Review of Triumph of the Will (1935) by Spencer S — 20 Feb 2013

Propaganda films of the first part of the twentieth century were usually not so explicit in their message. Many political messages were more often cloaked in storytelling. One of the more blatantly political and thoughtfully directed in propaganda films, "Triumph of the Will" is artfully mastered and generated enough interest in the party to make them seem more a superpower and certainly a threat.

Leni Riefenstahl, now infamous and left to live to speak on her work, supposedly was not aware of the anti-Semitism that was exhibited within the party or the proceeding steps of the Third Reich. The film itself is set at the 1934 Nazi Party Convention in Nuremberg.

During the film Germany is shown as a free land full of healthy, rosy cheeked young people, adoring crowds to cheer at the Fuhrer's arrival, and long, uninterrupted speeches on the economy, how great their leader's policies are, and the new Germany, strong after its thrashing after World War One.

Not included in the film are any mentions of anti-Semitism or the country's view of the rest of Europe, which is strange since it was an obvious point in many areas of the Nazi Party, and seem to be omitted on purpose.

The film itself is beautifully shot, relying on a sharp cinematography to weave in and out of shots of the people involved. Every speech Hitler gives is passionate, angry, hopeful for the sake of his peoples, and every time they pan to the crowd or the other politicians, they are always intent on listening.

As he passes by in his car the crowd is ecstatic, giving him flowers, children running in the streets unbidden. It's an uplifting view of the party, and the first instance of bold imagery, and using film techniques to envision the world in a way that it is obviously not.

Though it drags, and becomes heavy-handed with all the political speeches and how obvious the lies are, it's still an amazing look into the evolution of documentary films and the charisma of a dictator.