“Road to the Wall” 1962 Cold War Documentary
Produced in 1962 and narrated by actor James Cagney, “The Road to the Wall” explores the steady march of Communism through the years. It begins with the writings of Karl Marx and tracks milestones up until the 1961 construction of the Berlin Wall. Filled with spectacular footage pulled from historic propaganda and dramatic films, the documentary was produced by U.S. Armed Forces and released as an “Information Film.”
It presents the expansion of Communism around the world from Cuba to China, occupying countries like a virus and spreading a message of solidarity and union but also bringing with it a reign of terror — eliminating everyone opposed to it. As the film graphically shows through a series of images of firing squads, the road to the Berlin Wall was paved with a series of murderous assassinations, coups and purges. Here, Capitalism is presented as a system of multiple choices and above all, of freedom.