Triumph of the Will
Triumph of the Will (Triumph des Willens in German) is a documentary by the German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the 1934 Nazi Party Congress in Nuremberg. It is one of the best-known propaganda films in the history of the cinema, with wide and enduring recognition of the technical skills of Riefenstahl despite the controversial subject. The film is also recognized as one of the most powerful films in history. The film would revolutionize filmmaking with its use of music and cinematography.
The film shows much footage of uniformed Nazi party members as well as common soldiers marching to melodious major-keyed classical music, then later singing, playing, and cooking; it also includes soundbites from speeches given by various advisors to Adolf Hitler, and portions of a speech by Hitler himself. The film tries to show how the German people pledged their loyalty to the person of Hitler, but becomes somewhat disorienting when Hitler is praised as an "epitome of altruism" and later informs the assembled masses that he is on a God-given mission.
For this film Riefenstahl was awarded with the gold medal at the 1937 World Exhibition in Paris. The film is studied by many in the film industry including directors George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Many scenes from the film have been imitated in later films. One such example is the famous Emperor entering the hangar scene from Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi resembles the scene where Hitler walks past legions of German Sturmabteilung. The scene later involved the awarding of medals before victorious Romantic-era music which Lucas used in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.
In Germany, this movie is only allowed to be shown in critical context, e.g. with introductory remarks. This film is considered by many as a way to understand why the German people allowed Hitler to gain power. Riefenstahl herself later said she was naive about the Nazis when she made it.
See also
External links
- Triumph des Willens at IMDb
- Her propaganda marches on - An analysis of Triumph of the Will in comparison to Riefenstahl’s first Party Rally film, Victory of faith.