Triumph of the Will

When I first saw Triumph of the Will in the late 80's, it struck me deeply both as a film student and as a Jew. I still struggle, as have many others, to understand how Germans were so utterly swept away by Nazi fervor. You can read endless books trying to climb inside what seems like an alien psychology from musty decades past, and then there is the electrifying power imprisoned in Triumph of the Will. In an inverted way the film reminds me of Raiders of the Lost Ark: an ancient relic that contains a dormant, still-vital force. This one is reawakened by the simple act of running it through a projector. To feel and not merely see that reflected glory, even decades later in a different society, is Riefenstahl's genius. Damn it, it IS beautiful. And terrible.

It is fascinating to watch a film done so beautifully yet all the while focusing on a man who isresponsible for the slaughter of millions of innocent people. Watch itfor the beautiful filmmaking, but also watch it as a cautionary tale. Every political science class should make this film a requirement to teach the effectiveness of film propaganda. This is a movie that grabs you, haunts you, but ultimately, it is a film that you cannot ignore. END

It makes one a touch nervous getting anything by the Nazis, but Leni Riefenstahl is a genius filmmaker. Unlike shallow propaganda, her work gets in your head, a precursor to filmmakers like Scorcese et al.And, btw, The Bible and Mein Kampf have nothing in common!The son of a Dachau liberator.

This is the best film made by the last "classic" Empire of the XX century. It is a must have. Anyone trying to write something serious about the Third Reich MUST watch it.

Triumph is most definately one of the few beautiful works of the world. Filled with wonderful footage - from scenery shots to party rallies - the film is able to take you to one of the most pivotal rallies of all time. You can really feel the energy of the folk and the orators themselves. Leni gets an A++ for this one!

I first saw Leni Riefenstahl's, Triumph of the Will, when I was a college freshman in a history of film course. This version also included footage of the 1934 Olympics. Though it was a well made piece of propaganda, it was also the terrifying piece of film I've ever seen. This had to do with her presentaion to the public of how Adolf Hitler's charisma could draw you in and hold your attention, even if you didn't understand a single word he said. This and this alone makes this piece of film a prelude to the most horrifying piece of history the people of the 20th century will ever know.

I use excerpts from this film to show in my high school World History class. The video captures Hitler's oratory magic and one can see why the German people fell under his spell. The pictures of the Party rallies are simply amazing as Hitler walks between 200,000 of his followers. This scene is definitely a jaw dropper for my students. I must agree with my fellow reviewer that the film seems to spend a little bit too much time in some areas. For example, when the Party members are marching in formation by Hitler with him saluting them...well, this takes forever and is too long for the attention span of a teenager. Overall, excellent film.

Any modern young person wondering how the German people became what they became, and where willing to be hypnotised to die and kill by the millions for National Socialism's dream machine, see this. Its speakers, and art directors simply need you to sit in a darkened theater,(or room) uninerupted, and imagine yourself with hundred of others viewing this epic, while you are deep into an econmic depression and none of you has any money. Don't speak, only become changed. No need to say more.

Regardless of the theme and propaganda aspect, Triump of the Will is one of the most important movies ever filmed. It documents the 6th Reich Party Congress that was held in Nuremburg in 1934, and subsequently was awarded the Gold Medal in Venice in 1935, and the Gold Medal at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1937. The crowning glory for Leni Riefenstahl, with the defeat of the Nazis in 1945, her association with the movie and several other Nazi propaganda films nearly destroyed. Up until her death in September 2003, at the age of 101, she vehemently downplayed her association with the Nazis, and attempted to rebuild her reputation through still photography. The nature of her involvement with the Nazis will never be fully known, so it can never be known for certain whether this film was, as Riefenstahl claims, a compromise so that she could continue to exercise her creativity. Whatever the case, Triump of the Will is an important movie, both in terms of its influence on cinematography, and as a historical document. It is a definite must-see for anyone who wants to understand the Nazis, as it epitomizes the regime's skilled use of propaganda to gain and maintain power.

Leni Riefenstahl was a genius and this film proves it. Her autobiography shows that her life was ruined after 1945 because she had been a willing pawn to Hitler and had made this dazzling film tribute to him. She never worked in films again until the mid-70's when she once again began to make documentaries.The camera work in "Triumph of the Will" is incomparable and years ahead of its time. Riefenstahl's obvious admiration for Hitler is patently obvious, there is an almost sexual undercurrent in her repeated close-ups of Hitler and the tight head shots she employs throughout the documentary.Unfortunately, if you don't speak German, much of the impact of the film will be lost, even though it remains a riveting and dynamic visual feast. Nothing documents the barbarity of the Nazi regime or its mesmerizing pull upon the German people better than this documentary. This is a sobering monument to depravity and a testament to the brilliance of Leni Riefenstahl.Though the film was made in 1934, before the world grasped the evil nature of Nazism, it is a sobeirng portent of things to come.