On his way to the hotel from the airport, Hitler appears as a passive role of being respected and worshiped. People initiatively contribute flowers to him and he shakes hands with people sincerely. It seems that Hitler is very human, close to people, never far away, and he always looks calm and dignified. It is not until he appears from the window of the hotel that shows the real relationship between the leader and his people in a totalitarian society: one portrayed to be a man belongs to the people but actually stands high above the masses.
Later the director shows the clips of the daily life of the young people in the camps. They eat, train, and play together, They all smile, tremendous feeling of freedom. The audience can see a booming paradise full of vitality. From these scenes we can also see another feature of totalitarianism: The collective. The society brings young people together, All people are brainwashed to be unified as standard tools: one emotion, one thought and one belief. On the playground are thousands of people, but what you can see is only one model, even the smiles are fixed into standard, which can make people feel the horror behind the sunshine surface. This can be also frequently seen in later clips when the film shows the expressions and behaviors of the labors, soldiers and other Nazi supporters.
Next are the continuous parades and speeches by Hitler in similar styles. We constantly see the mass aggressively marching forward as if they are able to let any enemy lies crushed beneath their jackboots. We can even foresee the German military conquest in the future by judging related sense. And for Hitler, always steps to the front accompanied by the long waited supporters under. He conducts his speech with all his emotion, and hysteria. It just seems that the desire of German pride, the unification of the German nation and the purification of the German people will soon be realized and eventually a perpetual Reich will be standing there. To some extent, there is no difference between Hitler's preachment and the preaching of Jesus Christ. See how the audience listen with respect and applause with no stop.It is exactly as what Rudolf Hess declares in the film “The Party is Hitler - and Hitler is Germany just as Germany is Hitler”.
The film ends with the large symbol of Nazi party ---swastika, which is similar to the cross positioned at the heart of the church. Nazi and Hitler are acting like the saviors to save the German people.
In short, the film “The Triumph of the Will” shows us not only how the Nazi made waves in Germany in the 1930s, but also addresses the part of the dark history of the totalitarianism in the 20th century.
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