EUROPEAN CINEMA
Worl War II.
Behind the scenes
In „Mein Kampf” Hitler notes that the
success of British propaganda is/was due to the fact that it appealed„to feelings
over reason”
Riefenstahl was initially reluctant to make any documentaries at all for Hitler. This
was not because of any moral qualms,
but because Riefenstahl had never made a documentary and did not feel that she truly understood the NSDAP
Behind the scenes
"The Rally was planned not only as a spectacular mass meeting, but as a spectacular propaganda film."[
Albert Speer, Hitler's personal architect, designed the set in Nuremberg and did most of the
coordination for the event. Pits were dug in front of the speakers' platform so Riefenstahl could get the camera angles she wanted, and tracks were laid so that her cameramen could get traveling shots of the crowd. When rough cuts weren't up to par, major party leaders and high-ranking public
officials reenacted their speeches in a studio for her
Behind the scenes
Riefenstahl also used a film crew that was
extravagant by the standards of the day. Her crew consisted of 172 people, including 10
technical staff, 36 cameramen and assistants (operating in 16 teams with 30 cameras), nine aerial photographers, 17 newsreel men, 12
newsreel crew, 17 lighting men, two photographers, 26 drivers, 37 security
personnel, four labor service workers, and two office assistants. Many of her cameramen also dressed in SA uniforms so they could blend
into the crowds.
Assigment for 16 April, 2019
Watch „Triumph of the Will” by Leni Riefenstahl and think about the
followings:
Is it a documentary or a propaganda film?
What impressions does it give you of Germany/Austria?
How do you think the film was perceived in Germany and in the rest of the world?
Should filmmakers have any ethical code rergading what and how to film?
Triumph of the Will
1935 – Nazi propaganda film
Chronicles the 1934 Nazi Party Congress in Nuremberg
New techniques: moving camera, aerial photography, long focus lenses, the use of music
Themes: unity, power, religion
Reception, response
Triumph of the Will "fired no gun, dropped no bombs. But as a psychological weapon aimed at destroying the will to resist, it
was just as lethal.„ (Frank Capra)
Triumph of the Will „seduced many wise men and women, persuaded them to
admire rather than to despise, and
undoubtedly won the Nazis friends and allies all over the world„(Val Williams)
Prelude to War
"Prelude to War," Chapter I of Frank Capra's "Why We Fight"
series, describes World War II as a battle between the "slave world" of fascism and the "free world" of American liberty.
In the "slave world," the entire populations of Germany, Italy and Japan have been hoodwinked by madmen,
opportunists who capitalized on their people's desperation and weakness to rise to power.
These demagogues promised revenge for past
losses, and in the process convinced their people to give up their
rights and accept dictatorship.
In the "free world," the principles of equality, freedom, and liberty characterize the greatest leaders, embodied in the works and words of Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln.
The Great Dictator
1940 – political satire comedy-drama by Charlie Chaplin
Direct references to Triumph of the Will
Chaplin wrote in his autobiography that he regretted making "The Great
Dictator:" "Had I known of the actual horrors of the German concentration
camps, I could not have made The Great Dictator; I could not have made fun of the homicidal insanity of the Nazis."
Assignment for 30 April, 2019
Watch The Great Dictator by Charlie Chaplin, the Prelude to War by Frank
Capra and compare it with Triumph of the Will in terms of:
Aesthetics
Main topics covered
Possible responses
Intentions of the directors
„after-thoughts” (controversies)
