Pair of scene stills for the film “Reason and Emotion” (1943)
Extent and Medium
.1: Height: 8.000 inches (20.32 cm) | Width: 10.000 inches (25.4 cm)
.2: Height: 8.000 inches (20.32 cm) | Width: 10.000 inches (25.4 cm)
Creator(s)
- Walt Disney Productions (Production Company)
- RKO Radio Pictures (Distributor)
- Ken Sutak (Compiler)
Biographical History
The Cinema Judaica Collection consists of more than 1,200 objects relating to films about World War II and the Holocaust as well as Jewish, Israeli, and biblical subjects, from 1923 to 2000, from the United States, Europe, Israel, Canada, Mexico, and Argentina. The collection was amassed by film memorabilia collector Ken Sutak, to document Holocaust-and Jewish-themed movies of the World War II era and the postwar years. The collection includes posters, lobby and photo cards, scene stills, pressbooks, trade ads, programs, magazines, books, VHS tapes, DVDS, and 78 rpm records. Sutak organized these materials into two groups, “Cinema Judaica: The War Years, 1939–1949” and “Cinema Judaica: The Epic Cycle, 1950–1972” and, in conjunction with the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Museum (now the Dr. Bernard Heller Museum in New York), organized exhibitions on these two themes in 2007 and 2008. Sutak subsequently authored companion books with the same titles.
Archival History
The scene stills were donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2018 by Ken Sutak and Sherri Venokur.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Ken Sutak and Sherri Venokur
Scope and Content
Two scene stills from the animated short film, “Reason and Emotion,” released by RKO Radio Pictures in August 1943. Scene stills are photographs relating to the film and used as marketing and advertising tools. The film was nominated for the 1943 Academy Award for best cartoon short. Created by Walt Disney Productions, the film features the characters “Reason” and “Emotion,” personified by stereotypes of an intellectual and a caveman. They are introduced in the mind of a toddler, and accompany him into his adult years. Reason and Emotion are also shown in the mind of a woman, and in an ideal Nazi man. The film argues that Hitler destroys Reason by taking advantage of the weaknesses in Emotion, and includes a scene where Emotion imprisons Reason in a miniature concentration camp. It urges the audience to remain calm, let Reason lead, and not let their emotions be manipulated. “Reason and Emotion” was one of 32 propaganda shorts Disney produced under a contract for the United States government. In addition to propaganda, the Disney studios also produced a series of instructional films for government and military personnel. This object is one of more than 1,200 objects in the Cinema Judaica Collection of materials related to films about World War II and the Holocaust as well as Jewish, Israeli, and biblical themes.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
Restrictions on use. Copyright status is unknown.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
.1 Black-and-white scene still from the animated short film, “Reason and Emotion.” The image has a white border on all four sides and depicts an indoor scene with two male figures. The man on the right resembles a “caveman” stereotype, with shaggy hair, large eyebrows, and a shadow of stubble on his face. He is wearing a one-shouldered, spotted garment, and is jumping in the air, screaming, and pointing out the arched window on the right wall. The man on the left is wearing a dark blazer and trousers, circular glasses, and has close-cut hair with a receding hairline. He is reaching up, as if he is about to grab the caveman. A Nazi banner with a large, canted swastika is hanging on the back wall. .2 Black-and-white, scene still from the animated short film, “Reason and Emotion.” The image has a white border on all four sides and depicts an indoor scene with two male figures. The man on the right resembles a “caveman” stereotype, with large eyebrows, and a shadow of stubble on his face. He is wearing a one-shouldered, spotted garment, and a domed helmet with a pointed cone extending from the top. He has a menacing expression on his face, with furrowed browns and barred teeth. He is holding a rifle with a bayonet, pointing it at the man on the left, who is miniature in scale. The man on the left is wearing a dark blazer and trousers, circular glasses, and has close-cut hair with a receding hairline. He is seated against a large wooden sign with his arms bound against his sides, and is encircled by a miniature barbed-wire fence. The right wall has an arched window, and a Nazi banner with a large, canted swastika is hanging on the back wall. On the back, there is a handwritten inscription in one corner.
.2 back, upper left corner, handwritten, black ink : EMOTION VRS REASON [Emotion Versus Reason]
People
- Graham, Frank, 1914-1950.
- Nash, Clarence, 1904-1985.
Subjects
- Motion pictures--History--20th century.
- United States.
- Stereotypes (Social psychology) in motion pictures.
- Symbolism in motion pictures.
- Short films.
- Nazis in motion pictures.
- Captivity in motion pictures.
- Animated films.
Genre
- Object
- Film stills.
- Photographs