From the back cover:

"The thesis of this unusually interesting book is that the German films of the twenties were filled with premonitions of the German totalitarianism of the thirties: that Hitler arose as the resolution of psychological dilemmas which had been reflected in the German movies and which accounted for both their greatness and their decline.... Dr. Kracauer illustrates his theme by a readable account of the evolution of the German film industry and the creation of the masterpieces.... The book's premise, of course, is that the films of a nation irresistibly disclose its dominant psychological dispositions.... This is an extraordinarily fruitful and stimulating approach." -- Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., 'The Nation'

"This is an important book. It is important to the film student and researcher, important to the student of foreign affairs, but over and beyond that, it is important to anyone interested in the relationship of a society to its art." -- 'Theater Arts'