Leni Riefenstahl Essay

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The Weimar Republic era in Germany took place from 1919-1933 and was considered the Golden Age of German cinema. It was a time of free expression and open thinking for artists, and eventually pushed many of them to leave the country and explore their talents outside of Germany. Famous director Fritz Lang and screen writer Billy Wilder were two of many exiles, migrating toward freedom and eventually ending their journey in Hollywood. Nazi Germany, also known as the Third Reich, was a period in German history from 1933 to 1945, when the country was governed by a dictatorship under the control of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. In 1933 Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor and the Nazis systematically began to take control over Germany by removing …show more content…

The film has a tremendous energy filled with flags waving, soldiers saluting, women and children waving while happily marching together. The film expresses love and pride for the country. A dark side of nationalism, militarism and Nazism is not seen. Instead Riefenstahl’s vision is idealistic in a sense, causing the viewer to wish they were there. She filmed endless marching men who did not even carry guns, with orchestral music to match. The seemingly innocent army has organized energy and displays discipline and sacrifice, remarkably without any weapons. It is important to remember that documentaries don’t document just an event, they also document the perception of an event, and that perception is enacted in the film itself. While Riefenstahl uses editing techniques and upbeat music to paint a happy scene of positive energy and patriotism, the film has an eerie element that constitutes the truth behind it. Hitler is celebrated as a savior in the film and embraced as a social phenomenon, when the rest of the world knows him to be a truly evil mastermind with a seductive

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