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Mary Devereaux Triumph Of The Will Essay

1475 Words6 Pages

This paper will explore Mary Devereaux’s view on beauty and evil, and use Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will documentary to demonstrate that it is possible to appreciate the beauty of a piece of art while having it challenge our morals. Thus allowing for the coexistence of beauty and evil which lead to the self-reflection of the viewer. Through Mary Devereaux’ application of non-formalism as her choice of evaluation of the beauty and evil, I will demonstrate that the film can be appreciated. Secondly, by discussing Devereaux’ correctness in selecting a non-formalist structure but her misuse in the application of this structure, thus presenting an invalid argument. In conclusion, this paper will explore the importance of the coexistence of beauty and evil in art and what is does for the being.

Mary Devereaux narrates Triumph of the Will, a film documenting the 1934 Nuremberg rally. Through its strong narrative …show more content…

However, her application of the non-formalist structure is what I disagree with. Firstly, her distinction between the film’s vision and her characterization of Triumph of the Will is flawed. She incorrectly creates a division between the “concrete vision” of the film and the evil vision of National Socialism and constructs this distinction in order to deliver a morally sound evaluation of the film’s artistic prominence. The visions are undeniably related and cannot be disconnected.

Riefenstahl’s vision stems from that of National Socialism. Riefenstahl was a vocal supporter of the party and of Hitler. “Riefenstahl was, as she willingly admits, a great admirer of Hitler” (Devereaux 1998: 237). Through the separation of the two visions, Devereaux disregards the tragic historical context and significance. In assessing morally, we cannot forget that this film was used to mobilize the German people towards the goals of the

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