|  | The Marshall Plan a documentary on DVD | “George Marshall Plan and the Effect on Norway”
An interview with the documentary Director Steinar Hybertsen
Norwegian American Weekly Editor-In-Chief, had the opportunity to sit down with the film?s Director, Steinar Hybertsen to find out about the making of this powerful new documentary. |  “George Marshall Plan and the Effect on Norway”
An interview with the documentary Director Steinar Hybertsen
Norwegian American Weekly Editor-In-Chief, had the opportunity to sit down with the film?s Director, Steinar Hybertsen to find out about the making of this powerful new documentary.
Who thought up the idea of a documentary on George Marshall?
I met with an artist in Oslo that was a contender in a competition to create a sculpture of George C. Marshall that was to be unveiled in Oslo in conjunction with the 60th anniversary of the plan in 2007. This meeting got me thinking about the idea for the documentary. I had heard about George Marshall when I was in school in Norway a long time ago, but I really did not know too much about him and the Marshall Plan. I next contacted Kim Nesselquist at the Norwegian American Foundation and he was very enthusiastic about the idea of a George Marshall presentation.
How is a documentary like this funded?
Documentaries are sometimes funded by Commercial entities - and they are high priced productions. Documentaries filmed by National TV entities are common.
Also, there are Private Special Interest Documentaries that have topics that should be told, and they are funded by private people and Foundations such as the Ford Foundation and the Norwegian American Foundation. Equipment is getting better and less expensive, and this helps reduce the cost of production.
Access to documentaries will be easier with the internet. You will be able to download documentaries and view them on the computer. That will be great for documentaries.
For the George Marshall Documentary, there was great collaboration between the Norwegian American Foundation and several private individuals from the Foundation, the Leif Hoeg Foundation and former Ambassadors that were very excited to see the project move forward. Everyone felt that the Marshall Plan, plan only 60 years old, was too important a part of history, not to proceed with the making of the documentary.
Is George Marshall well known and recognized outside the United States?
Well, actually, the Statue of George Marshall in Oslo will be the very first statue of him on display outside the United States. And, if you look at history and you look at the positive impact - here is a story that is so positive instead of the killing - he helped everyone?s life in such a great way - not just money - but the way people were thinking - perception of Americans - to be able to get the Germans, French, Russians, Italians, English - just months after killing each other - and not make the same mistakes that were made after the first world war - of pulling the right people together and starting a plan that everyone could buy into - a practical way - and an emotional way - the new economy was born in Europe from this plan. Everyone was very committed to the Marshall plan except for the Russians - and, as we look back, the George Marshall Plan probably saved Europe from Communism. The last scenes were very modern.
How long did it take to actually produce the film?
I started the production process in January of 2007 - and, it took almost a year of traveling to Norway, Germany and of course to the National Archive in Washington DC.
How many sources of archives did you use to produce the documentary?
First, I had to identify which archives were available and how the material in the archives might be relevant in the documentary. The Marshall Foundation in Lexington, Virginia - (at the Virginia Military Institute) was incredibly important to the research process. They have a great museum and although they didn?t have any footage, they did have a huge selection of photos. Most of the great footage was found at the main US Government Film Archive. They have the most professional, sophisticated and user-friendly archive of any place in the world. It is a very valuable resource for researches. In fact, after the fall of Germany, the U.S. military rushed into Berlin and secured all of the film that was on file - and, kept it safe - and, then over the years, they have digitally converted the film so that it is secured forever. I also used the Norwegian National Film Archive and the Nobel Peace Prize Archive for the footage of George Marshall receiving the award.
How long is the documentary?
The documentary is 48 minutes long, which is a commercial hour for TV. It?s a great length for a documentary and perfect for TV viewing - plus it covers everything that I wanted to include. You could make a documentary about many pieces of what is covered in the film - but, I think we covered the Marshall Plan very well.
What has been the reaction to the film?
The Norwegian Reaction has been very great - it has been shown to two public schools - one in Norway and one in the U.S. - and it was interesting that the Norwegian school children knew about the George Marshall Plan - and the U.S kids didn?t. The film had its premiere at the US Norway Forum meeting in Minneapolis in November, and it was also shown to a high-ranking group in Oslo - the Nobel Prize Institute. They were very impressed with the film, in fact, one person in particular, the Ambassador to Norway from Israel, has expressed a desire to show it in Israel! It will also be shown on Norway TV and PBS in the near future.
Is the reaction to the film any different in the US from Norway?
The reaction is pretty much the same - although in the U.S. the folks really were enthusiastic and had a very warm reaction, most of the Norwegians who have viewed the film have seldom been as outwardly enthusiastic as people in the U.S. - you don?t get that reaction from the Norwegians - but, in talking one on one - they loved it. The greatest feedback was from Haakon Lie. He was the Secretary General for the governing Labor Party in Norway at the time of the Marshall Plan - and the most important person in the film. He felt that the film was very accurate.
What are some of the most poignant impressions you have of the subject - as producer?
The most poignant, and memorable part for me was when George Marshall was presented with the Nobel Peace Prize - he was a humble and extremely professional person - he was not prideful - and he gave some of the money to charities and the rest back to the Nobel Peace committee - He said three things in his acceptance speech that have everlasting importance: kids should study history, everyone should live in a different country for an extended time and we have to eliminate poverty. He said these things in his speech, in 1953 - and, most importantly, we have to remember that he was a military man - a man that had spent his entire career building armies for battle.
That was the most powerful part to the film
Another thing that is quite striking about the documentary is the footage of Norway. Many are surprised by the ruins in Norway and how much was demolished.
How can folks see the Documentary?
We will have the DVD available on sale for $19.95, through the website www.Norway.com and by the Norwegian American Foundation at (206) 441-3044. I also expect it to be shown on PBS TV throughout the U.S.
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