Video

Occult Forces at the heart of Freemasonry is an English translation of the film titled Forces Occultes – Au Coeur De La Franc-Maconnerie.

The film’s full title is Occult Forces – The mysteries of Freemasonry and was released in French theaters in 1943.

None of what’s in this video could possibly be real, its French Vichy propaganda, right?

IMDB has a great review on the film.

The Plot, from Wikipedia – recounts the life of a young député who joins the Freemasons in order to relaunch his career. He thus learns of how the Freemasons are conspiring with the Jews to encourage France into a war against Germany.

The history of the film, also from Wikipedia:

The film was commissioned in 1942 by the Propaganda Abteilung, a delegation of Nazi Germany’s propaganda ministry within occupied France by the ex-Mason Mamy. It virulently denounces Freemasonry, parliamentarianism and Jews as part of Vichy’s propaganda drive against them and seeks to prove a Jewish-Masonic plot. On France’s liberation its writer Jean Marquès-Rivière, its producer Robert Muzard and its direction Jean Mamy were purged for collaboration with the enemy. On 25 November 1945, Muzard was condemned to 3 years in prison and Marquès-Rivière was condemned in his absence (he had gone into self-imposed exile) to death and degradation. Mamy had also been a journalist on L’Appel under Pierre Constantini (leader of the Ligue française d’épuration, d’entraide sociale et de collaboration européenne) and on the collaborationist journal Au pilori, and was thus condemned to death and executed at the fortress of Montrouge on 29 March 1949.

Sharpen up your French if you want to get something from the dialog, otherwise, follow along with the visuals and you’ll get a good idea of whats going on.

From the Google Video posting:

In 1943, the film “Forces occult” spell on the screens. The scenario this means fifty-minute film was directed by two former brother Jean Marques-Riviere and Jean Mamy (under the pseudonym Paul Rich). This film shows some aspects of the usual dark Freemasonry had its status as a secret society. The filmmakers will be at the end of the war and the Vichy regime were tried and convicted, but Marques-Riviere happens to escape the vengeance of the allies. He will be sentenced to death in absentia.

Directed by Jean Mamy, who was a a French actor, producer, film, theater director, screenwriter and journalist, and more notably Vichy regime collaborator. He was, a Venerable [Master] between 1931 and 1939 of the Renan lodge of the Grand Orient de France, until he parted ways. This film, Forces Occultes, was his last.  The film was written by Jean Marques-Riviere who was a French writer and journalist.

Want to find out more about the film?  The Canonbury Masonic Research Centre is hosting its twelfth annual conference, the theme of which this year is ‘Anti-Masonry’ which will also host a screening fo the film.

The Canonbury Masonic Research Centre
2010 Conference – Anti-Masonry,
6 Canonbury Place, London N1 2NQ
October 30 and 31, 2010
Tickets to which are available now for are £140 which includes the film and Saturday dinner.

Canonbury Masonic Research Centre was founded in October 1998 and began work in December the same year. Its purpose is the study of western esotericism and related fields, in particular that of Freemasonry and the traditions linked to it. Our eventual aim is the development of an academic programme.