Referring to the essay in the textbook by Tomasulo, consider the imagery of the film and the emotions invoked. Does the religion symbolism enhance the film? Are there moments when a kind of mysticism takes over? How do the elaborate production values affect the audience's potential reception of the film?
Does the film transcend simple documentary? How so?
How does the film contrast with Listen to Britain?
Feel free to bring up any other points or responses you wish.
I think that there is definitely imagery that can be construed as "mysticism." For example, the rally's at night, with the large bon fires and massive crowds. It calls to mind images many of us may have seen of the ku klux klan. The scale of this film is massive, it's not just one person following Hitler around with a camera. The editing and wide scale shots make it visually very dynamic. Because of the editing I would say that it would not be a stretch to describe it as more than simple documentary. As a whole the film is documenting this event, but it is also very much an act of propaganda on the part of the Nazi party. It aims to display them in a positive light, making good changes for the German people after World War 1. In contrast to "Listen to Britain" I would say that this film aimed to show to scale of the Nazi party, giving the impression that they had great power and resources. Whereas the shorter, and obviously lower budget, "Listen to Britain" seemed almost to be a morale booster for the British people.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jennie. "Triumph of Will" is definitely more than just a simple documentary; there is an underlying message and a certain light that Leni Riefenstahl was trying to portray the Nazi Party in. As Americans in this day and age, we were taught that Nazism and Hitler were bad influences, not only on Germany, but the world as well. In "Triumph of Will," Riefenstahl praises Hitler and one could say that she even tries to immortalize him, making him seem godlike. For example, the opening scene where Riefenstahl captures Hitler descending from the sky in his plane has a haunting mystic about it, as if he is a god descending from the heavens. Another instance where Hitler is portrayed as larger than life is when he is delivering his speech from a massive stone platform; the camera, being below him, depicts Hitler as a high authority with the sky serving as the background. As Jennie said, there definitely is imagery throughout the film that can be construed as "mystical."
Delete-Dino Davaros
When learning about Nazi Germany and Hitler's rule, we were always taught more about the holocaust than how it actually progressed to the concentration camps. It was extremely interesting to see how one man became such an important and followed idol in Germany. The amount of people that were in the scenes where he was giving speeches, or during his parade through the town is incredible. It wasnt just a small following of people it was a huge organization and made it a little more clear as to how this group of people were able to get so wrapped up and "brainwashed" by someone they idolized so greatly. I felt the film portrayed Hitler as this great figure. Although the film was made before the holocaust, it was very unsettling to see how large an impact one man had on an entire country and how easily he was able to persuade them. "Triumph of the Will" portrayed the Nazi party positively and represented the Germans as empowered.
ReplyDeleteThough out the film, there were many images that show unity and patriotism in Germany. From one of the first scenes, huge masses of people gathered to see Hitler when he arrived, portraying him as a powerful leader and "father" of the nation. For most of the documentary, those kinds of images were shown. Riefenstahl gave us the view of the masses from the parades and rallies and showed how emotionally connected the people of Germany were to Hitler. I feel like this film goes beyond simple documentary because this is not just about Hitler and his life. This shows the power of Nazi Germany and the entire nation as one.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I didn't really enjoy Triumph of The Will, I respect it's mark in history. It captured the emotion, and patriotism of Germany in that time. With many elaborate cinematic aspects, and a tall budget, I believe this film was made to it's full potential. That being said, I found it incredibly repetitive and in bad taste. There was nothing humble about it at all. It was all just one big "song-and-dance". In comparison, I thought Listen to Britain was a delightful little piece. Maybe it's because of the cultural difference, or maybe it's because of the intent of the film. I think Listen to Britain was trying to show the unity of a country through honest images, and soothing classical music; however, in Triumph of The Will their main goal was to show-case Hitler, and convince who ever watched the film that he was very much loved and respected by his people in hopes to gain support for the Nazi movement. And I'm sure at that time he was, but look where that got them. It's hard for me to relate to Hitlers followers in the movie because of the negative feelings that I, as a human being, have towards him for the crimes he committed.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the religious metaphors, if I hadn't done the readings, I wouldn't even have noticed them. Then again, I can't fathom putting a man like Hitler on such a pedestal.
I did not enjoy this film at all. I can only take so much pro-hitler propaganda without becoming irritated. However, having said this, I thought the film was well done and accomplished its goal. The film made Hitler and his ideas and goals for the country of Germany seem great. The many different shots of huge crowds supporting Hitler at his rallies make him seem the most loved person in the world. The film also showed huge armies which represented the power Hitler had to his disposal. So Id be lying if I said the film wasn't successful as a piece of propaganda in pre-WWII Germany. Knowing what happened in Germany in the years following this film, it can be said that this film did exactly what it was supposed to do in gaining support for the nazi cause. It's unfortunate that this film had to be about hitler and the nazis because I think I could have possibly enjoyed it more had it been about a person and group that I didn't despise.
ReplyDeleteTriumph of the Will provides an insight to the rise of Hitler and his Nazi Party in 1934. The many images, shots, and speeches of Hitler taken throughout the film enhances Leni Riefenstahl's view to present a new and rising group that was about to dominate Germany during that time. From my view, I thought the film gave the world a very clear background of Hitler, and it got his message across about what he had planned for Germany's future. The many parades and crowds Hitler spoke in front of showed how much power and influence he had on the German people. In addition, his approach to use nationalism and patriotism to attract people helped bring forth a type of mysticism, that Hitler himself was the almighty who was going to bring Germany out of its downward state.
ReplyDeleteIn relation to Listen to Britain, Triumph of the Will gave more of a view on the rise of a party whereas Listen to Britain showed a growing and flourished country. Both films also gave snapshots of what England and Germany were like in the 1930s. Overall, both films showed how growth can affect a country.
Triumph of the Will was an interesting documentary. Some of the shots were quite interesting when making the crowd look bigger than it actually was. Even though it wasn't one of my favorite documentaries there are somethings worth mentioning. Firstly, Triumph of the WIll gives a good insight into the Nazi Party and patriotism in Germany. Secondly, it really shows how many people really loved Hitler and his ideals. And thirdly, his speeches were quite interesting one of his statements were along the lines of being peaceful and strong. This to me was intriguing since we know the future of what Hitler really goes on to do and it couldn't be any further from peaceful.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to Listen to Britain, Triumph of the WIll better depicted the party and seemed more centered around the Nazi's, whereas Listen to Britain just seemed to stress cohesion and getting along would bring happiness. Which was seen when the group of guys were singing an American folk tune also when the group of people were in that dancing/rotating circle. Overall, Listen to Britain didn't seem to give me a feeling of only one particular party holding all of the power rather if everyone works together then they'll be able to get through these harsh times.
I found very interesting in that it really captured the momentary feeling of the massive union between the German people immediately before WWII. I don't think I've ever seen such a passionate rally, not even during American presidential inaugurations. Of course this doesn't take away from the fact that they were fucking Nazis, but nevertheless, there's something very captivating about the entire experience of viewing this film. In a sense, the energy that seems to be produced during the events almost seem as if a feeling of mysticism must have been present for those who were involved. There had to be some kind of strange energy circling around as an entire country celebrated their nationalism, new political order, and of course, Hitler. I didn't pay much attention to any symbolic religious themes, but I can imagine that they could illicit certain emotions in religious people as they could be reminded of how their religion was used by the Nazis. Overall, the films production values are top notch for its time. They literally got a shot in at every angle in every situation throughout the film. This could definitely produce a stronger emotional reaction for a pre WWII German audience. As for today's audiences, it definitely brings us that much closer to the events themselves creating a more in depth look which could ideally, in regard to documentary film making, illicit a positive response to the actual production value of the film.
ReplyDeleteAs for Listen to Britain, there's definitely a more guerrilla film making feel to it. All of the shots are, if I remember correctly, hand held and up close and personal with various people and social occasions in 1930's England. Both films are about national pride, yet Triumph of the Will is far more frightening yet oddly engaging.
I found very interesting in that it really captured the momentary feeling of the massive union between the German people immediately before WWII. I don't think I've ever seen such a passionate rally, not even during American presidential inaugurations. Of course this doesn't take away from the fact that they were fucking Nazis, but nevertheless, there's something very captivating about the entire experience of viewing this film. In a sense, the energy that seems to be produced during the events almost seem as if a feeling of mysticism must have been present for those who were involved. There had to be some kind of strange energy circling around as an entire country celebrated their nationalism, new political order, and of course, Hitler. I didn't pay much attention to any symbolic religious themes, but I can imagine that they could illicit certain emotions in religious people as they could be reminded of how their religion was used by the Nazis. Overall, the films production values are top notch for its time. They literally got a shot in at every angle in every situation throughout the film. This could definitely produce a stronger emotional reaction for a pre WWII German audience. As for today's audiences, it definitely brings us that much closer to the events themselves creating a more in depth look which could ideally, in regard to documentary film making, illicit a positive response to the actual production value of the film.
ReplyDeleteAs for Listen to Britain, there's definitely a more guerrilla film making feel to it. All of the shots are, if I remember correctly, hand held and up close and personal with various people and social occasions in 1930's England. Both films are about national pride, yet Triumph of the Will is far more frightening yet oddly engaging.
Triumph of the Will as a documentary and film really put its audience in perspective. It truly glory’s the reign of the Nazis pre-WWII. Being that I have a strong foundation of education regarding the actions of Adolf Hitler, I did react a bit strongly to some of the scenes in the film. The non-low budget documentary portrayed him as some sort of savior having come to recover the German country after the Weimar Republic demonstrated such failure. It was clearly a propaganda piece, as cited in the text, although I don’t know if I agree with the author about the homoerotic elements. I think the choice of visuals may have just symbolized and made an icon of masculinity. Nothing about the film seems to necessarily be targeted strictly at men. It was artfully done yet also spooky. Despite the clear pro-Hitler agenda, the film did emanate a sort of eerie essence, something that was not present in other documentaries like Listen to Britain. That was a fairly cheery documentary. There were many long-lasting shots of clouds and there was a definite narrative in Triumph. I assume that the title which Leni Riefenstahl chose spoke of Hitler’s successful militant conquering and revolutionizing. It serves the propagandist attempt of the film to portray the Nazi party as heroic and strong, although the name does not sit well with me.
ReplyDeleteI believe the biggest reason that Triumph of the Will is more then a simple documentary is the elaborate production values. The amount of effort that went into the capture and production of this film defiantly affects the audience. This film had a goal of more then just capturing different political events and the country's love of Hitler. One overall feeling that can be seen with the different scenes and camera shots is a "larger then life" feeling. The film makes both Hitler and the Nazi party seem godlike and powerful. Many shots include crowds and military members that seem to go on forever symbolizing the pure magnitude of the ideals a "support".
ReplyDeleteI agree with Justin in how Triumph of the Will gave more of a view on the political party and the unity of this party and the people helping the country's growth; Whereas Listen to Britain showed a growing country as a whole.
During Listen to Britain, the film appears more like a collage of different images of the British people. It shows kids playing, women working, men in the military, and much more. They don't spend more than five minutes on any particular group of people. It shows that Britain is unique and stands strong in independence. The film brings patriotism by showing how traditional Britain has remained despite being at war. In contrast to Listen to Britain, Triumph of the Will brings patriotism by focusing on one particular figure. The film specifically follows Hitler during his visit to Nuremberg. The other people in the film are only shown either praising Hitler or following his orders. The military are displayed carrying shovels instead of guns, almost saying, "Look how great and nonviolent Hitler is. He is going to help us rebuild!" The patriotism is brought through the leader, not the people. Both are effective, but clearly are intending different things.
ReplyDeleteI did not particularly like that film at all, but i understand that it should be respected for the impact it had on people at the time as well as the novelty is presents. Main thing that stuck out to me was how giddy and homo-erotic all of the boys were at the training camps. They promote shirtless rough-housing and then Hitler condemns homosexuals as vermont along with the jews. It just doesn't make sense. Those scenes that were shot at the training facilities were very graphic, it is on thing to shower in a group because that is how things were done in a large setting perhaps. but the wrestling and awkward smiles that were being passed from one to another, I have no problem with it, but for it to be encouraged only for HItler to act brutally towards the gay population astounds me. What a crazy guy. The press conferences were effective in gaining a sense of how the germans worshiped him and looked at him not only as a war leader, but as a guy that could do no wrong,
ReplyDeleteI think the film definitely came across with a certain mysticism to it. The candles, flags, masses of people, silence, or lack there of all contribute to a greater impact of the film. The production value had a lot to do with the audience's reception of the film, and enhanced it on many levels. The wide shots of huge crowds either in complete silence, or total uproar were extremely moving shots that would not have been possible without the budget that this film had.
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