Leni Riefenstahl is seen in two lights; one being as a Nazi propagandist and the other as a passionate pioneer filmmaker. Those who view Riefenstahl as a propagandist are critical of her actions and motives that took place within the reign of the Third Reich. Those that view Riefenstahl as a filmmaker admire her passion for the arts and her desire to fulfil her dreams. In a critical view it can be said that Riefenstahl had a significant impact on Nazi propaganda and how it contributed to the Nazi Regime. However it is also possible to conclude that Riefenstahl was solely focused on her career and was blind to the severity of the regime, as were millions of others. Whether or not Riefenstahl knew what was happening, her overall contribution was not as significant to the Third Reich as it was to the art of cinematography. …show more content…
Due to Riefenstahl’s close relations with the inner circle, it is easy for the critics to argue that she would’ve had to have known what was going on and what Hitler and Goebbels were doing.
On various occasions Riefenstahl met with Hitler and Goebbels to discuss filmmaking and her career. With these close relationships in mind it becomes easy to accuse and say that perhaps Leni was significant to the Nazi regime and that she did in fact know what was happening. In the making of the film ‘Tiefland’, Riefenstahl used gypsy campers as extras, with the knowledge of how they were being treated. Nina Gladitz, a fellow filmmaker has argued that; 'We have hard evidence from the archives of concentration camps, plus witness statements, to support the claims that Riefenstahl knew about the camps and the fate that awaited her extras.’ With this in mind it is possible for critics to argue that Riefenstahl supported Nazi Ideology, and personally believed in the basis of it. Her films subconsciously coerced people into viewing Hitler as Godly and Heroic, blinding them to the severity of what was truly taking
place. However it may also be said that Leni’s greatest attribute, her talent; was her biggest downfall. Being a talented female in a male dominated society drew Riefenstahl unnecessary attention that her male counterparts did not receive. This attention came in the form of accusations of sexual relations between herself and Hitler and overall doubts to how good her work was as she was a female. Leni essentially needed to work for the Ministry of Propaganda in order for her career to flourish. The strict repressions over the Arts in Germany meant funds were limited. The opportunity to film under the Third Reich presented Leni with the funds she needed, and as far as evidence goes it is possible to conclude that she took advantage of the money, using the full two million dollars in the making of “Triumph of the Will”. If Riefenstahl was genuinely a passionate propagandist, would she have exhausted the funds of the government she was promoting? The techniques and skills that Riefenstahl introduced to the art of cinematography have significantly impacted on the film industry today.
“Ah, the creative process is the same secret in science as it is in art,” said Josef Mengele, comparing science to an art. He was less of an artist and more of a curious, debatably crazy, doctor. He was a scientist in Nazi Germany. In general, there was a history of injustice in the world targeting a certain race. When Mengele was around, there were very few medical regulations, so no consent had to be given for doctors to take patients’ cells and other tests done on the patients’ bodies without their consent. This was the same time that Henrietta Lacks lived. Henrietta Lacks was an African American woman who went to the doctor because she had cervical cancer. Her cells were taken and are still alive in culture today (Skloot 41). Hence, her cells were nicknamed Immortal (Skloot 41). Although many, at the time, saw no issue with using a patient without consent issue with what?, on numerous occasions since then courts have determined that having consent is necessary for taking any cells. The story of Henrietta lacks is has similarities to an episode of Law and Order titled Immortal, which is an ethical conundrum. Despite this, the shows are not exactly the same and show differences between them. Both of these stories, one supposedly fictional, can also be compared to the injustices performed by Josef Mengele in Nazi Germany.
When asked to write about an important activist who has demonstrated protest, I immediately drifted towards a Hispanic and/or feminist activist. Various names came across my mind initially such as Cesar Chavez and Joan Baez but as a later discussion in class concluded, there are numerous others who are rarely highlighted for their activism and struggles, which lead to me researching more. In my research I came across Dolores Huerta, an American labor leader and civil rights activist, who I felt was an underdog and brushed over activist in the Hispanic community.
Censorship in the 1950's: How did this affect the making of “Night and Fog” one of the first ever cinematic documentaries on the Holocaust? A film by Alain Resnais.
...saw the image as artistic, subsequent events compel us to try and see the image of the Polish girl with Nazis as journalism. In this endeavor, we must uncover as much as possible about the surrounding context. As much as we can, we need to know this girl's particular story. Without a name, date, place, or relevant data, this girl would fall even further backwards into the chapters of unrecorded history.
According to Welch, “The public’s reaction to anti-Semitic films reveals that propaganda had considerable success in persuading the population that a Jewish ‘problem’ existed, but equally that there was a limit to their tolerance of the type of virulently anti-Semitic propaganda to be found in films like Der Ewige Jude and publications like Der Stuermer.” Even after years of Nazi propaganda, even Goebbels wasn’t convinced that “such propaganda had persuaded Germans to condone open violence against
men in any way. “Once some SS men pushed our sound van into a ditch;
The Holocaust has become the worst event in human history but why did it happen? Mein Kampf was written by who many would consider one of the evilest men to walk the earth; a man whose ideas committed one of the worst crimes in all of the man kinds history on this earth. Adolf Hitler with only his voice took the lives of millions of homosexuals, gypsies, blacks, disabled people and most of all Jewish people just for not being a part of what he viewed as the perfect race. Mein Kampf was used as an outline for the Holocaust and used against the already hurting Germany to effectively execute on of the vilest acts in history.
Propaganda in the broadest sense is the technique of influencing human action by the manipulation of representations. These representations may take the spoken, written, pictorial, or musical form. Since the cinema uses all four of these types of representations, a filmmaker would seem to wield a lot of power as a propagandist. If he so chooses to use his power to its fullest potential. The essential distinction lies in the intentions of the propagandist to persuade an audience to adopt the attitude or action he or she espouses. This is ever so prevalent as Hitler gained support from his nation to exterminate the Jewish people from Germany and Europe alike. He adopted such support by using his Nazi propaganda films as a weapon of mass distraction and manipulation of the people of Germany. If he had not idealized the German soldier as a hero, and bestowed nationalism in his people, and blamed the economic problems of German on the Jewish race then he never would have been able to accomplish what he had in such a short amount of time. The most famous Nazi propaganda film is Der ewige Jude (“The Eternal Jew”).
The tragedies of the holocaust forever altered history. One of the most detailed accounts of the horrific events from the Nazi regime comes from Elie Wiesel’s Night. He describes his traumatic experiences in German concentration camps, mainly Buchenwald, and engages his readers from a victim’s point of view. He bravely shares the grotesque visions that are permanently ingrained in his mind. His autobiography gives readers vivid, unforgettable, and shocking images of the past. It is beneficial that Wiesel published this, if he had not the world might not have known the extent of the Nazis reign. He exposes the cruelty of man, and the misuse of power. Through a lifetime of tragedy, Elie Wiesel struggled internally to resurrect his religious beliefs as well as his hatred for the human race. He shares these emotions to the world through Night.
Another reason was identity. Napoleon only represented Stalin, and that really brought out his characteristics. Since Napoleon was meant to represent Stalin, all of Stalin’s traits, most of his bad deeds, and events occurred in the book. For example, in Animal Farm, Orwell made Snowball seem smarter than Napoleon, but made Napoleon more powerful. This is true in real life because Lenin was a lot more educated than Stalin, but Stalin ended up with the power (Radinsky 97)
Simon Wiesenthal life and legends were extraordinary, he has expired people in many ways and was an iconic figure in modern Jewish history. Szyman Wiesenthal (was his real named and later named Simon) was born on December 31 in Buczacz, Galicia (which is now a part of Ukraine) in 1908. When Wiesenthal's father was killed in World War I, Mrs. Wiesenthal took her family to Vienna for a brief period, returning to Buczacz when she remarried. The young Wiesenthal graduated from the Humanistic Gymnasium (a high school) in 1928 and applied for admission to the Polytechnic Institute in Lvov. Turned away because of quota restrictions on Jewish students, he went instead to the Technical University
Over time society has relaxed and the value of hard work has really lost base with the younger generation. This essay is written by a young girl named Jessica Hemauer as she braces her way through growing up with a “tough” life. Although it may seem a bit old fashioned, Jessica’s parents are helping her in more ways than she will not realize until later in life. The essay tells the tales of how she grew up living on a farm and struggled to find the happy balance between farm chores, school, and her social life. It is evident that she was targeting those who also have some sort of obstacles in their life because the essay transitions from her hardships to her success. Jessica can tell her story and gives readers a first hand experience on
A film bursting with visual and emotional stimuli, the in-depth character transformation of Oscar Schindler in Schindler’s List is a beautiful focal point of the film. Riddled with internal conflict and ethical despair, Schindler challenges his Nazi Party laws when he is faced with continuing his ambitious business ideas or throwing it all away for the lives of those he once saw as solely cheap labor. Confronted with leading a double life and hiding his motivations from those allegiant to Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, Schindler undergoes numerous ethical dilemmas that ultimately shape his identity and challenge his humanity. As a descendent of a Jewish-American, Yiddish speaking World War II soldier who helped liberate concentration camps in Poland, this film allowed for an enhanced personal
One of the most powerful and murderous dictators in history, Joseph Stalin was the supreme ruler of the Soviet Union for a quarter of a century (www.bbc.co.uk). Joseph Stalin had a major impact on the Soviet Union and the rest of the world. He changed the world by making the Soviet Union a powerful, modern nation, and also the largest state on Earth through his policies and ideas. He also led the killing of millions of people including commoners who spoke out against him (McKenna 94). He also had the Great Purge, which sent anyone who was not “loyal” to him to camps and executed them. In total he killed about seven times as many people as Hitler did which would probably be about twenty to sixty million people. Stalin also changed the world by helping to start the Cold War, and also some of the countries that aligned with the Soviets in the Cold War are still in poverty because their benefactor crumbled. Stalin was the face of the second world for a chunk of the twentieth century and the Cold war. Stalin also created the Five Year Plan, which was a series of nation-wide economic plans in the Soviet Union. The plans were developed by a state planning committee and were general guidelines of the communists used for economic development. During the Cold War Stalin challenged the Allies multiple times trying to win the war and created major damage to a lot of countries including Germany. Competition between the Soviet Union and the United States escalated during the Cold War to a point where nuclear war was not going to be a surprise. Joseph Stalin ended up losing the Cold War, but still created a lasting impression due to his theory of ruling by fear. Stalin also ended the New Economic Plan that Lenin created and then he also forced p...
The evolution of Bauhaus has been a significant impact to the design world, as it marks the infamous modern characteristics that remain imperative as a distinct design language; currently influencing designers even till this day. Including the young designer, Marianne Brandt, who was one of the students who successfully merged the two worlds of industry and design together with her work from Weimar and Dessau Bauhaus. Brandt, a German designer, was traditionally trained as a formal painter in the Grand Ducal College of Arts. While experiencing a Bauhaus exhibition in Germany, she was highly enthralled by the majority of the work that she was able to relinquish her earlier artistic philosophies, as well as her earlier expressionistic paintings in order to perpetually alter her design perspective. Hence, Brandt began her journey as a student in the metal workshop in Weimar Bauhaus under Laszlo Moholy-Nagy in 1923. Although she