After the Great War, WWI, the Germans were left a desperate and broken people. The Treaty of Versailles stripped their country of national pride by depriving Germany of the right to hold a standing army, declaring that the Rhineland would be occupied by Allied Troops for a period of 15 years, that Germany would be responsible for monetarily compensating the Allied countries for the cost of the war, and by forcing Germany to take the blame for causing the war. As a result of the war (and socialist revolution following the war), the German economy was wrecked, many Germans were out of work, and the German political system had a difficult time becoming stable.
Cue Adolph Hitler.
A disillusioned WWI veteran gains significant political power and the hearts and minds of the German people. Hitler gains power by giving the German people hope and pride; hope for the prosperous future of Germany and courage to once again be proud to be German. Hitler did not accomplish this by force or other coercive means, but by ever-so-slightly appealing to the rawest emotions of the broken German people.
Cue Leni Riefenstahl.
Riefenstahl was a German filmmaker, model, and actress who first saw Hitler speak in 1932 and was almost immediately captivated by his message. Later, after reading Mien Kampf and further believing in Hitler, she requested to meet him in 1933. After meeting with Hitler, she was given the opportunity to direct Sieg des Glaubens, an hour-long feature film about the Nazi Party rally at Nurmemberg in 1933. After seeing her work with her first assignment with the Third Reich, he invited her to film subsequent rallies. Later, he chose her to make a documentary about the National Socialist Movement in Germany under the condition that she would no longer be required to continue to make more films for Hitler after it was finished.
Triumph of the Will chronicles a four day period leading up to one of Hitler’s largest rallies ever, a rally featuring over 150,000 SA and SS troops in Nuremberg at the World War One Memorial. This film is considered to be the greatest piece of propaganda film in history due to the way it strongly conveys the hope, unity, and nationalism under Hitler’s Germany.
Triumph of the Will calls Germans to take pride in being German and unify under the new face of Germany, which became Hitler’s Germany. Germans are shown to be great, happy people who enjoy life and each other. No German is without a job, No German is without a smile, and No German is without hope. Germans have jobs, happiness, and hope all thanks to Hitler. In Hitler’s Germany, men had jobs, the youth were empowered to become the next great generation of Germans, Germans were united, and most of all, they were proud to be German.
For the average German, who has seen their lives turned upside down by the horrific Great War, a Revolution, and an economic depression, Hitler’s Germany was a dream that desperately needed to become reality. Triumph of the Will could have convinced nearly any person that Hitler’s Germany was going to take them into the future of economic stability and prosperousness. It convinced them that in Hitler’s Germany, they would no longer be hopeless, desolate, and poor.
After watching, Triumph of the Will, it is easy to see why so many people believed in Hitler. At times, I found myself believing in him, that he was actually a decent person who just wanted to change his country. Moving images have that type of power on viewers; the power of film is a often misused and is hardly taken seriously enough. By all means, this film is subtle, there are no flashy images to shock viewers into belief, or any extremely radical speech. This film just slightly peaks into a world full of ‘better tomorrows’.
Another reason why I think this film was such a successful propaganda piece because it was incredibly focused on uniting Germans and filling them up with hope. Hitler’s other plans of genocide and war are completely absent from this film. There is no mention of the Jewish population in Germany, or of any type of future plans of aggression. Riefenstahl’s incredible focus of subject matter is what has contributed to this film staying alive for over 70 years instead of being buried under the weight of the Nazi Empire.
Riefenstahl’s cinematography is a feast for the eyes. In terms of 1934, the cinematography is at least a decade ahead of its time. The aerial shots are superb, and the moving and long focus shots are extremely ahead of its time. I’m going to go on a limb and say that the cinematography in this film wasn’t matched until Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane and this 77 year old film could still hold it’s weight against the cinematography of today.
Triumph of the Will is a good lesson in the power of film. Film has the power to fuel emotions and the incredible power to convince. Which is why every filmmaker has a responsibility to their audience to be responsible with the way they use film to persuade and entertain. Riefenstahl claims that she had no idea that her film would be used in such a way, she claims she wasn’t aware that she was creating Nazi Propaganda. Whether or not her claims are correct, all filmmakers need to look at her and learn a lesson: her masterpiece is a Nazi Propaganda film that helped convince countless people to believe in the Nazi Party. Whether or not that was her goal, the weight of that is placed on her and her film for all of history. Filmmakers need to realize that with great power, comes great responsibility. The power of film is not to be taken lightly.
(If you’re curious, this film is on NetFlix Instant Play.)
Extremely Behind the Camera 