Design for Death
Encyclopedia
Design for Death is a 1947 documentary film
that won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. It was based on a shorter U.S. Army training film, Our Job in Japan
, that had been produced in 1945-1946 for the soldiers occupying Japan
after World War II
. Both films dealt with Japanese culture and the origins of the war.
Following the war, Peter Rathvon at RKO, who had seen Our Job in Japan during his own military service, decided to produce a commercial version of the film. He hired the original writer and editor to work on the new project. Theodor S. Geisel, who is better known by his pen name Dr. Seuss
, co-authored Design for Death with his wife Helen Palmer Geisel
. Elmo Williams
was the editor for both films. Subsequently, Sid Rogell replaced Rathvon, and became the film's producer.
The film was given wide release in January 1948; a review in Daily Variety
characterized it as, "a documentary of fabulous proportions ... one of the most interesting screen presentations of the year". Bosley Crowther
, writing in The New York Times, was not complimentary; he wrote that the film "makes the general point that too much control by a few people is a dangerous — a 'racketeering' — thing and that another world war can be prevented only by the development of responsible, representative governments throughout the world.
That is a valid message, but the weakness with which it is put forth in a melange of faked and factual pictures and in a ponderous narration does not render it very forceful."
In his memoir, Elmo Williams maintains that he and Geisel created Design for Death nearly in its entirety, and that the credits for Fleischer and Warth were nominal ones. Rogell, Fleischer, and Warth received the Academy Awards for the film.
Copies of Design for Death are apparently rare. Geisel thought that they had all been destroyed. However, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
sponsored a screening in October, 2005, and parts of the film were included in the documentary The Political Dr. Seuss. Some materials related to Design for Death, including its script, are in an archive of Geisel's papers. Perhaps because screenings have been infrequent, there has been relatively little critical discussion of Design for Death. Our Job in Japan, which is in the public domain, has been better studied.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
that won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. It was based on a shorter U.S. Army training film, Our Job in Japan
Our Job in Japan
Our Job in Japan was a United States military training film made in 1945, shortly after World War II. It is the companion to the more famous Your Job In Germany. The film was aimed at American troops about to go to Japan to participate in the 1945-1952 Allied Occupation, and presents the problem of...
, that had been produced in 1945-1946 for the soldiers occupying Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Both films dealt with Japanese culture and the origins of the war.
Following the war, Peter Rathvon at RKO, who had seen Our Job in Japan during his own military service, decided to produce a commercial version of the film. He hired the original writer and editor to work on the new project. Theodor S. Geisel, who is better known by his pen name Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss
Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer, poet, and cartoonist most widely known for his children's books written under the pen names Dr. Seuss, Theo LeSieg and, in one case, Rosetta Stone....
, co-authored Design for Death with his wife Helen Palmer Geisel
Helen Palmer Geisel
Helen Palmer Geisel was an American actress and author and the first wife of children's book writer Dr. Seuss. Her most well known book is Do You Know What I'm Going To Do Next Saturday?, published in 1963...
. Elmo Williams
Elmo Williams
Elmo Williams is an American film and television editor, director, producer, and executive. His work on the film High Noon received the Academy Award for Film Editing...
was the editor for both films. Subsequently, Sid Rogell replaced Rathvon, and became the film's producer.
The film was given wide release in January 1948; a review in Daily Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
characterized it as, "a documentary of fabulous proportions ... one of the most interesting screen presentations of the year". Bosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther was a journalist and author who was film critic for The New York Times for 27 years. His reviews and articles helped shape the careers of actors, directors and screenwriters, though his reviews, at times, were unnecessarily mean...
, writing in The New York Times, was not complimentary; he wrote that the film "makes the general point that too much control by a few people is a dangerous — a 'racketeering' — thing and that another world war can be prevented only by the development of responsible, representative governments throughout the world.
That is a valid message, but the weakness with which it is put forth in a melange of faked and factual pictures and in a ponderous narration does not render it very forceful."
In his memoir, Elmo Williams maintains that he and Geisel created Design for Death nearly in its entirety, and that the credits for Fleischer and Warth were nominal ones. Rogell, Fleischer, and Warth received the Academy Awards for the film.
Copies of Design for Death are apparently rare. Geisel thought that they had all been destroyed. However, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...
sponsored a screening in October, 2005, and parts of the film were included in the documentary The Political Dr. Seuss. Some materials related to Design for Death, including its script, are in an archive of Geisel's papers. Perhaps because screenings have been infrequent, there has been relatively little critical discussion of Design for Death. Our Job in Japan, which is in the public domain, has been better studied.