A Nazi Western?

Believe it or not, a 1936 German film, Der Kaiser von Kalifornien (The Emperor of California), was partially filmed in Sedona. The script allegedly tells the story of John Sutter, the German-born Swiss trader who became famous when gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill. The film mangles history to take potshots at American capitalism while strongly implying that since Germans settled California, they deserve more land for the Motherland. Germany’s Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels pronounced it wonderful, and Hitler himself kept a copy of Kaiser in his private film collection.