Sahara and WWII for Katie Kunik
After watching Sahara, I would definitely classify it as a propaganda film. The film touched on several of the points the government used as a guide for war time movies. The issue of war, meaning what American troops were fighting for was one theme touched on in the movie. The character Joe Gunn was the leader for the American platoon, and he quickly became the leader of all the other platoons. Gunn became the selfless leader by letting others drink the newly discovered water before himself while he parented the soldiers by allowing them so much to drink. He was looking out for the safety of the other soldiers before himself. This could help give American viewers the impression that America was fighting for other allied countries freedoms as well as it’s own. Sahara also did a good job of portraying the enemy as a common evil. The Italian prisoner is found first and is shown as a very cowardly, but still likeable character. The German prisoner, however, is shown as cold hearted and back stabbing especially when he stabs the Italian prisoner while trying to escape during the battle. He is only known as a killer. The movie is uplifted a little when his character is killed, which shows how much the filmmakers wanted viewers to get a negative reaction to the Germans from this movie. The movie also incorporates the theme of United Nations because of the union of all the different platoons in the beginning of the movie. They all came together and endured pain together when they were out of food and water and while they later watched their comrades die in battle at the hands of the Germans. The production front and the home front were not mentioned often in the movie other than a glimpse at a letter to or from home. The final theme of fighting forces is also touched on in the movie. It depicts the platoon fleeing from German attack while trying to find refuge. Then, they get caught up in battle where they out-wit the German forces to win their battle. This is an important piece of propaganda because it would demoralize the home front by showing the same platoon on the losing end of the Sahara battle. When they win, it helps boost the morale of the American people.