Authoritarian regimes sometimes used film dubbing to censor ideas

Humor during Mussolini’s fascist regime

Benito Mussolini’s fascist regime in Italy strictly censored humor, closing down popular satirical publications and even punishing certain jokes with prison sentences. However, humor was also used by the regime as a tool for propaganda and social control. Learn about the jokes Mussolini did permit, which typically came from regime-approved comedians and apolitical sources.

Modern sound mixing has contributed to audiences needing subtitles

Hidden, high-tech microphones allow actors to speak more softly, rather than yelling to be picked up by a distant boom mic, but this sacrifices clarity. The problem is exacerbated by mixing often prioritizing booming sound effects and soundtracks and audiences listening with small speakers on mobile devices.

What it means to call something 'Orwellian'

The adjective often refers to anything that resembles the dystopian governments of George Orwell, usually a state like the one in "1984" that monitors its citizens to ensure compliance. But as this video essay from Noah Tavlin makes clear, the more precise definition is a society that redefines language to control thought.

Governments are now using generative AI to manipulate public opinion

A Freedom House report found that AI-powered disinformation campaigns and censorship tactics are spreading, with 16 countries utilizing the technology to shape online narratives or suppress dissent, as of 2023. In Venezuela, deepfake software was used to push pro-government propaganda with fake news anchors.

Disney chipped away at its debt by creating propaganda during World War II

Disney began producing training videos for the Navy and propaganda films for US involvement in World War II, including the shorts "Der Fuehrer's Face," "The Spirit of '43," and "Donald Gets Drafted." The effort provided a much-needed cash injection, allowing Disney to continue producing films.

German expressionism produced some of horror’s earliest classics

After World War I, German filmmakers turned from reality to the surreal, fusing experimental art with the nascent world of film. Some of the movement’s most notable films, like FW Murnau’s “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror” and Robert Wiene’s “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,” were intent on frightening their audiences.

In communist Poland, the VHS black market provided a window into the US

Although government censors often banned official releases, Polish residents enjoyed a healthy black market of stores and traders, who offered all the latest Hollywood movies.

Free speech has often been restricted in wartime, potentially unconstitutionally

From the Sedition Act of 1798 to the prosecution of anti-war activists during World War I, the US government repeatedly curtailed speech and dissent during wartime—actions widely criticized and, in some cases, later deemed unconstitutional.

The 20th-century rise of fascism affected the World Cup

Spain, in the midst of a civil war, did not participate, and Japan, after invading China, pulled out of the competition. An additional six Central and North American teams scratched by the time that year's World Cup began.

'Fahrenheit 451' is a perennially banned dystopian story

This late-in-life interview with Ray Bradbury, author of “Fahrenheit 451,” details the book’s origins, providing background for one of the most popular titles in dystopian literature. As a book lover, Bradbury was horrified by the book burnings of Nazi Germany and imagined a version of the United States where firemen were censors, protecting their fellow citizens from literature’s harmful ideas. “We are a democracy of readers,” Bradbury explains. “And we should keep it that way.”

Governments have historically used counterfeiting for economic warfare

Inserting fake currency into an economy can help destabilize it. During the American Revolution, for instance, the British distributed counterfeit “Continental Dollars” in an effort to devalue the currency being used in the US at the time with the goal of undermining America’s growing financial credibility. The Nazis also ran an extensive counterfeiting scheme during WWII.

Watch the 1954 film adaptation of 'Animal Farm'

The animated feature was covertly funded by the CIA in an attempt to spread anti-Soviet media. The film simplified Orwell's beast fable by repackaging it as a family-friendly cartoon about the dangers of communism. It underperformed at the box office, though it is still sometimes shown in schools as students read the original text.

Later bossa nova music sometimes featured subtle anti-government protests

In 1968, Brazil's military dictatorship imposed tight restrictions on airplay and banned songs (and, subsequently, their artists) that failed to depict an idyllic life. That meant that, on the surface, popular bossa nova painted a rosy picture of life in Brazil. Musicologists note that artists like Antônio Carlos Jobim often juxtaposed those sunny lyrics with sad-sounding musical accompaniment, making for subtle protests that slipped by censors.

In 13 years, Hitler transformed a fringe sect into Germany’s dominant political force

The BBC Radio 4 podcast Nazis: The Road to Power chronicles Hitler’s meteoric rise—from fewer than 100 followers in 1910s Bavaria to absolute control by 1933—highlighting key conspiracies, political deals, brutal street violence, and forgotten figures that paved the way for Nazi tyranny.

Explore how free speech and justice coexist and sometimes clash

From the abolition of slavery to South African apartheid, this podcast explores how censorship has historically been used to suppress racial justice movements—and to promote them—and asks whether free speech is a foundation for, or a threat to, equality.

‘Shoah’ director criticized ‘Schindler’s List’ for its portrayal of the Holocaust

“I was watching the Spielberg film, and I thought he’ll never go so far,” Claude Lanzmann said. “And he did. But he even created suspense … And these people, all of them are actors. All of them. They’re actors. They do not look like people who have had these experiences. It is an adventure film.”

The history of curse words

While profane language is frowned upon in many circumstances, it remains an important part of human expression. This article explores the history of taboo words, and how they eventually creeped more into the mainstream. From 19th century Irish folk-saying “bejabbers,” to the dirty language in comedy routines by Lenny Bruce and George Carlin, discover a brief history of the swear words that have now become more prevalent in society.

In 1945, Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí and legendary animator Walt Disney began collaborating on a short film that was not completed until 2003, years after both men had died.

Why most Eurovision acts sing in English

Eurovision is intended to be a celebration of diverse cultures from around Europe—and, in the case of Israel and Australia, beyond Europe. But since 1999, most of its participants have sung in English. This episode of "The Allusionist" features Historian Dean Vuletic, who breaks down why so many countries' competitors avoid their native languages.

Roman gladiator referees wore tunics and carried switches

Drawing on visual and textual evidence, a Roman social historian shows that referees were a constant presence in gladiatorial combat. Rather than armor, they wore striped tunics and used long switches to signal fouls and control fights from a safe distance.

Dickens' live readings sometimes used visual projectors that predated cinema

Dickens was interested in adapting his work in various forms. With his live readings, he sometimes used a 'magical lantern,' a popular tool that projected moving slides. In addition, some stage plays of Dickens' work that included ghost scenes used the magical lantern to cast apparitions on stage.

Cult classics are often defined by their polarization

Films that reach cult status are far from universally beloved. In fact, fans of cult movies often become such passionate supporters because a title has been lambasted by mainstream audiences. Stat Significant breaks down some of the most polarizing films of all time based on the data behind audience scores. It should come as no surprise that many in the top 10 are considered cult franchises.

James Earl Jones didn't become the voice of Darth Vader until after shooting had concluded

The archvillain was originally voiced by David Prowse, who played him on screen. But Prowse's Scottish accent, higher-pitched voice, and muffled delivery (due to the character's mask) made for an underwhelming performance. Jones was brought in during postproduction to do voiceover, recording all the dialogue in under three hours.

'Idiocracy' film clad extras in Crocs for cheap, unintelligent look

Lore around the 2006 film—imagining a future where the not-so-smart have taken over—arose that the "dumb" extras were given Crocs to wear (before they were popular). Movie makers attest it's true: at the time, they were cheap and looked futuristic and odd to contemporary tastes.

Stalin transformed the USSR through rapid industrialization and brutal repression

Ruling from the mid-1920s to 1953, Joseph Stalin reshaped the Soviet Union with forced collectivization, crash industrial growth, and widespread terror. His policies modernized the economy but caused mass famine, purges, and the deaths of millions.

France once had a reproduction czar to help midwives deliver babies

Much ado is made about falling marriage and birth rates worldwide, and how they might affect tax bases, retirement funds, and social standing. But this isn’t the first time marriage, and subsequently reproduction, have fallen out of favor. Some countries have resorted to drastic measures to restore the tarnished state of these hallowed institutions.

Netflix profits when you're not watching, and its movies are designed that way—read a detail-rich critical essay exposing lesser-known Netflix takes

Famed poet TS Eliot rejected the manuscript for George Orwell's political fable 'Animal Farm,' writing that its criticism of authoritarianism was not 'the right point of view.'

70 years ago today, city officials in Santa Cruz, California, banned rock 'n' roll to protect its youth from corruption after witnessing a 'provocative' concert the night before.

US intelligence allegedly pursued more than 600 schemes to assassinate Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of young men ate standard American food—replete with food additives like borax and formaldehyde—as part of government research to better understand food safety.

See 33 images that became central to huge scandals, including a young Charles and Camilla, Michael Jackson's baby on a hotel balcony, and Hugh Grant's mugshot.

Graffiti dates back to at least ancient Pompeii, where citizens scrawled messages to one another on public walls

Fish populations in the Great Barrier Reef have increased after installing waterproof speakers on the ocean floor that played recordings of sounds from healthy coral reefs.

The United States is one of only around two dozen countries with a fully federal system of government, in which power is divided between national and state governments.

'Saturday Night Fever,' the 1977 film that introduced disco to the mainstream, was based on a fabricated magazine story.

Long before Major League Baseball began allowing instant replay for balls and strikes, an umpire reluctantly used the technology to determine whether a hit was a home run, a move that inadvertently ushered in a new era for the sport.

Sony set the standard for cylinder-shaped batteries when it repurposed manufacturing equipment used to make rolls of magnetic recording tape.

The first robot in literature may have been a 'mechanical man' in 1907's 'Ozma of Oz,' a book in L Frank Baum's 'Wizard of Oz' series.

In preparation for this weekend's Eurovision finale, which is something like the World Cup of pop music, here's a young Céline Dion performing (for Switzerland?) at the 1988 competition.

Some coin denominations have ridges etched on their sides, partly to prevent counterfeiting, in a practice called 'reeding.'

Radioactive elements can introduce software errors because the ionizing radiation they produce can detach electrons from atoms, and computer code relies on the distribution of electrons.

Volcanic activity may have triggered the Black Death by spewing gases that led to crop failures in Europe, thus forcing the import of grain ships with plague-infested fleas.

The term 'algorithm' originated from the Latinized name of al-Khwārizmī, a 9th-century mathematician whose works introduced Arabic numerals and the decimal-based numeral system to Europe and whose treatise 'Al-Jabr' gave algebra its name.

Cultural norms about how to handle the bodies of loved ones in communities in West Africa have hampered Ebola responses.

Children are now three times more likely to say they want to be a YouTuber when they grow up than an astronaut, with some even attending 'YouTube camps' that teach kids how to create content for the platform.

Gerrymandering works through two techniques: cracking opposing voters across districts to dilute their power, and packing them into a few to waste their votes in lopsided majorities.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps is independent of Iran's regular army and is one of the most powerful and influential military-political organizations in the Middle East.

For centuries, it was common to sleep in two shifts: a few hours at the beginning of the night, and a longer period beginning around midnight

Some researchers have labeled nomophobia, the fear of being without your phone, as 'the phobia of the 21st century.'