Triumph of the Will

When I first saw Triumph of the Will in the late 80's, it struck me deeply both as a film student and as a Jew. I still struggle, as have many others, to understand how Germans were so utterly swept away by Nazi fervor. You can read endless books trying to climb inside what seems like an alien psychology from musty decades past, and then there is the electrifying power imprisoned in Triumph of the Will. In an inverted way the film reminds me of Raiders of the Lost Ark: an ancient relic that contains a dormant, still-vital force. This one is reawakened by the simple act of running it through a projector. To feel and not merely see that reflected glory, even decades later in a different society, is Riefenstahl's genius. Damn it, it IS beautiful. And terrible.

I use excerpts from this film to show in my high school World History class. The video captures Hitler's oratory magic and one can see why the German people fell under his spell. The pictures of the Party rallies are simply amazing as Hitler walks between 200,000 of his followers. This scene is definitely a jaw dropper for my students. I must agree with my fellow reviewer that the film seems to spend a little bit too much time in some areas. For example, when the Party members are marching in formation by Hitler with him saluting them...well, this takes forever and is too long for the attention span of a teenager. Overall, excellent film.

This is the best film made by the last "classic" Empire of the XX century. It is a must have. Anyone trying to write something serious about the Third Reich MUST watch it.

Triumph is most definately one of the few beautiful works of the world. Filled with wonderful footage - from scenery shots to party rallies - the film is able to take you to one of the most pivotal rallies of all time. You can really feel the energy of the folk and the orators themselves. Leni gets an A++ for this one!

I first saw Leni Riefenstahl's, Triumph of the Will, when I was a college freshman in a history of film course. This version also included footage of the 1934 Olympics. Though it was a well made piece of propaganda, it was also the terrifying piece of film I've ever seen. This had to do with her presentaion to the public of how Adolf Hitler's charisma could draw you in and hold your attention, even if you didn't understand a single word he said. This and this alone makes this piece of film a prelude to the most horrifying piece of history the people of the 20th century will ever know.

It is fascinating to watch a film done so beautifully yet all the while focusing on a man who isresponsible for the slaughter of millions of innocent people. Watch itfor the beautiful filmmaking, but also watch it as a cautionary tale. Every political science class should make this film a requirement to teach the effectiveness of film propaganda. This is a movie that grabs you, haunts you, but ultimately, it is a film that you cannot ignore. END

It makes one a touch nervous getting anything by the Nazis, but Leni Riefenstahl is a genius filmmaker. Unlike shallow propaganda, her work gets in your head, a precursor to filmmakers like Scorcese et al.And, btw, The Bible and Mein Kampf have nothing in common!The son of a Dachau liberator.

I purchased the VHS version of this incredible film. I saw it twice in the past. One time was in college, as part of the curricula was to show students in advertising some of the basic principles that can be applied to the present. However, I must ask this question. Am I mistaken or has this film been edited? I seem to remember a different beginning: Hitler was standing alone at the doorway to the plane,looking out with a dreamlike visionary expression on his face. In addition, I seem to remember footage of that awesome rally at night with the beacons on either side of the audience (was it Nurenberg?), a greater amount of people in traditional German costumes and a display of the "classic" Aryan faces and bodies marching to the music. If I am not mistaken, it is a shame that these scenes were excluded, as it took away from my expectations of a more impressive version of the film. Is it ever possible to purchase an uncut version?

Any modern young person wondering how the German people became what they became, and where willing to be hypnotised to die and kill by the millions for National Socialism's dream machine, see this. Its speakers, and art directors simply need you to sit in a darkened theater,(or room) uninerupted, and imagine yourself with hundred of others viewing this epic, while you are deep into an econmic depression and none of you has any money. Don't speak, only become changed. No need to say more.

This, and other works of Leni Riefenstahl that I've viewed, have given me more insight into the art of the cinema than most other productions I've studied. It is too bad that politics are brought into reviews of the art of the cinema. It seems that there are those, much as was done by herr Schickelgruber, that yearn for a forum -- any forum -- in hope of being recognized. Of course, many fail to provide names to which one might attribute full credit. Pathetic.TomF