Triumph Of The Will Essay

Triumph of the Will is a documentary that records the Nazi Party Convention in Nuremberg, Germany that took place in September of 1934. It was directed and produced by Leni Riefenstahl, an artist, dancer, and actor before becoming a director. The film is best understood when one takes into consideration Leni 's artistic background as well as the film 's historical context and intended audience. Otherwise, it would be difficult to understand how the film displays authenticity or may be difficult for one to wrap their modern minds around. This film was made at a point in history after Germany’s defeat in World War I and after the terms of the Treaty of Versailles was forced upon them, causing great humiliation to their once strong, proud

Victory of Faith helps the viewer better understand what was taking place in Germany two years prior to the release of Triumph of the Will. There were several elements about the film that struck me and helped shed light on Triumph of the Will in retrospect. My initial thought was that The Victory of Faith was a rough draft of Triumph of the Will, leading me to believe that the knowledge Riefenstahl gained while filming her first film helped her immensely when filming Triumph of the Will. The films had many similarities such as happy, smiling people, marches, massive crowds, flags, symbols, and speeches, but the camerawork seemed primitive when compared to Triumph of the Will. Another thing that struck me was the demeanor of Hitler. In the first film, he does not appear as powerful as he does in the second one. This lead me to conclude that the camera techniques evolved in this short span of time between the films. Both films have the same goal, to persuade the German people to support the Nazi Party, which promises to be their savior. I feel that Triumph of the Will presents a stronger argument and in part, this could be due to the advanced camerawork and editing. None the less, I feel Riefenstahl’s first film, Victory of Faith, was insightful and that it helps the viewer understand Triumph of the Will in a deeper way by making