When World War 2 entered the phase of bombing of German cities, Nazi authorities started a program of evacuating children from such cities to less dangerous remote and rural areas - "erweiterte Kinderlandverschickung", or KLV for short. Participation was optional, and many parents did not want their children sent to distant places for many months, with little possibility of visiting.
To placate these sentiments, and to advertise these camps as good fun and camaraderie, at least two propaganda films were produced - this "Hände hoch!" is one, "Ausser Gefahr" is another, both freely available from archive.org.
"Hände hoch!" takes place in "friendly Slovakia", as it is called. Some 40..50 boys are quartered in a rural lodge, and besides school classes, can take horse riding lessons. They get in some contact with the locals and learn a bit of Slovakian. Initially, all appears to be well and fine.
Then the "Slovak land rain" arrives, and stays for more than a week. The kids get more and more unruly, gloomy, or frustrated that they are confined to the house.The local policeman arrives and announces that two wanted criminals are on the run (conveniently, on bicycles). The boys form three groups (one on foot, one on horseback, one on bicycles) and are to search the area, including an inn in a nearby village, where they finally spot the suspects. I won't spoil the denouement, but let me say nothing terrible happens.
With its length of over an hour, this can be called a boy's adventure film. Political propaganda wasn't explicit, but of course the whole setting makes the message shine through - "KLV, even to faraway Slovakia, is good, clean fun for the boys". By the way, that other film also had extended scenes of Slovakia. Watched today, it offers little entertainment, but some insights in aspects of war life in Germany.
To placate these sentiments, and to advertise these camps as good fun and camaraderie, at least two propaganda films were produced - this "Hände hoch!" is one, "Ausser Gefahr" is another, both freely available from archive.org.
"Hände hoch!" takes place in "friendly Slovakia", as it is called. Some 40..50 boys are quartered in a rural lodge, and besides school classes, can take horse riding lessons. They get in some contact with the locals and learn a bit of Slovakian. Initially, all appears to be well and fine.
Then the "Slovak land rain" arrives, and stays for more than a week. The kids get more and more unruly, gloomy, or frustrated that they are confined to the house.The local policeman arrives and announces that two wanted criminals are on the run (conveniently, on bicycles). The boys form three groups (one on foot, one on horseback, one on bicycles) and are to search the area, including an inn in a nearby village, where they finally spot the suspects. I won't spoil the denouement, but let me say nothing terrible happens.
With its length of over an hour, this can be called a boy's adventure film. Political propaganda wasn't explicit, but of course the whole setting makes the message shine through - "KLV, even to faraway Slovakia, is good, clean fun for the boys". By the way, that other film also had extended scenes of Slovakia. Watched today, it offers little entertainment, but some insights in aspects of war life in Germany.
