of TV network news, and often mocked up in {{period piece}}s. The last documented newsreel in the Western world,
30	''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygoon_(newsreel) Polygoon]],'' was screened in UsefulNotes/TheNetherlands in 1987, while Japan's ''Yomiuri International News'' ran as late as 1997.
31
32	Many newsreels archives, particularly from Europe, have been preserved and made publicly available online today. The largest such archive is likely [[https://www.britishpathe.com/ British Pathé]], who also preserve Reuters' own archive from the same era. Other good places to explore include [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHq777_waKMJw6SZdABmyaA British Movietone]], the [[https://ifiarchiveplayer.ie/category/newsreels/ Irish Film Institute Archive]], France's [[https://gparchives.com/index.php Gaumont and Pathé Archive]], and Italy's [[https://www.archivioluce.com/archivio-cinematografico-2/ Archivio Luce]].
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34	See also PropagandaPiece.
35	----
36	!!Examples:
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38	[[foldercontrol]]
39
40	[[folder:Anime]]
41	* ''Anime/SpaceBattleShipYamato2199'' has Captain Okita watching a newsreel about first contact during one episode. [[spoiler: The official story does not quite match the memories of those who were present, especially on the question of who shot first.]]
42	[[/folder]]
43
44	[[folder:Comic Books]]
45	* ''ComicBook/TheLegendOfWonderWoman2016'': The newsreel that plays before ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is what forces Diana to face the reality of the wider world she's in and ask about the war Etta has been trying to tell her about, and been furious with her for discrediting and not caring about.
46	* The ''{{ComicBook/Tintin}}'' story ''The Blue Lotus'' has Tintin coincidentally find out about a man who might be able to cure his friend's son's madness, along with a CallBack to a previous episode [[YouJustRuinedTheShot where he ruined a movie]] ([[spoiler:a movie filmed by the leader of the drug ring Tintin is trying to break up]].
47	[[/folder]]
48
49	[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
50	* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1'' has a newsreel in-between the TimeSkip detailing the passing of the SuperRegistrationAct and the supers being forced into civilian identities.
51	* ''WesternAnimation/SouthParkBiggerLongerAndUncut'' features a "March of War" newsreel reporting on the war between the U.S. and UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} and announces Terrence and Phillip's impending execution live at a USO show.
52	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}'' opens with young Carl watching a newsreel on explorer Charles Muntz.
53	[[/folder]]
54
55	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
56	* In the Creator/MontyPython movie ''Film/AndNowForSomethingCompletelyDifferent'', during the World's Funniest Joke sketch, a British newsreel introduction is briefly used, with Creator/JohnCleese's narration leading to the military applications of the Killer Joke.
57	* ''Film/BulletsOrBallots'': The film opens with a newsreel condemning gangster activity in New York. Fenner and Kruger, two gangsters, actually get to watch actors playing themselves in a newsreel scene where "Kruger" wins acquittal in a trial. Kruger isn't fussed but hot-tempered Fenner is enraged by the newsreel.
58	* ''Film/CitizenKane'' has an early examples of an in-movie fake newsreel. Furthermore, Creator/OrsonWelles had the company he worked for, Creator/RKOPictures, use their own newsreel department to create it to make it look authentic.
59	* In the 1966 film ''Film/ItHappenedHere'' (in which [[DayOfTheJackboot Great Britain has been occupied by the Nazis]]), there is a newsreel showing a revisionist history of British/German relations. Chillingly, it is narrated by a well-known voice-over reader of the war years.
60	* ''Film/ALeagueOfTheirOwn'' uses the newsreel to promote the AAGPBL.
61	* The 1978 Australian film ''Newsfront'' follows the workers of a fictional newsreel company during the late 1940s and early-mid 1950s as they deal with the challenges of their jobs, their own personal issues, and the political and social changes affecting the country (including the looming approach of Australian commercial television).
62	* The movie ''Film/{{Patton}}'' uses them as exposition. Although it was rather obvious that they were just there for exposition, it did fit the time period, as newsreels were common.
63	* ''Film/ThePhenixCityStory'' opens with a [[ProlongedPrologue 13-minute prologue]] of real-life reporter Clete Roberts interviewing some of the real-life people portrayed in the film.
64	* Used in the pre-title scene of ''Film/RaceForTheYankeeZephyr'' (1981) to introduce the titular [=WW2=] aircraft and its cargo (a shipment of medals, booze, and $50 million in gold). The B&W footage of the aircraft ends with smoke pouring from its engine and the pilot looking out the window in alarm, then it vanishes into the clouds, setting up the contemporary events of the film when the crashed plane is discovered.
65	* ''Film/TheReturnOfCaptainInvincible''. Used to show the rise and fall of the eponymous OldSuperhero. The first newsreels are blatant propaganda; showing Captain Invincible battling bootleggers, bringing down Nazi divebombers single-handed, and giving inspiring speeches at a Boy Scout camp. However he's then shown being questioned before HUAC and indited for supporting Communism (for fighting on the Russian front during [=WW2=]), impersonating a military captain, and [[UnderwearOfPower wearing his underwear in public]].
66	* In ''Film/TheRocketeer'', Cliff and Jenny see a newsreel that talks about [[ChekhovsGun a German zeppelin on a tour of the continental US]].
67	* Parodied in ''Film/StarshipTroopers''.
68	** Just as well, as the first ''Film/StarshipTroopers'' movie was directed by Creator/PaulVerhoeven, who also made ''Film/RoboCop1987'', a movie series also known for its fake commercials.
69	** And also because Verhoeven wanted to evoke the PatrioticFervor of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII-era war films.
70	* In ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'', a newsreel provides Eddie Valiant with a crucial clue in solving the Acme murder.
71	[[/folder]]
72
73	[[folder:Literature]]
74	* ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'' features one, depicting an Oceania attack on a refugee convoy. Yes, where the story is set. Yes, it even goes as far as to praise it. [[TechMarchesOn Yes, a newsreel in]] TheEighties.
75	** Possibly justified as the {{alternate history}} of 1984 [[PointOfDivergence splits from ours]] at a time when newsreels were still very common.
76	* ''Literature/TheDayOfTheTriffids'' has the protagonist first hear about the titular [[WhenTreesAttack triffids]] via one of these, which is depicted [[KentBrockmanNews rather unflatteringly.]]
77	[[/folder]]
78
79	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
80	* Every episode of the 1970s UsefulNotes/WorldWarII TV series ''Baa Baa Black Sheep'' (aka ''Series/BlackSheepSquadron'') opened with a faux newsreel. The images were authentic but the voiceover was modern, settting up the action for the episode.
81	* ''Series/GetSmart'': In "The Secret of Sam Vittorio", Max and 99 must impersonate a notorious OutlawCouple from TheThirties, and are shown newsreel footage of their exploits.
82	* ''Series/InterviewWithTheVampire2022'': In "[[Recap/InterviewWithTheVampire2022S1E7TheThingLayStill The Thing Lay Still]]", there's a scene in Dec. 1939 where Lestat, Claudia and Louis are at a movie theatre while a news update of UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler is being projected on the screen.
83	* ''Series/{{JAG}}'': The first 20 seconds of "Port Chicago" begins with an authentic Creator/{{Paramount}} News Reel.
84	* Used occasionally in ''Series/{{MASH}}'', either to place an episode's plot during a specific historical event (clips of [[UsefulNotes/OlympicGames the 1952 Helsinki Olympics]] were used during one episode where the 4077th held their own Olympics) or to hammer home a point on how popular media tended to gloss over the ugliness of war (contrasting the harsh realities of life near the front line with footage of a dance contest or a cat who can play table tennis).
85	* ''Series/PrivateSchulz'' uses these for exposition purposes during the series, which takes place throughout and after World War II.
86	* ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'': As with ''It Happened Here'', Part Two of "[[Recap/StarTrekEnterpriseS04E01E02StormFront Storm Front]]", [[GodwinsLawOfTimeTravel which takes place]] in an AlternateTimeline where UsefulNotes/NaziGermany is winning World War II, begins with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEly8nXA6Oo&feature=related a fake newsreel]] showing UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler touring an occupied UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity.
87	** While most of the footage was digitally constructed or altered, there was a piece of ''actual'' historical footage included - the Nazi rally in front of a full-body portrait of UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington uses seldom-seen images of a real rally in 1939 by the German-American Bund.
88	* ''Series/TheMickeyMouseClub'' had a newsreel that reported subjects about science, nature, culture and activities involving children, as well as showcasing material related to Disneyland and the Walt Disney Studios.
89	[[/folder]]
90
91	[[folder:Video Games]]
92	* ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' concludes the ''Brood War'' Terran campaign with a newsreel, with all the propaganda elements they could fit in.
93	** Before all that there was the UNN which was used by the Confederacy/Dominion as a propaganda machine to promote pro-faction news, and to label Sons of Korhal/Raynor as terrorists.
94	* ''VideoGame/ZorkGrandInquisitor'' starts with a mock newsreel of the propaganda-heavy variety. (It's entitled "Propaganda on Parade". Subtle.)
95	[[/folder]]
96
97	[[folder:Western Animation]]
98	* The first few episodes of ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' began with a newsreel setting up the BackStory of the Warners.
99	* ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' has two newsreels in the episode "[[Recap/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroesS1E4MeetCaptainAmerica Meet Captain America]]". The first shows how ComicBook/CaptainAmerica became a SuperSoldier, then a hero for the Allies. The second plays after Cap becomes a HumanPopsicle, and announces that he has fallen in battle.
100	* Old-timey newsreels are apparently still attached to films in the 31st century of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}''.
101	-->'''Fry''': Ooh, this is ''real'' futuristic!
102	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' begins every episode with a newsreel recap of the previous events.
103	* In the ''WesternAnimation/TheScoobyDooShow'' episode "The Chiller Diller Movie Thriller", the gang watches a newsreel at the Milo Booth film festival.
104	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Decades ago, Abe Simpson and one of his friends watched one showing Springfield as a "City on the Grow". Flash forward to the present time, showing those days of prosperity are over.
105	* Used as the intro for ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' as well as [[WesternAnimation/StarWarsCloneWars the TV series]], sometimes overlapping with PreviouslyOn. It also has a "Thought for the Day", which is related to the episode's {{Aesop}}. It actually helps set the tone quite nicely in the case of the TV shows, more so than it does for the movie.
106	* ''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'':
107	** There's one in "From Here to Machinery" showing Shere Khan signing a contract buying new pilot robots.
108	** "Whistlestop Jackson, Legend" also features Khan in a newsreel to set up his relationship with the titular character.
109	[[/folder]]
110
111	[[folder:Real Life]]
112	* UsefulNotes/NaziGermany had ''Die Deutsche Wochenschau'' ("The German Weekly Review"), which ran from from 1940 until very near the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII in March 1945 by which point most German cinemas had closed and transport links had collapsed; most often narrated by announcer Harry Giese (who had quite the MotorMouth). It was a vital instrument for the mass distribution of the ''[[UsefulNotes/NazisWithGnarlyWeapons Wehrmacht]]'''s war propaganda, and the preserved ''Wochenschau'' short films actually make up a significant part of the audiovisual records of the armed forces of Nazi Germany you'll see in virtually every documentary about it.
113	* Pathé News in the UK, which produced newsreels from 1910 i.e. (in the silent era) until 1970. Its archive can be found online [[https://www.britishpathe.com/ here]].
114	* Movietone News in the US, which ran from 1928 to 1963 and produced by Fox; a British spinoff ran until 1979.
115	* The USSR had several of these. Much of the footage of [[UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust Nazi mass graves and concentration camps]] found as the Red Army advanced westwards was originally recorded for Soviet newsreels to be used to motivate their citizens to keep fighting, showing civilian dead in a way that British newsreels would not. There was a fair degree of manipulation in the Soviet films with the bodies moved around to create more of an aesthetic effect and people shown identifying their loved ones for maximum emotional impact. Also, references to the fact that many of the victims were Jewish was omitted - Soviet propaganda was that these people were murdered for being Soviet citizens, not for being Jews - with significantly a shot of prayer shawls found at Auschwitz cut out.[[note]]Since antisemitism wasn't exactly frowned upon in the Soviet Union, mentioning that the victims were targeted for being Jewish might well have ''reduced'' public support for the Soviet war effort.[[/note]] The off-cuts survived and have since seen the light of day as Russian archives have opened up.
116	** Because of their provenance that made them seem dodgy in the UsefulNotes/ColdWar world and the fact most were only shown in the USSR, the footage was largely not seen by Western historians, something that has since changed.
117	[[/folder]]

Context Main / Newsreel