The Role of Newsreels in the Modernization of Cities: More than just Propaganda

The film propaganda of newsreels (i.e. news presentations screened in cinemas and associated with weekly programming) constitute an archive of particularly important documents for those researching urban subjects (e.g. architecture, urbanism and urban history) in regard to the interwar period, especially when the aim is not the documentation of individual episodes, but rather a reconstruction of long-term processes. The interpretation of long-term projects and processes through the cinema “story” promotes the understanding of the relationship between the subjects, sequence of activities and shared meanings. Individual episodes, when placed in a context that connects them and reveals a recognisable strategy, become narratives of planning intentions and enable the identification of protagonists.