Shadows of War: Fascist and Anti-Fascist Representations of Childhood in Triumph of the Will, A Letter to Santa Claus, and The Little Princess

This article examines the anti-fascist appeals of the Federal Theatre Project’s production A Letter to Santa Claus and 20th Century Fox’s The Little Princess to consider issues of home front patriotism raised by both productions in late 1930s America. The project brings into comparison changing discourses of childhood that construct differing connections between home and nation. An introductory comparison to fascist representations of the child in Triumph of the Will highlights the manner in which children’s symbolic plenitude is utilized to enact national values and model citizen behavior in both fascist and anti-fascist productions.