Louis de Rochemont, a renowned filmmaker and documentarian, was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts in 1899. At the tender age of 12, he began filming his first newsreel, which marked the beginning of his illustrious career. Throughout the 1930s, de Rochemont established himself as a prominent figure in the documentary film industry, particularly with his March of Time newsreels.
Before World War II, de Rochemont's documentaries on the dangers posed by Adolf Hitler sparked controversy, earning him the label of being a "red" by some. His pre-war documentary productions earned him a total of two Academy Awards.
One of de Rochemont's most notable productions was the newsreel "Inside Nazi Germany," which was released in January 1938 as part of the March of Time series. This documentary was significant as it was dubbed "the first commercially released anti-Nazi American motion picture." The newsreel began with footage shot inside Nazi Germany, but unfortunately, the footage was dull and unimpressive. To spice up the documentary, de Rochemont staged re-enactments using anti-Nazi German-Americans.
The documentary makers even managed to convince Fritz Kuhn, the leader of the German-American Bund, to allow them to stage some scenes at the Bund office. However, when Kuhn discovered he had been tricked, he was recorded screaming "I will be ruined! Ruined!" at a screening in the March of Time building.
De Rochemont and his wife, screenwriter Virginia Shaler, resided in Newington, New Hampshire, on the Piscataqua River at the Seacoast. Despite being far from Hollywood, de Rochemont continued to produce motion pictures based on true stories, often filming on location with local people in the cast. His films typically dealt with controversial subjects, including labor relations and racism, earning him the nickname "father of the docu-drama."
De Rochemont was also a pioneer in the production of wide-screen films, shooting films in Cinerama, Todd-AO, and other wide-screen processes. He passed away in New Hampshire in 1978, leaving behind his wife, a daughter, and a son. Virginia Shaler lived in Portsmouth, New Hampshire until her death.
In 1993, de Rochemont's "Inside Nazi Germany" was named to the Library of Congress' National Film Preservation Board's National Film Registry.
