Film Review

Triumph of the Will: A Warning to the World=

There are = few films that measure up to the impact Triumph of the Will has had on the world. Its legacy can be seen in Hollywood films such as Star Wars and Lord of Rings, as well as American political rallies and conventions held every four years. The cinematic techniques borrowed = are often overshadowed by the more pervasive and rather startling techniques of fascist propaganda. While som= e view Triumph as a magnificent historical documentary, others see it as propagand= a in its purest form. I believe it played a dual role in the Nazi world as both a certification of the emergen= ce of the Third Reich, and a means to encapsulate the minds of German society = through the use of mass media.

This essay= will examine Triumph of the Will and the message it sent to the German people. I will describe the political econ= omic conditions Germany faced after WWI that led up to the film.&n= bsp; I will than examine the propaganda techniques of the film and demons= trate how they developed into a cohesive political message. Lastly, I will survey the impact i= t had on German society and what lessons the film can teach us today.

Following = World War I, Germany= was stricken with huge penalties at the Treaty of Versailles: the German military was dismantled, colonies were relinquished, the Rhineland was occu= pied by France, and the nation faced a war bill of $33 billion. Fr= ance’s goal of protecting itself at the expense of completely crippling Germany was achieved only temporarily.[1] Coupled with an increasingly unsta= ble international economy, the effects of war reparations on Germany= left its economy unable to create a stable middle class. Bankers flooded Germany= with dollars in order to help pay for the reparations and rebuild the country re= sulting in hyperinflation. Inflation = was so severe, “many who lived quite comfortably off the interest of their l= ife savings prior to the war, saw it evaporate over night as their money became worthless”.[2] Photos of the period show mothers burning their money in stoves to keep warm as the value of the Mark plummet= ed from 4.2 per US dollar to 1,= 000,000 per dollar by August 1923, and 4,200,000,000,000 per dollar on November 20, 1923.[3] While post-war Germany was modeled off of the British system and their constitution one of the most liberal ever written, these developments could not stave off the pressures of an unstable economy= .

Instabilit= y in Germany= was heightened by the role of international financing and the policies of self-interested governments attempting to minimize the effects of world-wide economic fluctuations on their own national economies. The United States realized as Secretary of State Hughes explaine= d: “the prosperity of the United States<= /st1:country-region> largely depends upon the economic settlements which may be made in Europe (…) There can be no economic recuperation in Europe unless Germany recuperate.”[4] The Dawes and Young Plans were implemented to diminish the repercussions of reparations, rising unemployme= nt, and rising inflation. However= , with every new loan financed to Germany, more loans needed to be issued to pay for the next round of inflation. Patricia Clavin notes the effects hyperinflation had on the stability of the state: “The emblems of the nation decorated and distinguished each national currency, and just as the value of every note declined with inflation, so, too, the sovereignty of the state was visibly devalued and eroded.”[5] The erosion of state institutions coupled with financial collapse made a leader driven with purpose and utopi= an ideology an appealing figure for the desperate masses.

We can see= how the instability of the political-economic environment could bring such a charismatic leader to power. = While the Nazi Party did not hold a majority in parliament, it did have the means= to bind moderate conservative and socialist forces together. It also held the backing of big bu= siness primarily for the purpose of maintaining a stable economic environment in <= st1:place w:st=3D"on">Germany.

The passag= e of the Enabling Act on March 23, 1933 is the date the NSDP (or Nazi Party) took fu= ll power of Germany. While some argue their power was w= ell entrenched before this date, the passage of the Act itself gave Hitler full authority to conduct foreign policy, enact legislation, and deviate from the constitution at will.[6] With the consolidation of official power, the Nazi party sought to garner admiration of the masses. In September 1934, the Sixth Party= Rally was organized as a 4 day event structured with parades, reviews, speeches, = and a mammoth celebration of the Party. To capture the attention of the nation, the events would be filmed u= nder the direction of Leni Riefenstahl: a celebrated actress and young film director. While not an official card-carryin= g Nazi herself, she seems to have held qualities Hitler would find more important = in an artist: creativity, passion, and direction. These qualities would aid her to c= reate a film that could encapsulate the spirit of the movement and transport it to every theatre in Ger= many.

We will now examine how Hitler was able to extend the perception of his power through Triumph of the Will. How through coercive filming techn= iques, led by Leni Riefenstahl, Hitler was bestowed divine characteristics.

The film o= pens with a prologue describing the significance of the day:

20 years after the outbreak of the World War... 16 years after the beginning of our suffering ... 19 months after the beginning of the German renaissance ... Adolf Hitler flew again to Nuremberg to review the columns of his faithful followers...

A triumphant Wagner tune is played as Hitler’s plane flies alone above Nuremberg. It casts a long shadow above the c= ity as it passes over columns of marching soldiers. The use of the plane is important because of its limited use in 1934.[7] It separates Hitler from humanity = as an angelic figure arriving from the heavens to rescue <= st1:country-region w:st=3D"on">Germany from itself.

= As Hitler disembarks from the plane, the first use of some of Riefenstahl̵= 7;s controversial editing is seen. She perfected the use of what Rainer Rother calls “counter and reaction shots” which shows the intimacy between the crowd and Hitler.[8] A shot will show a woman waving at Hitler and the next frame will show Hitler responding with a salute or glance. This is perfected thr= ough Riefenstahl’s careful use of editing which usually keeps frames at 3 = to 4 seconds in length at most, and shifts continuously from Hitler to members of the public. Brian Winston con= cludes that Riefenstahl’s use of cutaway techniques in editing result= s in a reality of Nuremberg which is “tenuous” as she completely disregards the continuity = of time. He questions whether an= y of the events are real, and if Hitler and his speeches were merely dubbed in.[9]

Throughout Hitler’s ride from the airport to the hotel the mood is presented as glorious and the people appear desperate to show their love and admiration = for Hitler. This may not be as untruthful as it appears. Hit= ler was certainly loved by his followers, but the use of editing by Riefenstahl presents it in a way which today, we would find fanciful. One particular scene shows a cat i= n a windowsill turning its head to look at Hitler’s motorcade passing. The next scene shows Hitler turnin= g his head quickly towards the cat as if to say “not only are all creatures captivated by the Führer, but there is nothing which his eyes missR= 21;.[10]

Another technique used by Riefenstahl is the low-angle camera. This technique is particularly eff= ective in developing Hitler as the supreme and unparallel leader of the Third Reich. It conspicuously aids = in delivering the message Rudolf Hess states obnoxiously: “Hitler is the Party, Hitler is Germany, Germany is Hitler”. Low-angle cameras are positioned b= elow Hitler or at eye-level wherever it is possible to do so. The position places the audience b= elow Hitler, always looking up to him. Beyond him, they typically see the sky above, or the Nazi swastika behind him, but no person is above Hitler.= This causes most critics of Riefenstahl to question her objectivity = in documenting the film. She had= use of 48 camera men and 19 sub-directors, why would all shots be positioned in such a way as to show Hitler from above? Brian Winston explains that the art of low-angle was one picked up in Renaissance architecture. He quotes from Berthold Hinz in describing why Renaissance statues were built with the feet typically at the viewer’s eye-level:= “(It is) an accurate reflection of fascist reality in the sense that a kick in the face is a constant threat.”[11] Winston finds that this practice d= oes not ultimately turn away the viewer, rather the universal application of the aesthetic in our society tends to “co-opt the viewer”.[12] The few times we find scenes of Hi= tler positioned below us are scenes that provide the opportunity for the audienc= e to appreciate the movement on a whole. To show the sea of followers waving Nazi flags while individualizing only Hitler. It exemplifies complete and utter submission of the self for the exultation of the movemen= t; for the glory of Hitler. It e= xemplifies the essence of fascist art which Susan Sontag says “glorifies surrend= er, it exalts mindlessness”.[13]

Submission to Hitler and the movement were attributes the Nazi Party wished to develop among the population. The eld= er demographics were probably not as attuned to the propaganda as the younger, more vulnera= ble adult population. Therefore, = it is no surprise Triumph has six separate segments that show the youth camp, lab= or front, and SS / SA battalions – all of which include a majority of sc= hool-age youth.[14] They also appear to be having the = most fun: every child smiles as they perform grueling labor, and none would rather be anywhere else but in service to the Reich.

This is ex= pected, once one understands the purpose of the film. That is, not to portray or document reality, but to create reality. As 1971 Films describes, “Pr= opaganda is not about producing thoughtful understanding; it is about inducing or intensifying specif= ic attitudes and actions, for the ever present and necessarily ill-defined, gr= eater good,” which the Nazis viewed as Hitler’s singular visio= n.[15] Absent of complete annihilation of = those who did not agree with Hitler’s vision, propaganda was the next best means to gather the hearts and minds of German people around him. This was supported by many intelle= ctuals as the inevitable alternative to violence among ruling parties in the 1920s. As Christopher Simpson explains:

Nazi intellectuals in Germany proved to be instrumental in many aspects of communication studies throughout the 1930s, both as innovators of successful techniques and as spurs to communication studies outside of Germany intended to counteract the Nazi party’s apparent success with propaga= nda.[16]

Triumph was to show that Ger= many had indeed triumphed over the depression and forged its own national path.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> To tell the German people that it = is Hitler who has brought you out of the pits of hell and it is Hitler who will lead you to the gates of heaven. With the message on film, the Party would multiply its numbers to create a nation with a singular vision and unquestioning obedience to it.

Triumph des Willens was released in March 1935. In Germany it was hailed as a masterpiece. The press, compe= lled to follow the party line, gave the film all forms of accolade, but one paper was alone in criticizing the length. Deutsche Filmzeitung recommended shortening “the parades of the last third” of the film. It also, surprisingly, = gave a reference to both the vision of the film and a political warning Hitler addressed to the enemies of the SA:

The film particularly highlight= s the concentrated embodiment of the movement and the state in the person of the Fuhrer, which was so clearly apparent at the Party Rally in the aftermath of the purge of June 30.[17]

The purge is in reference t= o the murder of Ernst Rohm, chief of staff of the SA and Hitler’s brother-in-arms of the Nazi movement, which Hitler refers to vaguely in a s= peech to the SA. Originally, more narrative of the purge was to be included in the film, however, Rother clai= ms a great deal of evidence suggests that Hitler’s visit to the cutting ro= om prevented any further discussion of the incident.[18]

Subsequent= ly, Riefenstahl was hailed around the world as a “cinematic genius”, and receiv= ed prizes at Venice in 1935 and the Gold Medallion at the Paris World Exhibition of 1937. With this work behind her, she was granted unlimited resources and independence to produce even greater films = for the Nazi regime, such as Olympia.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>

The film&#= 8217;s greatest impact is that on history though.= By deifying a human being and equating the will of a nation with tha= t of its leader, it aided in redirecting the anger and frustration of the German people towards the world. The message received by otherwise peaceful individuals was a means to rationali= zing future violence to include genocide. This allows us to understand how many Germans after the war claimed = to have no knowledge of the Holocaust. State propaganda was so strong, that such a Holocaust could be hidde= n, even if in plain sight.

Triumph of= the Will should be viewed by everyone in order to understand the Nazi movement = and how it became so powerful. To= day we see features of cinematic coercion that far surpass Leni Riefenstahl’s techniques and are far less overt. While many are turned off by political conventions in the United States because of their savvy use of coercion, many are prompted and enticed by them. The same tactics that h= elped ferment extreme and radical attitudes in Nazi Germany are used today to gat= her the masses towards what political representatives claim is the “great= er good”.

A greater = question that should be asked is what role should propaganda play in our society? We all believe to have foresight o= f what the “greater good” is, but few are able to agree, and even fewe= r are willing to listen. Propaganda= can thus help to diffuse extremist attitudes or harness them. Fortunately access to information = is greater now than it ever has been, but that heightens the responsibility of each individual to know all sides of the story before reaching a conclusion. Hitler did not co= me to power because German= y was misinformed, rather, they were desperate. Every country reaches desperate ti= mes; if we are to heed the warning Trium= ph sends, we must acknowledge that we are not immune from them ourselves.

Works Cited=

1971 Films. “Victory of Faith and Triump= h of the Will, Her Propaganda Marches On”= 1971

Films. Available at: http://1= 971films.com/Victory_of_Faith_Triumph_of_the_Will.htm

Clavin, Patricia. = The Great Depression in Europe, 1929-1939. New York: St. Martin’s Press

2000.

Hinz, Berthold. “Art in the Third Reich̶= 1;, printed in Reconsidering Triumph of= the Will by Brian

Winston. Sight and Sound, 50:2. 1981, Spring.

LaFeber, Walter. T= he American Age. 2^nd ed. N= ew York: W W Norton Company, 1994.

Rother, Rainer. Le= ni Riefenstahl. Translated by Martin H. Bott. London: MPG Books Ltd, 2002.=

Simpson, Christopher.= The Science of Coercion. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1994.

Sontag, Susan. “Fascinating Facism”, printed in Reconsidering Triumph of= the Will by Brian

Winston. Sight and Sound, 50:2. 1981, Spring.

Wikipedia. “Triumph of the Will”.= Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia= . Available at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triumph_Of_The_Will

Wikipedia. “Weimar Republic”. Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia= . Available at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weimar_Republic

Winston, Brian. = ;“Reconsidering Triumph of the Will” Sight and Sound, 50:2. 1981, Spring.