Triumph of the Will? (Leni Riefenstahl)

This entire film had a lifeless, fake quality that kept me at arms length emotionally. Not only does it portray the Nazis as mindless brainwashed puppets, it relies on the film’s eloquent style as evidence that the Nazi party actually had reason to believe in what they fought for. Yes, it’s stylistically beautiful. All the shots, the cinematography, the sequencing is perfectly aligned and seamless. The portrait of Hitler is carved out and polished to the shine of a movie star, and he was for celebrity’s sake. The one thing this film’s missing, is heart, something the Nazi’s did fight with. I found none of Hitler’s, or any of the Nazi leader’s words to be profound in anyway. I believe it’s the situation Germany was in prior to World War 2, that led them to war, not any philosophy that holds validity whatsoever. Any ounce of inspiration that I’ve read, whether from Mein Kampf or articles people have showed me, are left out of the picture. “Triumph” is almost a study on how replaceable Hitler actually was. Every scene builds up to this expectation of a grand leader, but we get little Adolph shouting simple minded boring speeches. I admit, I’m biased since the Nazi party was essentially an atrocity with muscle, a failed attempt to unify the world as one Nation. I don’t see the soldiers as innocent, I see them as uneducated barbie dolls. I believe they could’ve put anyone in Hitler’s place, before spectacular lights and amplified microphones. He’s a rockstar without a song. --- The film’s Style was from a classical approach. I think whether the argument rings true, it’s shot attractively and flawless, like the filmmaker truly believes in the Nazi party, and that they will inevitably succeed. I agree with the infamous explanation of the breakdown of Invention- the film does create “an impression of good moral character” by way of not including the contradicting opinions, the rest of the world’s take, and the darker side of their culture. And the Arrangement-to-Delivery is all well-planned, or it appears to be. Not much to add there. Reifenstahl uses every department referenced in Nichol’s textbook, accordingly. Other than hating the essence of the film, it’s definitely educational to the documentary filmmaker. --- I constantly felt like I was subjected to pro-Nazi commercials. As for Hitler being gay.. who knows! He was celibate, I think. I have no idea... It’s a touchy subject, and I’m not a republican, nor a G.W. fan, but whether charismatic or not, Hitler was in no way analogous to George Bush and our actions today: we are not advocating ruling the world with superior beings.

I see people around Union Square, waving swastika G.W. flags in my fuckin face. That is absolutely not what is happening with the war in the Middle East. You can't start by hating Bush and working backwards. If anything, Bin Laden is more of an analogy because Hitler used careful and deft manipulation of the disenfranchised and gave them a feeling of superiority and purpose. Germany got their ass kicked in World War 1, and morale was at an all time low. Hitler came in and said we are not weak, we are great people, the jews are the problem, let's make Germany proud and amazing. That's what Bin Laden is doing organizing the disenfranchised to a higher purpose and using the jews as a scapegoat. But I digress, this is a film critique, not a political science essay.........