The recapturing of Riga 1917 – A propagandistic film?

In this article, we take a look at the film “Riga genommen“, an official military film of the “Bild- und Film-Amt”. It can be found on the European film portal, a digital association of several European museums and archives. This film was shot at the end of 1917, after Riga was once again taken by the German Imperial Army. We look at the film to see how large and/or important the documentary and propaganda parts are. The propaganda part is particularly interesting at this point, as the medium of the moving image or film was only just emerging at this time. This means that a generally valid form of propaganda has yet to be found and established in this medium. Many of our contemporary documentaries are also based on such archive material. So we can fill up our image memory and better determine in future how close the respective documentaries are to the original.

 

Before we start with the article, we would like to refer you to the video in which the sections of the film are directly classified:

 

The structure of the film

Overall, the film is made up of different parts, which are roughly separated by panels. As this is a silent film, these inserts describe the different situations. This contemporary document can be roughly divided up as follows:

 

1. Riga taken
2. Arrival of the troops in Riga
3. The Emperor in Riga
4. Impressions of the city
5. Captured pieces

 

These sections are each subdivided a little more finely, which is illustrated and described by the inserted panels. What these individual parts contain and what this means will now be examined in more detail in the following sections and placed into some context.

 

Riga Taken

The first panel of the film reads: Riga taken. This is the title of the work, below which is the description: Military-official film of the Bild- und Film-Amtes. This is followed by the next panel: On 1 September 1917, German troops crossed the River Düna at Uexküll after fighting the enemy.

The first thing we see are horse-drawn carriages travelling over a pontoon bridge. It can be assumed that these carriages are carrying supplies, especially food and ammunition. This is followed by film footage from the other side of the river. Here in front we can see some Spanish riders or knife rests as fortifications and trenches. On the far right is a pole, which was probably intended for the radio. The plaque: The fierce enemy resistance could not stop the brave German troops announces images of the battles. The dead Russians lying on the ground take centre stage here. There is a clear initial propagandistic touch; it is particularly striking that only the corpses of the enemy are shown, not those of the German soldiers. This is followed by: The enemy retreated in wild flight, sharply pursued by our brave troops. After this panel, a rather chaotic field opens up, on which some Russian equipment can be found: Field kitchens, carriages, paper and all sorts of smaller equipment. Occasionally, German soldiers move through this field and look around. Meanwhile, the camera angle changes. A dead horse enters the picture. This is followed by extensive shots of the equipment left behind by the Russians, through which the German soldiers move. So here is another propagandistic element, focussing primarily on the dead and the equipment left behind, while the German soldiers march unhindered through the battlefield without being harmed.

Another scene change follows: the railway bridge near Riga that was blown up by the Russians. This is exactly what is now shown in this film, a blown-up railway bridge. This approach, i.e. destroying the infrastructure, is quite common in war in order to hinder the enemy’s advance and slow it down as much as possible. The counterpart to these shots is a pedestrian bridge that has been repaired by the pioneers.

 

Arrival of the troops in Riga

This is followed by the next description of the scenery: Mounted troops and vehicles are being towed across the River Düna on immediately equipped prahmen. On the boat itself, not only vehicles but also horses and cavalrymen can be seen. This is followed by a shot of the panorama of Riga, presumably to liven up the scenery and to show what the soldiers were fighting for. The castle and other sights of the city are also shown. Next up is a burning wooden bridge. However, it is not explained exactly what this is all about.

Now follow the two most interesting shots, at least for us: the unloading of troops in Riga and the departure of a squadron of Uhlans. Here we can see a cavalry unit in full armour. Obviously, the cavalry still carried the lance into the field in 1917, even if the majority of battles were fought with the rifle. We can also see a field kitchen being unloaded in this section. Coming back to the Uhlans, we see everyone equipped with a steel helmet, next to the gas mask container. If we take a closer look at the uniforms, we can see that we see a mixture of the Ulankas and the field blouse. Accordingly, old and new uniforms were worn side by side, including large uniforms. Overall, the uniform does not seem to have been as uniform as we know it today.

These shots are followed by destroyed magazines at the harbour. This is followed by scenes of a lively town on the market square, which is full of people. The panel now reads: Shops senselessly destroyed and partially looted by the Russians. This statement alone has a propagandistic flavour. Well, we see some destroyed shops, yes. Perhaps partially looted. But whether it was really the Russians and the windows were only broken because of the artillery shells is hard to say. How exactly and what was looted and whether it was actually the Russians and not the inhabitants must also remain questionable at this point.

A concert in the rifle park is shown next. In addition to a military band that is playing, we see many soldiers enjoying themselves at the concert. Many of them are looking directly into the camera. It seems as if they are not really used to cameras. On closer inspection, some of them seem to belong to a guard, which can be recognised by the white piece on their collar.

 

The Emperor in Riga

This part is introduced with the plaque: Arrival of His Majesty the Emperor in Riga. Kaiser Wilhelm II was also transported by means of a barge. In contrast to the troop transports, the prahm was decorated and adorned with branches. This was probably to emphasise his rank and importance, in contrast to the common troops. Naturally, the emperor was accompanied by his staff. This is followed by a welcome by Excellency Lieutenant General von Hutier. The Emperor and his staff disembark from the Prahme and are greeted by von Hutler. What is striking is not only the Emperor’s personal standard, but also the group’s more traditional uniforms. Within the staff, the pickelhaube was still worn, in contrast to the troops’ steel helmets and, in the case of the standard bearer and trumpeter, even an old and traditional blue uniform.

This is followed by shots of H.M. in conversation with the Commander-in-Chief East, Prince Leopold of Bavaria. These provide a further view of the Emperor and his entourage. Of course, the Emperor and his presence had a great (moral) effect on his troops, which means that a smaller propagandistic element can be assumed here. Officially, His Majesty was the head of the army and the country, embodied all hopes and was a great reason for many to go to war. His presence could certainly have a very euphoric effect.

The next section is introduced by the panel The enthusiastic crowd awaiting HM. A street full of laughing, joyfully waiting people can be seen, which emphasises the effect of the emperor on the people and thus also on the troops. Accordingly, this scene is followed by an inspection of the troops on the esplanade. The emperor and his staff walk the troops down for inspection, which must surely have boosted the soldiers’ morale. The inspection was followed by a parade of the troops to present themselves. Not only the emperor took part in this parade, but also other military officers and (cheering) civilians. So there is a further argument here for the propagandistic effect of the visit, especially on the troops. However, the extent to which these photographs were accessible to the general public cannot be clarified at this point.

Further shots of the Kaiser are then shown before he is driven to the front: H. M.’s visit to the Schwarzhaupterhaus and departure for the front. The Schwarzhaupterhaus was and is an iconic building that was destroyed by the Germans in the Second World War and later even more so by the Soviets and rebuilt in 1993-1999. So basically he was visiting a landmark. Interesting here are the cars, which had no roof but were open and have the imperial eagle on their side. We only see them standing, but not driving anywhere. So we don’t really know whether the emperor really made it to the front or whether this was just an assertion.

 

Impressions of the city

Footage of the town follows, starting with a thanksgiving service. This is a part of the First World War that has actually been completely forgotten. The church services and the clergy during the war, which played a major role but is not mentioned anywhere or only very rarely. That, by the way, is a big point of contemporary criticism of the later war novels in the late 1920s and other media that don’t even bother to mention the priests and pastors who supported the troops in their own way. This is something we really need to look into, because faith and religion played a very big part in this period. You can at least see a lot of people leaving the cathedral.

On Alexander Boulevard, the next scene, a road is shown on which there are many carriages and medium-sized mine launchers like artillery pieces pulled by horses. They may be on their way to the front. Here, too, we get a small impression of the sheer masses. However, this was only a brief interlude. This is followed by a shot showing the German theatre, at least from the outside of a park. A few more soldiers can be seen walking past the camera.

The next thing we encounter is the report of Russian conscripts. Which is exactly what we see here, as they are queuing in front of the registration centre. The only question is, why? Are they being detained or recruited for the Germans? Do they have to do labour? Or is it simply a normal registration to have an administrative overview? Hard to tell from this short piece. It is only implied that the Germans had great success in finding them. There is also no other information about what happened to them or whether it was just a registration.

 

Captured pieces

The last part of the film is introduced with the panel: Russian theatre. Here, too, a theatre is shown from the outside, but a German carriage drives through the picture. This shot is also only shown very briefly. The next section begins with the showing of various captured Russian flags, before the shots show a lot of captured Russian weapons such as rifles, machine guns, artillery pieces of all kinds, mine launchers, vehicles, ammunition carts and countless pieces of equipment, all of which are inspected and controlled by German troops. And so it says on the last panel:

Victory spoils! This totalled 325 guns, a third of them heavy, as well as many machine guns and mine launchers. In addition, several loaded full and light railway trains, large pioneer equipment, firing equipment and food supplies, numerous motor vehicles and other troop vehicles fell into our hands.

So the film ends with a scene that is clearly propagandistic, and which certainly knows how to impress with its visuals.

 

Conclusion about the film

In summary, what did we see in the film? It started with supply troops crossing the river, followed by some dead Russians in a captured position, a chaotic field after a retreat or in other words what was left after the battle. Then follow the troops, especially the cavalry, crossing the river and leaving the Prahme. Here and there a few shots of the town, interspersed with the depiction of some destruction allegedly carried out by the Russian troops. In contrast, some German troops enjoying their free time. This is followed by a few shots of the German Kaiser inspecting the troops and then travelling to the front. At the end, after brief impressions of theatres, some Russians and war booty, which consisted of all kinds of weapons and material for the fronts.

There are therefore propagandistic elements in this film, but it is by no means propagandistic through and through, but rather more subtle in parts, apart from the obvious parts. It was mainly about the bravery of the soldiers, that their sacrifices were highly appreciated by the German people, embodied by the Kaiser. It was also the documentary’s job to show that the soldiers were having a good time, enjoying themselves after the fighting and that the government had everything under control.

The most interesting part for me was the piece about the cavalry, the marching off of a squadron of Uhlans. There we could see the presence of lances still in 1917. Then other parts of their equipment and how it was carried, which is a stroke of luck, especially for my reconstruction of a hussar.

Overall, what we have here is a piece that is intended to stabilise the home front. This is done by showing that the battles are being won, progress is being made at the front and the soldiers are being supplied, even by the Emperor himself. Nonetheless, this is a highly interesting and revealing film. The only question here is how accessible these recordings were to the general public, or how widespread cinemas and cinemas were at the time. This would need to be investigated further in order to be able to assess the actual possible impact of the film.