Triumph of the Will


2h 20m 2001

Brief Synopsis

The Nazis create a massive propaganda event in Munich in 1934.

Film Details

Also Known As
Triumph des Willens
Genre
Documentary
Historical
Political
Release Date
2001
Production Company
20th Century Fox Studio Facilities
Distribution Company
Janus Films; Nelson Entertainment
Location
Nuremberg, Germany

Technical Specs

Duration
2h 20m

Synopsis

The Nazis create a massive propaganda event in Munich in 1934.

Crew

Sepp Allgeier

Camera Operator

Sepp Allgeier

Director Of Photography

Karl Altenberger

Camera Operator

August Beis

Camera Assistant

Eugen O Bernhard

Camera Assistant

Richard Bohm

Camera Assistant

Werner Bohne

Camera Operator

Wolfgang Bruning

Production Assistant

R Bude

Lighting

Hans Buhring

Camera Assistant

H Bullerjahn

Sound Assistant

Fritz Bunsch

Photography Workshop

H Compart

Lighting

H Degner

Sound Assistant

Bernhard Delschaft

Lighting

Bernhard Delschaft

Lighting

K Drews

Sound Assistant

E Eisenbach

Sound Assistant

E Erdmann

Lighting

Walter Frentz

Camera Operator

W Fried

Lighting

Hans Gottschalk

Camera Operator

Erich Grohmann

Camera Assistant

K H Grohwald

Lighting

Walter Grosskopf

Business Manager

Peter B Gushue

English Subtitles (2001 Dvd Version)

Peter Haller

Camera Assistant

Wolf Hart

Camera Assistant

Bruno Hartwich

Sound Editor

O Hilbert

Lighting

H Honicka

Sound Assistant

Werner Hundhausen

Camera Operator

Otto Jager

Camera Assistant

Richard Kandler

Camera Assistant

Herbert Kebelmann

Camera Operator

Sepp Ketterer

Camera Assistant

Arthur Kiekebusch

Camera Operator Supervisor

Albert Kling

Camera Operator

Albert Kling

Aerial Photography

Franz Koch

Camera Operator

Josef Koch

Camera Assistant

Feliz Koziolek

Lighting

E Kropf

Sound Assistant

Han Kubisch

Lighting

Erich Kuchler

Camera Assistant

C Kuhns

Sound Assistant

Ernest Kuntsmann

Camera Assistant

Herbert Kutschbach

Camera Operator

Rolf Lantin

Stills

Guzzi Lantschner

Business Manager Assistant

Otto Lantschner

Business Manager Assistant

Paul Lieberenz

Camera Operator

Gisela Lindeck-schneeberger

Photography Editing; Photography Enlargement

Heinz Linke

Camera Assistant

H Loos

Sound Assistant

Alice Ludwig

Sound Editor

Wolfgang Muller

Camera Assistant

Richard Nickel

Camera Operator

Hans Noack

Photography Workshop

Svend Nolan

Photography Workshop

Erna Peters

Business Manager Assistant

Walter Prager

Business Manager Assistant

R Radtke

Lighting

F Reinke

Lighting

J Richter

Sound Assistant

Leni Riefenstahl

Artistic Producer; Producer

Walter Riml

Camera Operator

W Rosskopf

Sound Assistant

F Rusch

Lighting

Anthony R Santoro

English Subtitles (2001 Dvd Version)

Wilhelm Schmidt

Camera Assistant

K Schrieber

Lighting

Otto Schroeder

Lighting

Kurt Schulz

Camera Assistant

Siegfried Schulz

Sound Engineer

Ernst Schutz

Sound Engineer Assistant

Herbert Seehofer

Consultant (Propaganda-Nsdap)

Albert Speer

Art Direction (Architectural Planning)

W Stangenberg

Lighting

Erich Stoll

Camera Assistant

Walter Traut

Business Manager

Karl Vass

Camera Operator

Arthur Von Schwertfuhrer

Camera Operator

Franz Weihmayr

Camera Operator

Siegfried Weinmann

Camera Operator

Karl Wellert

Camera Operator

Herbert Windt

Music

Hans Wittmann

Camera Assistant

Film Details

Also Known As
Triumph des Willens
Genre
Documentary
Historical
Political
Release Date
2001
Production Company
20th Century Fox Studio Facilities
Distribution Company
Janus Films; Nelson Entertainment
Location
Nuremberg, Germany

Technical Specs

Duration
2h 20m

Articles

Triumph of the Will (Special Edition) - Triumph of the Will - Special Edition


Triumph of the Will (1935), a propaganda film produced by and for the German Nazi party, is an astonishing piece of filmmaking. It's also a terrifying vision of humanity's potential for absolute, systematic evil. Directed with full authority by former actress Leni Riefenstahl, Triumph of the Will is the piece de resistance of propaganda filmmaking, giving a three dimensional portrayal of the Nazi party's belief in the power of the cinema to hypnotize.

Knowing the power of cinema to spread the gospel of Nazism far and wide, Adolf Hitler and Josef Goebbels handpicked Riefenstahl to start the cadence of assimilation and blind obedience to the National Socialist German Workers Party. And Riefenstahl pulled it off brilliantly, as shown in Synapse Films' new DVD release of Triumph of the Will - Special Edition.

The DVD boasts corrected translations of the various fiery speeches by Hitler, Rudolf Hess, and countless other Nazi officials. Detailed liner notes give a succinct history behind the making of the film as well as its understandably controversial legacy. The running audio commentary by historian Dr. Anthony R. Santuro is well done, offering jovial and enlightening insight behind the film on the city of Nuremberg, the Nazi party's hierarchy, customs, paraphernalia, their rise to power, and most usefully, a succinct summation of what the Nazis' totalitarian state meant to Germans: Nazis wanted your thoughts as well as your actions. Of special interest on the DVD is the 15-minute short film Day of Freedom (1934), Riefenstahl's war exercise film that is meant to show the professionalism and invincibility of the Nazi's military industrial complex. The short film opens as soldiers wake up and get ready for the day's events, while a crowd of observers gather in the grandstands to watch the enactment of what would be the real thing four years later in Czechoslovakia, followed by Poland, France and the rest of Europe. But Riefenstahl doesn't quite inspire awe at German firepower by virtue of the fact that the weapons are all necessarily shooting blanks. Not even the evil Nazi Party would subject themselves to stray gunfire while sitting in the observation grandstands just a few hundred yards away from the "fighting." But the film's final image, that of planes flying in the formation of a swastika, suggests that Riefenstahl's early show of mastery over form and technique would later find its zenith in Triumph of the Will.

Indeed, Triumph of the Will is an admirable and monumentally important film, both as a work of art and as a historical document. While there's nothing beautiful or artistic about the Nazis' barbaric and genocidal ideology, the film should be studied for the way in which Riefenstahl presents the Nazi aesthetic on screen. Akira Kurosawa and George Lucas might have been taking notes on how to block thousands of marching minions and make their movement look stunningly beautiful. Many have compared the final scene in Lucas' Star Wars (1977) with Hitler's entrance into a grandiose arena of SA and SS storm troopers, a comparison that still stands up today. Because much of Germany had suffered under a crushing economic depression, many of her citizens had not enough money to buy food, let alone the newest fashions. Pride in the nation and culture was at low ebb. In this Hitler took the fullest advantage of selling the power of the Nazis, to restore pride in Germany. Thus, Riefenstahl spent much of her film caressing the shiny and sharp Nazi image. Fetishized close ups of handsome men with boots, medals, uniforms, carefully cropped hair, and the abundant banners emblazoned with the swastika turn the German peoples' embarrassment of their poverty into the idolatry of Nazi chic.

Riefenstahl is most successful in using groundbreaking camera movement to capture the panoramic sweep of Nuremberg and the weight and breadth of Hitler's presence in the city. Her mastery of orchestrating the camera and bodies in geometric precision recalls the work of her contemporary, Busby Berkeley. During one rally, three gargantuan swastika banners cloak one camera that moves up and down the length of the banners, capturing truly breathtaking shots of the perfectly aligned Nazis standing and marching in formation.

Riefenstahl uses multi-camera shots for Hitler's Wagnerian flight over the beautiful city of Nuremberg. Indeed, the film acts as a wonderful travelogue of Nuremberg, as much as it does a love song to the god-like Hitler. The sights and sounds of Nuremberg were seen for the first time by most of the Germans who saw Triumph of the Will in the movie houses. The fair city was also seen for the first time by Allied bombers who obliterated the city during World War II. (According to historian Anthony R. Santuro, much of Nuremberg was rebuilt after the war to the specifications of the city's original design, so the city looks much as it does in this film.)

As history, it should be remembered that Triumph of the Will is the greatest piece of propaganda filmmaking ever made. The film's official title includes this qualifier: "The historical document of the 1934 Congress of the National Socialist German Workers Party. Party Day of Victory, September 4-10, Nuremberg." Due to its propagandistic and artificial nature, in no way could this film stand as a historical document of fact. The astute observer will note that there are obvious ways in which Riefenstahl manipulated the proceedings to make a much more powerful film. For example, we see Hitler in close up riding in an open car down a long boulevard of adoring throngs. But in long shot, we see Hitler, supposedly in the same car, only there is no camera to be seen. The obvious conclusion is Riefenstahl filmed the Fuhrer in close up separately, and spliced his visage back into the long shot footage of his parade. Riefenstahl reportedly filmed Hitler separately for some of his speeches as well.

But aside from the dissolves, cuts, jumpcuts and wipes, editing techniques which are by their very nature manipulative, the film is an important historical summation of the power of the Nazi state to manipulate and control its own image. And as history, Triumph of the Will stands as a reminder of the scourge of fascism and how it seduced the minds of millions of Germans, resulting in the obscene deaths of millions, untold suffering, billions of dollars in damage, and geopolitical repercussions that will echo for decades.

For more information about Triumph of the Will - Special Edition or to purchase a copy, visit Synapse Films.

by Scott McGee
Triumph Of The Will (Special Edition) - Triumph Of The Will - Special Edition

Triumph of the Will (Special Edition) - Triumph of the Will - Special Edition

Triumph of the Will (1935), a propaganda film produced by and for the German Nazi party, is an astonishing piece of filmmaking. It's also a terrifying vision of humanity's potential for absolute, systematic evil. Directed with full authority by former actress Leni Riefenstahl, Triumph of the Will is the piece de resistance of propaganda filmmaking, giving a three dimensional portrayal of the Nazi party's belief in the power of the cinema to hypnotize. Knowing the power of cinema to spread the gospel of Nazism far and wide, Adolf Hitler and Josef Goebbels handpicked Riefenstahl to start the cadence of assimilation and blind obedience to the National Socialist German Workers Party. And Riefenstahl pulled it off brilliantly, as shown in Synapse Films' new DVD release of Triumph of the Will - Special Edition. The DVD boasts corrected translations of the various fiery speeches by Hitler, Rudolf Hess, and countless other Nazi officials. Detailed liner notes give a succinct history behind the making of the film as well as its understandably controversial legacy. The running audio commentary by historian Dr. Anthony R. Santuro is well done, offering jovial and enlightening insight behind the film on the city of Nuremberg, the Nazi party's hierarchy, customs, paraphernalia, their rise to power, and most usefully, a succinct summation of what the Nazis' totalitarian state meant to Germans: Nazis wanted your thoughts as well as your actions. Of special interest on the DVD is the 15-minute short film Day of Freedom (1934), Riefenstahl's war exercise film that is meant to show the professionalism and invincibility of the Nazi's military industrial complex. The short film opens as soldiers wake up and get ready for the day's events, while a crowd of observers gather in the grandstands to watch the enactment of what would be the real thing four years later in Czechoslovakia, followed by Poland, France and the rest of Europe. But Riefenstahl doesn't quite inspire awe at German firepower by virtue of the fact that the weapons are all necessarily shooting blanks. Not even the evil Nazi Party would subject themselves to stray gunfire while sitting in the observation grandstands just a few hundred yards away from the "fighting." But the film's final image, that of planes flying in the formation of a swastika, suggests that Riefenstahl's early show of mastery over form and technique would later find its zenith in Triumph of the Will. Indeed, Triumph of the Will is an admirable and monumentally important film, both as a work of art and as a historical document. While there's nothing beautiful or artistic about the Nazis' barbaric and genocidal ideology, the film should be studied for the way in which Riefenstahl presents the Nazi aesthetic on screen. Akira Kurosawa and George Lucas might have been taking notes on how to block thousands of marching minions and make their movement look stunningly beautiful. Many have compared the final scene in Lucas' Star Wars (1977) with Hitler's entrance into a grandiose arena of SA and SS storm troopers, a comparison that still stands up today. Because much of Germany had suffered under a crushing economic depression, many of her citizens had not enough money to buy food, let alone the newest fashions. Pride in the nation and culture was at low ebb. In this Hitler took the fullest advantage of selling the power of the Nazis, to restore pride in Germany. Thus, Riefenstahl spent much of her film caressing the shiny and sharp Nazi image. Fetishized close ups of handsome men with boots, medals, uniforms, carefully cropped hair, and the abundant banners emblazoned with the swastika turn the German peoples' embarrassment of their poverty into the idolatry of Nazi chic. Riefenstahl is most successful in using groundbreaking camera movement to capture the panoramic sweep of Nuremberg and the weight and breadth of Hitler's presence in the city. Her mastery of orchestrating the camera and bodies in geometric precision recalls the work of her contemporary, Busby Berkeley. During one rally, three gargantuan swastika banners cloak one camera that moves up and down the length of the banners, capturing truly breathtaking shots of the perfectly aligned Nazis standing and marching in formation. Riefenstahl uses multi-camera shots for Hitler's Wagnerian flight over the beautiful city of Nuremberg. Indeed, the film acts as a wonderful travelogue of Nuremberg, as much as it does a love song to the god-like Hitler. The sights and sounds of Nuremberg were seen for the first time by most of the Germans who saw Triumph of the Will in the movie houses. The fair city was also seen for the first time by Allied bombers who obliterated the city during World War II. (According to historian Anthony R. Santuro, much of Nuremberg was rebuilt after the war to the specifications of the city's original design, so the city looks much as it does in this film.) As history, it should be remembered that Triumph of the Will is the greatest piece of propaganda filmmaking ever made. The film's official title includes this qualifier: "The historical document of the 1934 Congress of the National Socialist German Workers Party. Party Day of Victory, September 4-10, Nuremberg." Due to its propagandistic and artificial nature, in no way could this film stand as a historical document of fact. The astute observer will note that there are obvious ways in which Riefenstahl manipulated the proceedings to make a much more powerful film. For example, we see Hitler in close up riding in an open car down a long boulevard of adoring throngs. But in long shot, we see Hitler, supposedly in the same car, only there is no camera to be seen. The obvious conclusion is Riefenstahl filmed the Fuhrer in close up separately, and spliced his visage back into the long shot footage of his parade. Riefenstahl reportedly filmed Hitler separately for some of his speeches as well. But aside from the dissolves, cuts, jumpcuts and wipes, editing techniques which are by their very nature manipulative, the film is an important historical summation of the power of the Nazi state to manipulate and control its own image. And as history, Triumph of the Will stands as a reminder of the scourge of fascism and how it seduced the minds of millions of Germans, resulting in the obscene deaths of millions, untold suffering, billions of dollars in damage, and geopolitical repercussions that will echo for decades. For more information about Triumph of the Will - Special Edition or to purchase a copy, visit Synapse Films. by Scott McGee

Quotes

Trivia

Miscellaneous Notes

Released in United States on Video April 17, 2001

Released in United States on Video April 17, 2001