Leni Riefenstahls Triumph of the Will

Film/Cinema, in the context of movies and documentaries, is a modern visual art form that has had intense impact on our daily life for humanity has profoundly been affected by what it sees and hears via film or the motion picture experience. It utilizes the concept of simple story telling via a mesmerizing technical medium and its ability to influence is rooted in the utilization of images/impressions and imagery. Cinema has a social as well artistic function.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Although the demand for imaginative entertainment is at an all time high, interest in the realities of the world is also on the rise. Documentaries address this interest because they are comprised of real people, world events, places, and social conditions – documenting history, reality. British film maker, John Grierson first coined the ter m in 1926. Prior to 1926, such films were referred to as â€Å"actuality† films and came on the scene at the turn of the 20th century as well. Like American director, D.W. Griffith’s film The Birth of a Nation/The Clansman (1915), German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will (1934) was considered masterful/innovative and ground-breaking for documentary filmmaking at that time. Triumph garnered her the accolade as one of the greatest female filmmakers of all time but most infamous. Chronicling the Nazi Party Congress held in Nuremberg (1934), Triumph of the Will (1935) catapulted the documentary as mode of propaganda designed to specifically argue a point and influence public opinion. â€Å"Documentary cinema is intimately tied to historical memory. Not only does it seek to reconstruct historical narrative, but it often functions as an historical document itself. Moreover, the connection between the rhetoric of documentary film and historical truth p ushes the documentary into overtly political alignments which influence its audience (1993Rabinowitw).† Triumph of the Will lionized Germany as a recurring superpower with Hitler at the helm as the authentic leader/savoir. This fundamental thematic message can be found in opening prologue – â€Å"20 years after the outbreak of the World War, 16 years after the beginning of German suffering, 19 months after the beginning of the German renaissance, Adolf Hitler flew again to Nuremberg to review the columns of his faithful followers (Triumph).† The opening scene further substantiates the message with an aerial view of Hitler’s plane flying through the majestic clouds and over various parts of Germany. He finally arrives in Nuremberg greeted by ecstatic supporters. The consequence of war is a people spiritually, mentally, and physically downtrodden and inept. Riefenstahl’s revolutionary use of cinematography (telephoto lenses, aerial photography, moving cameras, etc.) and music (German composer, Richard Wagner) epitomizes this escalating German Renaissance which has freed the German people from such a plight. It explains their fanaticism with Hitler.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Throughout the documentary German militaristic power, political religion, unity, and pride are highlighted. With these four elements as an integral force, one cannot ascertain a distinction between the German people, the state, and the Nazi Party. Riefenstahl vehemently denied the film served as a propaganda tool for the Nazi Party but rather was an historical film told through an aesthetic lens. Many critics purport differently. Just as Birth of a Nation reeked of racist negative/stereotypical portrayal of African- Americans and shaped the America’s public’s attitude/image about race, Triumph contributed to heightened negative perceptions of European Jewry and anti-Semitism. Hitler’s conquest for German purity emanates from his speeches as well those of his featured compatriots – Goring, Goebbels, etc. Could Riefenstahl have been that naà ¯ve and blind to Hitler’s maniacal plans that lay ahead? Objectivity has meaning but in reality it is greatly influenced by the filmmaker’s point of view via perceptions, emotions, etc. thereby determining the extent they can be biased or slant their point of view. Suffice to say, Triumph of the Will authenticated that film has the ability to influence as well as alter how people perceive themselves, aspects of their society/culture as well as other peoples and their culture. Work Cited Rabinowitz, Paula. â€Å"Wreckage upon Wreckage: History, Documentary and the Ruins of Memory.† History and Theory, Vol. 32, No. 2. (May, 1993), pp. 119-137.  Triumph of the Will (Video). Web. This essay on Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will was written and submitted by user Kyle Hart to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.