For years, film has been considered to be uniquely powerful and significant within human culture with its ability to inspire and capture the hearts of an audience; sometimes without uttering a word. Cinema was a powerful vehicle for culture, education and propaganda in Nazi Germany, with directors such as Leni Riefenstahl who created epic pictures such as Triumph of the Will in order to, not only glorify Nazi ideology, but to win the hearts and minds of the German public. This alone shows her to be significant to film culture as she was able to indoctrinate her audiences through her extensive use of modern film techniques; most of which were new to the time period. However, her significance to film culture could arguably be flawed as her “valuable” contribution to the industry was only ever through her association with the Nazi’s thus indicating that she was only known for being the controversial Nazi filmmaker rather than her talent for film making.
Historian Rainer Rother stated that
her “career provides of her determination”[1].
This is enforced by the lengths she went to achieve her aims; thus allowed her
to become an iconic figure within film culture. Her first propaganda
documentary- film, Triumph of the Will (1935),
shows Riefenstahl’s significance within the Nazi Film industry as she was able
to create a masterpiece which demonstrated strength and unity of the nation.
This therefore connotes her significance to the film industry as it demonstrates
her ability to create a piece of art which would continue to be recognized as
an epic, innovative work of propaganda filmmaking across time. The success of Triumph suggests that Leni Riefenstahl
was significant to film culture as it was this film and her determination to
prove her role in a male dominated industry which made Riefenstahl the first
female film director to achieve international recognition across Europe and the
USA for her work which allowed her to become a burgeoning influence as well as
a “symbolic figure for national socialism and... one for post war society”[2].
Her gender also allowed Leni Riefenstahl to
become a significant figurehead in film culture as she managed to work her way
through the vast criticism of jealous men and received positive reviews for her
films across the globe. This shows her significance within Film Culture as was
able to prove herself in a male dominated world and industry in a time when
women in Germany were expected to conform to the stereotype of a wife and
mother.
More
significantly however, in 1974, 40 years after Triumph, Riefenstahl was invited to the Telluride Film Festival in
Colorado where she was “celebrated as a model for women in the film industry”[3].
The evidence supports the idea that she was in fact significant to the film
industry as she was celebrated for achievements in film as well as being an
inspiration for other women in the industry. In addition to this, her presence
at the festival sparked worldwide protests, especially in Germany where they fiercely
opposed America’s Riefenstahl revival. Despite the protests, her films were
shown any, arguing that they were “honouring her as an artist not as a person”[4].
This further supports the argument that Riefenstahl was significant to the film
industry as she was celebrated as an artist who created spectacular films
rather than as the “Nazi filmmaker”. Although, while it could be suggested that
her career wasn’t only built around her association with the Nazi’s, it is
worth considering that her most famous works wouldn’t have been produced nor
have the outstanding recognition and praised they have received across time thus indicating that her
significance to film culture across time is much lower than it first appears.
Leni Riefenstahl
proves herself to be significant to film culture as it was Triumph which influenced various other nations to create anti Nazi
propaganda such as Britain’s The Curse of the Swastika. This shows her
significance to the film industry as, through the stylised imagery within Triumph which glorified Nazism, she was
able to inflict fear into the heart of an elite superpower which in turn caused
them to distribute anti Nazi propaganda. However, film historian David Thompson
argued that Triumph was Riefenstahl
simply “setting out to make a picture in... [a] more American style.” [5]
which illustrates that Leni Riefenstahl was mimicking American style cinema in
order to make her own work seem revolutionary within Nazi Germany; a country in
which foreign film was strictly regulated in order to obtain control. The
source therefore shows that she wasn’t the innovative director history has been
made out to be and clearly indicates that claims of Riefenstahl significance to
film culture across time have been highly exaggerated. This is further enforced
by a quote from Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, who stated that he was
“Infuriated by the dismal quality of Nazi Cinema”[6].
The source strengthens the argument as it indicates that Riefenstahl’s contribution
to film culture wasn’t as significant as historians have previously made her
out to be. However, this source is likely to be biased as Goebbels and
Riefenstahl were reported to be bitter enemies who were constantly battling for
the Fuhrer’s attention. Therefore, this source is arguably unreliable.
Riefenstahl was
often regarded to have an “impressive demon of strength”[7]
by the way she overcame her battles against male colleagues and rivals and Olympia is clear evidence of this. Her
documentary of the 1936 Olympics, Olympia,
was praised as a successful film, which has since been widely recognised for
its technical and visual achievements. It was this film which above all
connotes her significance to the film industry as it was a turning point for
Riefenstahl’s career due to the fact her film was highly praised by critics
across the world, winning various awards such as National Film Prize
(1937–1938). In 1960, the film was voted as one of the 10 best films of all
time and was again praised in 2002 by The
Daily Telegraph, recognizing Olympia
as “even more technically dazzling (if more stylised and less powerful) than Triumph of the Will.”[8]
The source clearly shows Leni
Riefenstahl to be significant to film culture
as she was praised revolutionising film as we know it. By using a range of
modern filming techniques, such as tracking shots of athletes and her
impressive editing approach, Leni Riefenstahl shows her significance to the
film industry as she reshaped how an audience reacted to film and thus paved
the way for a more modern film age. This is further supported by the source as
it suggests that Leni Riefenstahl was celebrated for her achievements as a
director rather than a Nazi filmmaker as Olympia
wasn’t regarded as a propagandist film in contrast to its predecessor’s.
However, it could be argued that the Daily Telegraph is a right wing news paper
and is shown to view Leni Riefenstahl’s work in a much more positive light due
to its political content. Consequently, this proves the source to be unreliable
as they contain an element of biasness.
During the Cold
War period, Riefenstahl’s underwent a public renaissance, from the popular
image of a culprit of the Nazi regime eventually manifesting into the new image
of an unwitting, apolitical director. This shows people’s perception of her significance
to the industry changing overtime, from the nazi sympathiser who created
propaganda films to glorify Nazism to the ground-breaking female director who
created breath taking pieces of art. A key example of her highly regarded
apolitical works was Olympia. Olympia
was viewed as one of the “great achievements of cinematic history”[9]
with only few people viewing it as propaganda. Nevertheless, the film continued
to cause controversy well into the 1970’s. In the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics, Olympia was shown at the Munich cinema
and was considered a popular success. However, vigorous protests prevented its
viewing in Berlin. This suggests that Riefenstahl’s contribution to film
culture was significant as she continued to be a burgeoning influence upon the
German people as she was still able to provoke a reaction from her audiences,
years after her films prior release. It is this provocative aspect of her films
which allows her to be significant to the film industry as it was her ability
to create a brilliant stylisation which further produced a “tremendous
aesthetic and technical cinematic achievement”.[10]
While the newspaper is known for celebrating independent culture and further
enforces the argument that Leni Riefenstahl was a significant figure within
film culture, it could be argued that due to its right winged political
allegiances, it is likely to be in favour of her films due to their political
content. The source is also a media outlet which offers its own mediation of
specific events thus rendering the source unreliable and therefore lowering her
significance.
It could be
argued that Leni Riefenstahl was only ever famous for being a Nazi filmmaker
and consequently not significant to film culture. Her works before the rise of
the Nazis such as The Blue Light have
not gained nearly as much attention as her propaganda films. While on one hand,
it is undeniable that Triumph of the Will
and Olympia are outstanding
films, their purpose for brainwashing is quite clearly shown throughout
history; signifying that Leni Riefenstahl was truly was significant to the film
industry. On the other hand film historian, Rainer Rother stated that “the way
they are crafted is more convincing than any other art produced under the Nazi
regime and as on propaganda on its behalf”[11]
which argues that Riefenstahl’s propaganda films were not considered shocking
or revolutionary until years after the war. This therefore shows that her
contribution to film culture was neither revolutionary nor worthy to mention as
part of film history. In contrast to this, the source also indicates that Leni
Riefenstahl’s films were in fact significant to film culture as they were a
much higher quality of propaganda in contrast to the other forms of film
produced by the government. While the source illustrates her significance to
film culture, it also implies that Riefenstahl was only great for having been
the Nazi film maker she has always denied she ever was and indicates that she
her significance to the film industry was highly overrated.
In 1998 the
German band Rammstein used Riefenstahl’s footage of Olympia for the song “stripped”. The reaction they received for
using Olympia shows Riefenstahl’s
significance to the film industry as her footage still had the ability to gain
a reaction from audience’s years after its initial release as many saw it as
glorification of Nazism rather than a “expression good art rather than an
endorsement of Nazism”[12].
The band themselves enforce the idea of her significance as they considered her
work as a seductive and artistic master piece rather than a film by a Nazi
sympathiser which subverts the idea that she gained her reputation as a
significant figure head to modern film through her involvement within the Nazi
regime. However, in spite of this, Rammstein are known to be a highly
controversial band that is known to do things in order to cause a reaction.
While her worked sparked a reaction from the Anti-Defamation League, it could
simply be due to her association with the Nazis rather than her talent as a
filmmaker; implying that she isn’t as significant as she has been made out to
be.
Her first documentary Victory of Faith (1933) was significant
to film culture as it was one of the first modern forms of propaganda in
Germany. Film Historians such as Edward Buscombe and Rob White have argued that
“For Riefenstahl, Victory of Faith was a dress rehearsal for her biggest
challenge yet”[13] which
firmly rooted her as “the Nazi filmmaker” and established her significance to
the film industry supporting the ideology that Victory was simply a rehearsal film for other Nazi rallies. This idea is further enforced by the fact that
after Victory, Hitler was hell bent
on ending the distinction between reality and fiction; something which he and
Riefenstahl achieved a year later in Triumph
for which the entire rally was staged and scripted as well as the crowd being
strictly controlled. In turn, this connotes Riefenstahl to be significant to
film culture as it indicates that her talent as a film director was the
catalyst for Nazi propaganda within Germany. Films such as Triumph and Tiefland shows
Riefenstahl’s significance as they changed the way audiences experienced films and
“would neither have caused a sensation at the time nor be considered classics
today“[14].
This also conforms to the idea that Leni Riefenstahl’s films commonly
associated with the Hypodermic Syringe Theory, which allowed the Nazi’s to
control and manipulate audiences into their way of thinking. It was this method
of control which caused Riefenstahl to become more significant to film culture
in Germany as she, under the apparent orders of Hitler, was able to
psychologically manipulate and control audiences into supporting the National
Socialists but also unifying the nation.
David Thompson,
a film historian argued that independent German cinema had a big influence on
American film, stating that “German cultural tradition was more prepared to see
identification [whereas] American cinema... catches fantasy appeal”.[15] Thompson suggests that Leni Riefenstahl’s
significance within Film Culture doesn’t solely lie within Germany, but that
her work was influential across the world. However, while she clearly made a
vast contribution to film culture, not only in Germany, but across the globe,
she is considered an extremely controversial figure due to her association with
the Nazi’s. Despite this, Thompson fails
to provide any other information about Leni Riefenstahl and her contribution to
cinema. This connotes that Leni Riefenstahl her significance to film culture
was highly exaggerated and thus showing that she is irrelevant. In contrast to
this, Historian Rainer Rother, argues that “Riefenstahl was arguably the most
famous women film director in the world” and therefore raises her significance
to film culture as she still considered influential across the world years
after her films initial release.
On one hand, Leni
Riefenstahl is described as the “Valkyrie goddess of third Reich cinema”[16]
which clearly indicates her significance within the film industry. This source could
be problematic as it focuses mainly on her relationship with Hitler as opposed
to her actual contribution to film. While it is argued that Riefenstahl was significant
to film culture, she is shown to have “grown in popularity because of, not
despite, the cliché of the Nazi film maker”[17].
As a result, this source lessens her significance as it implies that, had she
refused to take part in creating propaganda for the Nazi’s, her contributions
to the industry would not be as famous and as well known.
Leni Riefenstahl
is also shown to be significant to film culture as exhibits of her work were
shown in a variety of cities across the globe such as Tokyo, Milan, Rome and
Potsdam. This clearly connotes her significance to film culture as her work is
still looked upon as notorious and influential years after its initial release.
Her appearance in Time Magazine further connotes her significance to film
culture as her appearance in one of America’s most powerful magazines indicates
that she is still considered a powerful influence on film culture as we know.
Furthermore, this indicates that Leni Riefenstahl was significant, not only to
film culture within Germany, but also within the USA throughout time, proving
that Riefenstahl is, in terms of popular culture of the 21st
century, a cult artist and influential across time. Even in death, Leni
Riefenstahl was celebrated as a talented filmmaker. A quote from The Daily
Telegraph stated that she “was perhaps the most talented female cinema director
of the 20th century”[18].
This shows that Riefenstahl continued to be a significant figure in modern film
culture by the way she was celebrated for, not only her achievements, but also
for the way she revolutionised technical and visual elements of film
production.
While she is considered significant
due to the way she modernised film and continued to provoke a reaction from
audience’s years after their initial release, it could be argued that she is
significant for tarnishing the film industry as a result of both the content of
her films as well as her use of slave labour.
Records from Marzahn detention camp indicate that “Sinti and Roma...were
compelled to work as extras”[19]
in her film Tiefland (1954) between
1940- 42. The source is taken from a survivor from the camp who worked on the
set and is subsequently clear evidence that she is significant for tarnishing
the film industry as she forced people to work against their will in order to
complete her film. On closer inspection, it is worth considering that this
evidence shows Riefenstahl not be as significant to the film industry as she
would not have of been able to complete Tiefland
if she had not been involved with the Nazi’s. This indicated that Riefenstahl
is only famous for being the Nazi Filmmaker and that it was her films and her
association with the regime which allowed her to establish her legend, thus
only giving the illusion that she is significant to the film industry. It was
later revealed that many of these workers were sent back to concentration camps
where they were eventually killed. Consequently, this shows Riefenstahl to be
significant to the film industry as her film tarnished its reputation as a form
of escapism for people across the world. By using forced labour, she conformed
to the Nazi stereotype with which she had been branded with for years after the
war. However, it is this quality which allows her to further show her
significance to the industry. Tiefland,
while known for its horrific treatment of gypsies, has been argued by
historians such as Robert von Dassanowsky that it has influenced of many
Hollywood blockbusters, such as James Cameron’s Titanic through its similar narrative structure.[20]
Had she have not been involved with the Nazi’s, she may not have gained the ‘additional
help’ in time to create the film. As a result, this indicates Leni Riefenstahl
to be significant to the film industry as her work became the influence for one
of the biggest films in Hollywood.
In conclusion, Leni Riefenstahl was
significant to the film industry during the period that she produced her films
as she revolutionised modern techniques of filmmaking; changing the way we as
an audience experience a film. However, she has also gained significance over
and across time as her films are still considered technological masterpieces,
continuing to provoke a reaction from their viewer’s years after their initial
release. While taking this into consideration, many believe that she wasn’t the
cinematic genius that her critics like to think she is and is therefore not
significant to the film industry. Her association with the Nazis was her only
claim to fame and the only reason she became so famous, had she have never
filmed Nazi propaganda, I highly doubt she would have been as successful and
admired over and across time.
[1]
Leni Riefenstahl: Seduction of Genius- R Rother- 2002
[2]
Leni Riefenstahl: Seduction of Genius- R Rother- 2002
[3]
Leni Riefenstahl: A Life- J Trimborn- 2002
[4]
Leni Riefenstahl: A Life- J Trimborn- 2002
[5]
The Big Screen- D Thompson- 2012
[6]
Hollywood and Hitler: 1933-1939- T Doherty- 2013
[7] T
Doherty- Hollywood and Hitler: 1933-1939- 2013
[8]
Leni Riefenstahl- The Daily Telegraph- 2002
[9]
Leni Riefenstahl: Seduction of Genius- R Rother- 2002
[10] www.theguardian.com/film
[11]
Leni Riefenstahl: Seduction of Genius- R Rother- 2002
[12] www.mtv.com/news/.../rammsteins-nazi-tainted-video-raises
[13]
British Film Institute Film Classics- Buscombe, White- 2002
[14] http://www.learntoquestion.com/class/discussion/
[15]
The Big Screen- D Thompson- 2012
[16]
Hollywood and Hitler: 1933-1939- T Doherty- 2013
[17]
Leni Riefenstahl: Seduction of Genius- R Rother- 2002
[18] www.telegraph.co.uk
[19] Historical Journal of Film, Radio and
Television: Leni Riefenstahl’s Gypsy Question- S Tegel- 2003
[20] Cinema Journal: A Mountain of a Ship:
Locating the "Bergfilm" in James Cameron's "Titanic"- R Von
Dassanowsky- 2001
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