Leni Riefenstahl

Adolph HItler and Leni Riefenstahl

Adolph Hitler's most controversial filmmaker, Leni Riefenstahl, died this past week. Her Films covered some of the biggest pre World War II events in Nazi Germany. She never officially joined the Nazi party but her films certainly said otherwise.

At one time, I thought documentary films were about telling the truth. Now I realize that documentary films are about showing the filmmakers opinion, or at least showing the truth as far as the filmmaker sees it. There are two different ways of doing this. There is the "blame"documentary and there is the "subtle" documentary.

The "blame" documentary is where the filmmaker says something happened as a result of something else causing it to happen. Michael Moore is this type of documentary maker. He wants to push his opinion by simply pointing the finger and bashing his opponents. His movies "Roger and Me" and "Bowling for Columbine'" focus on the negatives, and simply blame capitalism for everything. His films do not persuade his opponents to see things his way. He just offends them. The "subtle" documentary is far more effective. It focuses on the positive. Instead of slamming the opposite opinion, it simply builds up its own. It is a much greater tool of propaganda than just saying, "It's there fault."

Leni Riefenstahl knew this. Her film "Triumph of the Will," is one of the greatest pieces of filmed propaganda ever made. It shows the grandeur of The Third Reich. It treats the demonic Adolph Hitler like a deity. He arrives at a huge Nuremberg rally on a plane flying through the clouds. The symbolism of a god descending to the people is obvious, but none the less effective. He rides through the streets as people wave and cheer. It would be very easy for anyone watching this movie to get caught up in the bravado of the mood. Hitler preached about how great Germany was. He filled his country with hope and delusions of greatness. Leni Riefenstahl's documentary was a powerful tool that helped him do it.

Of course underneath all of that text is an immense hatred and evil. However, Leni focused on the positive that Hitler seemed to bring. He spoke of German's being an Aryan race. A race of people better than others. Consider that Germany was in a depression and got their ass kicked in World War I. Hitler built up their egos and made them proud to be Germans again. That was some effective propaganda.

Leni Riefenstahl was a silent film actress born August 22, 1902. One of her early films was called "The Blue Light," set in the German Alps. She wrote, directed and starred in it. After hearing Hitler speak in 1932, she wrote him a letter offering her talents.

Not only would she make "Triumph of the Will" for Hitler, she would also make "Olympia." "Olympia" was her documentary about the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The 1936 Olympics are noted by Hitler's refusal to shake Jesse Owens’s hand after he won a gold medal. Jesse Owens was black, and thus Hitler saw him as sub human.

Riefenstahl claimed to have no knowledge of Hitler's "Final Solution." Still, she was arrested and held by allied forces for three years following the war. She also denied rumors of being Hitler's lover. War tribunals eventually cleared her of any wrongdoing. However, she would often be considered a Nazi collaborator.

Plagued by persistent accusations, Riefenstahl would go on to live a long full life. She was married for three years, but had no children. Later in life, she took in an assistant/companion, Horst Kettner who was half her age.

She received acclaim for her photos of the Nuba people of Africa. She survived a helicopter crash in Sudan in 2000. At 100 years old, she strapped on scuba gear and filmed an underwater documentary called "Impressions Under Water."

She died September 8th, 2003. She was 101 years old. She will forever be remembered for her film, "Triumph of the Will." A film that helped form the image of both a dictator and a nation. A film that she spent a lifetime being questioned about. To which she has said; "I don't know what I should apologize for? I cannot apologize, for example, for having made the film "Triumph of the Will" - it won top prize. All my films won prizes."

Perhaps Michael Moore could learn from Riefenstahl. Perhaps he should get away from the blame game and do documentaries on those who over come adversity, despite obstacles. If Riefenstahl's movies demonstrate anything, it is that the positive angle, even when masking evil, is a more powerful weapon of persuasion and inspiration than just pissing and moaning and pointing the finger.