David Parratt,Das Bundesarchiv,Tech.Filmberater
From left:Doris Eggert, Das Bundesarchiv,Mica Film: Hilde Kristin Kjøs, Karoline Grindaker Photos:Tedd UrnesDigging in archives worldwide is a profession performed by dedicated librarians and
researchers.What do they all have in common? A hope to find information forgotten? A wish to rewrite history books due to the facts that you find new facts about a controversial issue? Archive digging is thrilling.My main interest is film,radio and television archives where the visual history of a nation is stored and forgotten.The Norwegian film production company, MICA FILM, asked me to search for Norwegian ladies who had joined the German Red Cross during the Second World War. We all went to Berlin for searching after the wanted shots. Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv, Berlin was the site we wanted to begin the search. To my surprise, the archive staff let me view all the news at home in Oslo. I got access to the catalogue about the news published before and during the war. A splendid service.In this way I could make a selection of films wanted for viewing later on in Berlin.Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv in
Berlin was paid a visit. The working team I met did a good job. Viewing old Deutsche Wochenschau to search for subjects not mentioned in the official catalogues are what I call media archaeology making an attempt to find shots that might tell you about events forgotten.It was not easy to find my wanted ladies.No. But you find shots that might change the story you are working on. Most of the shots are reports from the war.Fighting scenes, soldiers,new places, guns,- but suddenly you see shots that differ from all what you have seen and expected: German soldiers collecting flowers to be put on gravestones.Norwegians who left Norway to get work in Germany. Happy people.Smiling Norwegian women on the way to work in Germany knowing that Norway was occupied by Germany.About 400 Norwegian girls joined the German Red Cross.Many of them were killed nursing wounded soldiers from different countries.I also found scenes about Norwegians who wanted to fight for Germany approaching the recruiting office in Oslo.After hours searching and viewing films, I asked about subjects that
I wanted to find more about. Sorry- we have not made a catalogue about all the films.
This means that you need time, money and patience to find the wanted shots. I met
groups of researchers who worked in this way: Viewing and viewing and more viewing of
German news from the Second World War.Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv is your next stop if you want to do archival digging. My proposal is that the librarians, the historians,
the journalists, the researchers should add information the the catalogue while viewing the films if they know the persons or the events published on the films. A practical,international cooperation among diggers- archive diggers- those happy few
who you might meet visiting audiovisual archives situated in radio companies, film archives and television archives and of course, national archives worldwide.A shot from a film can tell you more than thousand words. When the late President John F.Kennedy on his Inauguration Day in Washington D.C.passed his father, Joe Kennedy. John.F. Kennedy raised up in his car and greeted his farther taking off his top hat.
In some seconds you got the information about who made him the president of United States of America. The scene was shot but forgotten and later on used in a splendid
documentary of John. F. Kennedy. The film tells the history of power and the events.
We have to search more to find Norwegian girls working for the German Red Cross.But a visit to Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv in Berlin is recommended to all archive diggers.Do not forget thinking of the content of the archives while viewing old Deutsche Wochenschau:The films were made during a time when there was no freedom speech in Germany and no freedom of expression.Anyway the shots of events - not the comments -
can tell you more about what went on in different countries. The content of the national archives worldwide where there is no official policy of freedom of speech and freedom of expression must be evaluated with reference to the lack of freedoms mentioned. The value of the archives is at stake.Anyway - pay the Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv, Berlin a visit and see for yourself,old digger!
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