Analysis Of Leni Riefenstahl's Propaganda Film

Leni Riefenstahl, a director and actor of abundant of films has become one of the sole artists recognized completely with the Nazi era. Her directed film, Triumph of the Will is a leading film, which was conducted during the Nazi era and is considered to be the greatest propaganda film to date. Riefenstahl nevertheless, did and continues to proclaim the film to be a documentary based on ‘pure history’. In response to Riefenstahl, Susan Sontag’s article, Fascinating Fascism, indicates the film to be nothing more than ‘pure propaganda and fascist’. Robin Wood author of the article Fascism/Cinema, concurs with Susan Sontag’s response. While exquisite use of film techniques may guild viewer to presume otherwise, Susan Sontag asserts Riefenstahl’s
The film Night and Fog begins alike Triumph of the Will, high above the clouds moving towards land at a rather slow tilt. However the meanings are contrasting, Resnais reconstructs the viewpoint of Hitler’s victims, while Riefenstahl attempts to resemble Hitler’s ‘god’s eye’ point of view. This particular shot is crucial, displaying the simultaneous significance and the hopelessness of the serving victims of such a massacre. Night and Fog also incorporate low angle filming where the camera seizes to move similar to Triumph of the Will appearing to have been crushed. Triumph of the Will is shot entirely from the Germans perspective during the war where Hitler was attempting to make a better Germany. Throughout the duration of the film there are inspiring speech after speech, parade after parade, and people hailing everywhere. It shows that during this time the German people were to be proud and inspired as to what Germany was evolving into. It gives us a sense of ‘the other side’, the side many of us did not see. Whereas, Night and Fog speaks for what actually went on, on ‘the other side’. The film presented what occurred behind the scene, what the Nazi regime was truthfully up to. Starting with a shot of the deserted concentration camps, leading into horrifying images as to what was done to the Jews. The living conditions were revealed, the painful experiments doctors conducted and the way dead bodies were being dumped. This film is an overview as to what happened inside the camp, while Triumph of the Will is a view from the outside. However, moving forward with the comparison it is implied in both films that the low angle shots are to show the strength of the Nazis and the superior power of Hitler. Resnais’ film brings what was the past to the present reality, demonstrating social transformation from