German veteran female director Leni Riefenstahl was commissioned by Hitler to direct this record of the Reich Congress held in Nuremberg, and Hitler provided her with unprecedented shooting conditions: "Unlimited funding, more than a hundred Human film crew, countless spotlights, 16 first-class photographers, a huge camera team consisting of 30 cameras started work at the same time, 22 cars with drivers and mobile police officers in uniform, all under the command of Riffens at any time Dispatched by Thal, Nuremberg even built special bridges, towers and ramps for the filming, so that Riefenstahl's cameras could reach the sky and do everything. A Nazi official even offered his luxurious villa For the film crew." This painstaking effort was made to promote the spirit of the Nazis and an impregnable German Empire under Nazi leadership, and he also became the perfect image of power in the film.
The artistic achievements of "Triumph of the Will" are widely recognized, and I will not repeat them here. The following comment is very comprehensive: "For American film historians, "Triumph of the Will" is the most authoritative film. Propaganda film'. The film "Triumph of the Will" has no commentary, and Riefenstahl regards any words as the enemy of the film. When it needs to be expressed in words, it uses the simultaneous recording of Hitler or other Nazi leaders' speeches. The charm of the film comes from the director's handling of the picture and sound: people marching, people cheering, flags and swastikas, eagles, old German streets and towers, folk songs and dances, clouds, speeches, military uniforms, and frequent Führer Hitler. In the filming of "Triumph of the Will", Riefenstahl, who has a strong personality, fully demonstrated her filmmaking style. Anything that conflicts with her aesthetic requirements, regardless of the content of the film, has No matter how important it is, she will be ruthlessly excluded. All the pictures in the film must be shot in the most beautiful light and the most beautiful angle, with the correct exposure and shooting angle. In order to obtain this kind of picture, she does not hesitate to Shooting together from dozens of cameras from various angles, then selecting the footage she needed from the vast amount of film shot that way, and editing the film out of 170,000 feet of film. It's an extraordinary talent as a person , coupled with well-trained dancers, she has just the right grasp of the film's rhythm and dynamic performance, making this film a hearty work in visual performance. The connection and transformation between melody, rhythm and dynamic can be described as seamless. The sense of rhythm, high flying and intoxication generated by the ever-changing pictures became the keynote of her films. Riefenstahl is also good at using still pictures, making them as a pause and a stop to receive a sudden abruptness The effect of Nazism is turned into an intoxicating visual fantasy under her spectacular imagery. The film is not so much a product of her influence by Nazism A product influenced by the fascist frenzy and intoxication at the conference site. She used the camera as a tool to experience the ecstasy of fascism at the conference site and sublime it into a fascist visual aesthetic. Leni Riefenstahl Through rhythmic editing, this montage of the Nazi Party has a strong visual impact, and she elevates pure political propaganda to rare artistic heights. Thanks to Riefenstahl's work Her technical and aesthetic excellence made her 'the most imaginative propagandist of Nazi self-expression'."
It was this film that began the second half of Leni Riefenstahl's mixed life.
Unlike most conscientious artists during the Nazi era, Leni Riefenstahl was a fervent Nazi admirer who admired Hitler from the bottom of her heart. If it was an ordinary citizen, her behavior would be understandable. After the First World War, the German economy was depressed, social unrest, and most importantly, the dignity of the proud German nation was destroyed. It was imminent to establish a stable and powerful government. At this time, Hitler, who was full of speech skills and endless "imagination", appeared. The savior appeared, and there was no reason not to follow him. But Leni Riefenstahl is an artist, and her actions affect people's judgment of good and evil. In this way, she took the wrong position and became a propaganda machine and spokesperson for the Nazis, creating momentum for autocratic propaganda.
By the time she woke up, it was too late. The Third Reich fell, and she was thrown into prison as a Nazi sympathizer, ending her film career. But she is a brave woman after all. She makes no secret of her past and has the courage to admit her crimes. Up to the moment of her death, people's accusations against her continued. In history, she is far more than the director with the wrong position, and she is under the greatest social pressure. Perhaps people think that the sin of a woman is more terrible and unforgivable than the sin of a man. It is generally accepted by popular thought that the brilliance of a woman's innate motherhood will shine on the woman who has been walking on the path of goodness and blooming the flower of holiness. But Leni was a flower of evil (at least during the Nazi era), she cheered for such a murderer as Hitler, could it be that she was also dehumanized? A woman, wolf ambition, how terrible? That's why I sighed to myself "what, this is a woman's thing" when I first heard about this movie.
I always believe that an artist should keep a certain distance from politics, or rather keep a distance. While the work is related to the society, it must also adhere to the innocence of art, at least not betray the conscience. Like Guo Moruo, although they belong to everyone, it is a pity that I am very disgusted with his closeness to politics. The original "Goddess" was a good work, but when it came to "Qu Yuan", it became a slapstick work, and the artistry was greatly reduced. *** Seeing the joy and harmony, it is estimated that Qu Yuan will also crawl out of the soil. The so-called art, nobility is its fundamental quality, there is no nobility to talk about art. Nobility is not unattainable, it is not a bright spring and white snow, but a creation of human beings based on conscience. No matter how good a work is, if the position is wrong, at least half of it should be rejected.
Quoting Wang Baomin's sentence in "Biological Interpretation of a Modern City" to conclude: "Those who have beautiful wings and can fly are not necessarily butterflies. In fact, butterfly wings are usually a means of confusion. , the gust of wind behind it is the real trustee."
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