Best Documentary Movies of 1943

A look at how the weather bureau tries to warn farmers and businessmen about approaching large storms. Although some precautions can be taken to lessen their impact, storms have to run their course, and there is really not much we can do about them.

A tribute to the cameramen of the newsreel companies and the service film units, in the form of a compilation of film of the cameramen themselves, their training and some of their most dramatic film.

Information on the different groups and organizations that are there to help the population during wartime.

A look at the rural farming community during WW II and how farmers help stop food shortages during the war.

Documentary depicting and explaining the Allied campaign against the Germans in North Africa.

Documentary short film depicting government methods of detecting black marketeers during wartime rationing.

An odd bit of WWII propaganda in which an obviously Caucasian actor, using a fake Japanese accent, talks about the beauty of his homeland and how "his" people are different (and superior) to naive American soldiers. According to the narrator of the film, a US invasion of Japan would not succeed due to the superior fighting power of the Japanese people who, if forced, would retreat from the island and take up refuge in caves on mainland China.

An informational film produced to encourage farmers to grow hemp for the war effort during WW2. The film details the many industrial uses of hemp, including cloth and cordage, as well as a detailed history of the plant's use.

This Pete Smith Specialty is a semihumorous look at basic first aid techniques for mishaps that often occur around the house. It was produced in cooperation with the Beverly Hills First Aid Unit of the American Red Cross Disaster Service. —David Glagovsky