Handout 1: Questions for Triumph of the Will by Leni Riefenstahl (1934/35)
1. Why does this film begin with a view of the clouds from the cockpit of an airplane? What might this image symbolize?
I believe that the film began with a view of the clouds from the cockpit probably because Hitler was on the plane and it showed that he felt superior to everyone down below, or that he was finally in the midst of completing what he wanted which was to have a perfect Germany under his reign.
2. What impression do you get of Germany from the aerial shots of the city of Nuremberg? What general image does the director Leni Riefenstahl give of Germany as a country?
Most of Germany was extremely supportive of Hitler. I saw this toddler not
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They all got along well together, and had each other’s back. The film shows one soldier scrubbing another soldiers back. Also there were a lot of chants and uniform sayings they repeated over and over, especially when Hitler was there. They paid homage to the Nazi comrades that had died.
5. What pictures of youth and masculinity are portrayed in this film?
This film definitely contributes to the youth and masculinity. The youth was taught at a very young age to salute Hitler the appropriate way. Like I stated earlier, there was a toddler who was caught saluting Hitler. The young men who were becoming soldiers were now dedicating their lives to their country. One young man said, “We are the Reich’s young men,” so this shows that they consciously acknowledged who they were and for what they were called to do. As for masculinity, I believe that all men were sought to be equal because the film showed men serving the soldiers, so they served each other and they had no problem doing so.
6. What aspects of this film fit into the documentary film genre, and what aspects appear more purely propagandistic?
The most propagandistic part of the film was when different men were giving speeches when Von Hindenburg died. They all had glittering and nice things to say about Germany and how the people and their loyalty were making all of it happen. It was giving Germany a sense of pride
However, as Wolfgang Ruge argues, “the Nazi party developed a propaganda apparatus whose activities far eclipsed all previous heights of the demagogy of German imperialism.” On this note, it is widely agreed by historians that the regime was highly successful in one of Friedreich's principles; control of the increasingly powerful mass media in German society as a mechanism for public control. Primarily coordinated through the work of propaganda minister Goebbels, Hitler was portrayed as a leader who was at the same time moderate and reasonable who put the national good before his own interest. Other themes highlighted images of strength and authority which appealed to the highly nationalist German population; epitomised by Hitler appearing out of the sky to lead the German people depicted in Riefenstahl's 1934 film Triumph of the Will, still widely considered the most influential propaganda film of all time. The radio, state produced to be inexpensive, become the regimes number one weapon as it allowed propaganda to not only infiltrate but permeate as many homes as possible.
4. Give your review of this documentary. What did or didn’t you like? Are there issues, opinions, or voices that are left
The film Triumph of the Will was created in 1934 after Hitler was named Fuhrer of Germany. At the time, Hitler was eager to improve the public image of the NSDP (National Socialist German Workers ' Party). After his election as chancellor in Early January 1933, Hitler gave Leni Riefenstahl the job of filming the annual NSDAP conference in Nuremberg, Germany . Riefenstahl accepted the offer and agreed document, direct and edit the Conference. As years pasted, the infamous “documentary” began to be speculated as possible Nazi Propaganda.
Just like France, the United States, and Russia, Germany also began to make films, as a way to entertain the working class in an inexpensive way. By 1933 Adolf Hitler came to power, creating very harsh social condition that made several writers, actors, and directors flee Germany because they feared that if they stayed they would have gotten killed. Joseph Goebbels later came to run the UFA, as a government owned production company to make films that were shown to civilians and the military as propaganda on March 13 , 1933, and intended to censor German cinema to make the people believe that they were fascist. Numerous movies in that period of time tried to steer clear of talking about the Holocaust to distract people from what was really happening and to make Hitler seem almost godlike. One film in particular directed by Leni Riefenstahl called The Triumph of the Will became a well known example of propaganda in film history. Throughout the film, you really get to experience a sense of historical context that influenced thousands of people during the time of World War 2. Today, several people view The Triumph of the Will and have a difficult time distinguishing whether or not they can conclude if they view the film as propaganda or an actual piece of art.
After watching Adolf Hitler’s speech, he is very intimidating just because of the way he looks. He states what his audience wants to hear and gives them courage to fight for the change that they want. He builds fear in the audience by stating, “Once, our enemies worried us and persecuted us and, from time to time removed lesser elements from the Movement for us” (News and Politics). In other words, saying that enough is enough. No longer can the German people let their enemies step all over them and do as they please with them. Basically, stating that their enemies have made them believe that they are superior to them, when they aren’t. The camera often focuses on the audience which are well dressed in suits and who can be trusted.
The major influences that led to Leni Riefenstahl’s rise to prominence includes a fateful event that kindles her fascination with film, the continual influence of mountain (Berg) films and acclaimed director Dr Arnold Fanck as well as her first début as a director and producer.
causing a breach of trust due to the documentary project losing its integrity, as the audiences realizes that the people being fi)med are not who they claim to be or did not do anything that they been seen on screen doin(.' Flaherty has made his greatest impact through manipulating the story that he wanted to tell, changing customs in order to make sure that his vision of the story is told, he trades carefully on the thin fine line in distinguishing between fiction and documentary that Michael Moore is frequently criticized for today.
I think this was important when showing how people during the Holocaust were. They may have different reasoning as to why they took on certain roles or conducted themselves in such ways, but it showed that not everyone shared and supported the ideology behind Adolf Hitler. I think it was important to see that Lutz Heck remembered who he was before putting on the Nazi uniform.
When the documentary was produced, media exposure was limited to private and expensive mediums such as television, movies and radio. These outlets were plagued with marketing agendas designed to sell products under the guise of authentic music and entertainment. Formerly non-existent cultural archetypes such as the
In the film, the soldiers fought very hard. They went through a lot in this war. They had to defend themselves and their territory. Often times they ran low on food and water. A ton of men died everyday when they were fighting. The soldiers had to deal with orders that were not necessarily smart orders. They had to protect themselves against Germany.
Repetitive cross-cutting of shots is used heavily in both films this essay studies. The difference lies in the narrative. Lorentz uses this method to juxtapose the good and the bad of the situation, however as it is propaganda Triumph does not deal with negatives. Instead it repurposes this technique into a concept of spectacle and looking, which is explored in Neale’s (1979) work, whereby we see crowds gathered looking, with cross cuts to Hitler from low angles as the spectacle or object of the gaze. Through this Hitler was presented as a godly figure
Now, the opening scene in the film starts with an exterior visual of a house on big acres of land. From there, the frame would include a group
Throughout the first eight weeks of Physical Geology I, I have learned more about the Earth, how it works, and natural disasters than I have in my entire educational career. We have analyzed everything from the different types of rocks to several different natural disasters such as volcanoes and earthquakes. However, one thing in particular caught my attention and fascinated me through its sheer power and destruction. Volcanoes are intriguing, and they have the force and destructiveness to wipe out an entire population.
Within the 3rd Reich its self it was the most revered movies produced during this time. Before the German troops were sent on their raid against the Jewish people all over Germany, were ordered to watch this to provide them with the boost that they needed and the final confidence that they needed to know what they were doing was right.
The film-maker has gone into ‘sky high’ detail in this film, with the lighting, camera angles and sound effects. For instance, the scenes involving the Commander and jet Stream, a low angle shot is used and the figures are light up with lights, showing they are powerful and ‘bright’ people that are superior to the rest. Another example of this is in the scene where Warren is staring at Will in the cafeteria, here un-safe music plays softly in the background and a close up shot of his face shows his hatred towards Will. These film making elements are used throughout the movie to represent emotions and