Soccer, film and the Third Reich: Hunters, cowards and glory

Considering the continued popularity of soccer in Germany, it is unsurprising that it has played a vital role in German culture since its inception in the early twentieth century. The period of the Third Reich was no exception and utilised its cinematic skill juxtaposed with the popularity of soccer to control and reinvigorate the Aryan ideal. This chapter delves into the cultural significance of Robert Stemmle’s film The Big Game in the cultural fabric of Germany during the height of World War II. Straying from the propagandistic films produced directly by the Third Reich, German cinema offered demoralised citizens the opportunity to witness victory on the screen. Through the turbulent yet ultimately victorious cinematic athletic battlefield of soccer, it reveals a cultural war fought away from the front and the distinct German values necessary to endure physical and mental dominance. Unlike the overt propaganda produced by the Third Reich, The Big Game uses soccer to illuminate not only the upstanding moral society of German men and women via the main protagonists but also the magnanimous generosity offered to outsiders, ultimately presenting German nationalism in an overwhelmingly positive light on the international cinematic stage.