Review of Triumph of the Will (1935) by Steve G — 15 Feb 2008

Leni Riefenstahl's much-referenced masterpiece of totalitarian propaganda, at almost two hours and with no plot but only endless parades and speeches, is a film to be studied more than watched. While cinematographically groundbreaking and historically important, the film is both too repulsive and too boring to warrant a full five stars.

The version I watched had no subtitles, which actually may have been an advantage: The content of the speeches, which I understand includes little or no overt anti-Semitism and consists largely of typical fascist fare -- odes to the party, the nation, the state, national pride, strength, discipline, blah blah blah -- is very much beside the point. It is all about the stunning, arresting visuals, and Hitler's overblown, hypnotic speaking style, which was so well lampooned in Chaplin's "The Great Dictator".