It may not have made the final cut of Hollywood's history, but a film historian says major American film studios collaborated with Nazi Germany in the lead up to the Second World War. From investing in German rearmament to editing out references to crimes being committed against Jews, studios including MGM, Paramount and 20th Century Fox failed to stand up to Hitler, Ben Urwand claims. 'I want to bring out a hidden episode in Hollywood history and an episode that has not been reported accurately,' the Harvard scholar said. Cancelled: A movie adaptation of the political novel and theater show It Can't Happen Here was dropped
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Ben Urwand says film industry failed to stand up to censorship
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MGM invested in German rearmament to get around export restrictions
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Movies could have exposed atrocities, Harvard scholar believes
From 1932, Nazi laws meant studios could have their licenses revoked if they produced films, shown in @placeholder or abroad, that were considered offensive to Germans.
Movie critic: Historian Ben Urwand has researched the reach of Nazi influence on @placeholder before the war