Triumph of the Will: the Art of Propaganda
April 12, 2013
Triumph of the Will: the Art of Propaganda Although Leni Riefenstahl has denied her 1935 film Triumph des Willens (translated to Triumph of the Will) was made to be a Nazi propaganda film, several techniques she used while making the film strongly suggest otherwise. The editing of the film is the most obvious of these techniques as many scenes such as Hitler’s arrival are used to impose feeling of anxiousness in the viewer as well as to display the absolute power of the Third Reich. However, there are those that disagree with this reading of the film such as Frank P. Tomasulo who states, “Although Triumph of the Will was made about the party convention, it does not really articulate any specific political policy or substantive ideology. Instead, preliterate symbolic imagery and vague patriotic appeals are used to address the emotional concerns of the populace”, but one may suggest that her manipulation of scenes to impose emotions in the viewer displays an agenda put fourth by the filmmaker that denial can not erase. However, political influence of the film aside, Riefenstahl has been credited as an innovator of her time in the aspect of filmmaking techniques, her innovative use of close ups and camera angles have been donned by both documentary and narrative films alike. Even a film like Star Wars makes use of these techniques to invoke the same feelings onto the “Empire” in scenes such as those of the “Emperor’s” arrival to the “Death Star”. Beyond her ability to manipulate the camera Riefenstahl has also been noted as an innovator in the use of sound in documentary as she uses only location sound, and a musical score without voice over commentary creating what even Skiing Heritage Journal writer Morten Lund commented as “a startlingly effective innovation for a documentary.” The camera techniques Leni Riefenstahl is noted as an innovator of are the close-up shots, and camera angles she used throughout Triumph of the Will. Close-up shots of
Triumph of the Will: the Art of Propaganda Although Leni Riefenstahl has denied her 1935 film Triumph des Willens (translated to Triumph of the Will) was made to be a Nazi propaganda film, several techniques she used while making the film strongly suggest otherwise. The editing of the film is the most obvious of these techniques as many scenes such as Hitler’s arrival are used to impose feeling of anxiousness in the viewer as well as to display the absolute power of the Third Reich. However, there are those that disagree with this reading of the film such as Frank P. Tomasulo who states, “Although Triumph of the Will was made about the party convention, it does not really articulate any specific political policy or substantive ideology. Instead, preliterate symbolic imagery and vague patriotic appeals are used to address the emotional concerns of the populace”, but one may suggest that her manipulation of scenes to impose emotions in the viewer displays an agenda put fourth by the filmmaker that denial can not erase. However, political influence of the film aside, Riefenstahl has been credited as an innovator of her time in the aspect of filmmaking techniques, her innovative use of close ups and camera angles have been donned by both documentary and narrative films alike. Even a film like Star Wars makes use of these techniques to invoke the same feelings onto the “Empire” in scenes such as those of the “Emperor’s” arrival to the “Death Star”. Beyond her ability to manipulate the camera Riefenstahl has also been noted as an innovator in the use of sound in documentary as she uses only location sound, and a musical score without voice over commentary creating what even Skiing Heritage Journal writer Morten Lund commented as “a startlingly effective innovation for a documentary.” The camera techniques Leni Riefenstahl is noted as an innovator of are the close-up shots, and camera angles she used throughout Triumph of the Will. Close-up shots of
Cited: Triumph of the Will. Dir. Leni Riefenstahl. Perf. Adolf Hitler, Max Amann, Martin Bormann. Leni Riefenstahl-Produktion, 1935.