The "message" encoding in Leni Reifenstahl's films has been the subject
of a lot of critical discussion over the years. In Triumph of the Will
there is actually not all that much explicit "message." For all its
pomp and circumstance, there's really very little of the National
Socialist formal agenda in the film. Of course, the implicit "message"
of the film was that Hitler descended from the clouds to grace
Nuremberg with his presence and that he's there to insure that Germany
doesn't forget her past or lose sight of her future. It's one of the
most compelling pieces of persuasive political filmmaking ever released
to the public, but it never really comes out and says much about what
the goals of the party are. It's just kind of a feel-good movie about
what a great guy Hitler is.
Olympiad is a different beast. Reifestahl has been accused of having a
"fascist aesthetic." Essentially she concentrates on the strength and
beauty of the human form as an object of power and perfection, with
Hitler cheering on from the sidelines. It's been seen as sort of a
sales film for eugenics, but again without any actual explicit
"message" to suggest such a thing. She was a very subtle and talented
filmmaker. I can't imagine Reifenstahl doing anything as heavy-handed
as Bowling For Columbine.
On Nov 30, 2003, at 7:51 AM, Jerry Liles wrote:
That's like saying the "message" of the "documentary" films of the
Third Reich weren't ultimately malevolent.
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