Leni Refenstahl Essay
Leni Riefenstahl
Outline the main features of the personal background and the historical context of Leni Riefenstahl.
Leni Riefenstahl was a female German film maker whose confidence, good looks, and willingness to speak her mind demanded respect. She was born in Berlin on the 22nd of August 1902. Her parents were Alfred and Bertha Eda, and she had a younger brother of 3 years named Heinz. Her father owned a very successful heating and ventilation company. Leni’s father always pushed Leni towards following in his footsteps into the world of business. However Leni always had a passion to entertain. Leni began her career in entertainment as a dancer, where she was very popular and widely renowned. Her aspirations to become a dancer began when she was 15. She would sneak out to the Grimm-Reiter School to dance lessons without her parents knowing. After a year though her father did find out, and sent her to a boarding school in Hertz, seemingly ending her dancing aspirations. However this only made Leni’s will to dance stronger and after years of negotiation, her father agreed to send her to lessons with the Russian prima ballerina Eduardova at the age of 19. In an attempt to make up for lost time, Leni worked in overdrive for 3 years. This worked for 70 great performances across Europe before a severe knee injury meant she could no longer dance. It was at this stage that she began focusing on her career as a film maker/actress.
During the era of Weimar rule in Germany, their film industry was at its strongest. Silent films meant that language barriers which would come to hinder the industry were non-existent. During this time films such as, ‘Metropolis’ By Fritz Lang (1927) gained worldwide critical acclaim and commercial success. The film’s most prominent during the Weimar era were expressionist films. Their purpose was to arouse feelings and emotions into their audience through artistic expression. There was no one better than this than Leni. Her dance and
Outline the main features of the personal background and the historical context of Leni Riefenstahl.
Leni Riefenstahl was a female German film maker whose confidence, good looks, and willingness to speak her mind demanded respect. She was born in Berlin on the 22nd of August 1902. Her parents were Alfred and Bertha Eda, and she had a younger brother of 3 years named Heinz. Her father owned a very successful heating and ventilation company. Leni’s father always pushed Leni towards following in his footsteps into the world of business. However Leni always had a passion to entertain. Leni began her career in entertainment as a dancer, where she was very popular and widely renowned. Her aspirations to become a dancer began when she was 15. She would sneak out to the Grimm-Reiter School to dance lessons without her parents knowing. After a year though her father did find out, and sent her to a boarding school in Hertz, seemingly ending her dancing aspirations. However this only made Leni’s will to dance stronger and after years of negotiation, her father agreed to send her to lessons with the Russian prima ballerina Eduardova at the age of 19. In an attempt to make up for lost time, Leni worked in overdrive for 3 years. This worked for 70 great performances across Europe before a severe knee injury meant she could no longer dance. It was at this stage that she began focusing on her career as a film maker/actress.
During the era of Weimar rule in Germany, their film industry was at its strongest. Silent films meant that language barriers which would come to hinder the industry were non-existent. During this time films such as, ‘Metropolis’ By Fritz Lang (1927) gained worldwide critical acclaim and commercial success. The film’s most prominent during the Weimar era were expressionist films. Their purpose was to arouse feelings and emotions into their audience through artistic expression. There was no one better than this than Leni. Her dance and