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Was “Triumph of the Will” a documentary or propaganda
There are many contrasting opinions on the subject. Some believe that the movie is a piece of Nazi propaganda meant to promote the Nazi image and discourage its enemies. Others believe it is a factual presentation of an event, without possessing any intentional propaganda. Whichever the answer, it is well known that Leni Riefenstahl’s career has been haunted by “Triumph of the Will” to this day.
To properly judge whether “Triumph of the Will” was a documentary or propaganda, an accurate definition must be stated. The word 'propaganda' derives from the name of an organisation set up in 1622 by the Roman Catholic Church to carry on missionary work, the “Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith” (Congregatio de Propaganda Fide). Today propaganda is seen as the systematic effort to manipulate other people’s beliefs, attitudes or actions. The propagandist has a specified goal or set of goals and to achieve these he deliberately selects facts, arguments, images, etc. to present them in the ways he believes will have the most persuasive effect.
A documentary is defined as a work, such as a film or television program, presenting political, social, or historical subject matter in a factual and informative manner and often consisting of actual news films or interviews accompanied by narration. Originating from official documentation released for various reasons, it has since become the standard name of non-fiction programmes which attempt to present their subject matter based on fact.
In 1934 Hitler commissioned Leni Riefenstahl, the only director whom he believed came close to rivalling the work of Eisenstein, to produce an artistic film about the Party convention at Nuremberg, Triumph of the Will. In her book on the film, Riefenstahl notes that ‘The preparations for the Party convention were made in concert with the preparations for the camera work.’ In reality however, the rally was intended from the outset to be the stage for a spectacular piece of film propaganda glorifying Nazism.
Although “Triumph of the Will” was indeed about the Nuremberg Party Congress, preparations for the rally were carefully constructed around the preparations for the film. The Third Reich’s architect, Albert Speer, carefully constructed the groundwork for the event, with grandiose building arrangements and precise plans for marches. The city of Nuremberg became a stage-set for Riefenstahl’s film, with a sea of swastika banners, bonfires and torches. Riefenstahl’s cinematic technique creates a sense of feverish movement and a seemingly endless array of banners and people.
Leni Riefenstahl has always claimed, however, that she knew nothing of the objectives of the Nuremberg Rally. When she described the conception of the film she said, “Shortly after he came to power Hitler called me to see him and explained that he wanted a film about a Party Congress, and wanted me to make it. My first reaction was to say that I did not know anything about the way such a thing worked or the organisation of the Party, so that I would obviously photograph all the wrong things and please nobody - even supposing [next page]