Triumph of the Will
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Triumph of the Will (German: Triumph des Willens) is a propaganda film by the German filmmaker Leni
Riefenstahl. It chronicles the 1934 Nazi Party Congress in Nuremberg. The film contains excerpts from
speeches given by various Nazi leaders at the Congress, including portions of speeches by Adolf Hitler,
interspersed with footage of massed party members. Hitler commissioned the film and served as an
unofficial executive producer; his name appears in the opening titles. The overriding theme of the film is the
return of Germany as a great power, with Hitler as the True German Leader who will bring glory to the
nation
Triumph of the Will was released in 1935 and rapidly became one of the better-known examples of
propaganda in film history. Riefenstahl's techniques, such as moving cameras, the use of telephoto lenses to
create a distorted perspective, aerial photography, and revolutionary approach to the use of music and
cinematography, have earned Triumph recognition as one of the greatest films in history. Riefenstahl won
several awards, not only in Germany but also in the United States, France, Sweden, and other countries. The
film was popular in the Third Reich[1] and elsewhere, and has continued to influence movies,
documentaries, and commercials to this day, even as it raises the question over the dividing line between art
and morality.[2]
Synopsis
The film begins with a prologue, the only commentary in the film. The following text appears against a gray
background: On September 5, 1934, ... 20 years after the outbreak of the World War ... 16 years after the
beginning of our suffering ... 19 months after the beginning of the German renaissance ... Adolf Hitler flew
again to Nuremberg to review the columns of his faithful followers…
'Day 1': The film opens with shots of the clouds above the city, and then moves through the clouds to float
above the assembling masses below, with the intention of portraying beauty and majesty of the scene. The
shadow of Hitler's plane is visible as it passes over the tiny figures marching below,[3] accompanied by
music from Richard Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, which slowly turns into the Horst-WesselLied. Upon arriving at the Nuremberg airport, Hitler emerges from his plane to thunderous applause and a
cheering crowd. He is then driven into Nuremberg, through equally enthusiastic people, to his hotel where a
night rally is later held.
'Day 2': The second day begins with a montage of the attendees getting ready for the opening of the Reich
Party Congress, and then footage of the top Nazi officials arriving at the Luitpold Arena. The film then cuts
to the opening ceremony, where Rudolf Hess announces the start of the Congress. The camera then
introduces much of the Nazi hierarchy and covers their opening speeches, including Joseph Goebbels,
Alfred Rosenberg, Hans Frank, Fritz Todt, Robert Ley, and Julius Streicher. Then the film cuts to an
outdoor rally for the Reichsarbeitsdienst (Labor Service), which is primarily a series of pseudo-military
drills by men carrying shovels. This is also where Hitler gives his first speech on the merits of the Labor
Service and praising them for their work in rebuilding Germany. The day then ends with a torchlight SA
parade.
'Day 3': The third day starts with a Hitler Youth rally on the parade ground. Again the camera covers the
Nazi dignitaries arriving and the introduction of Hitler by Baldur von Schirach. Hitler then addresses the
Youth, describing in militaristic terms how they must harden themselves and prepare for sacrifice. Everyone
present then assembles for a military pass and review, featuring Wehrmacht cavalry and various armored
vehicles. That night Hitler delivers another speech to low-ranking party officials by torchlight,
commemorating the first year since the Nazis took power and declaring that the party and state are one
entity.
'Day 4': The fourth day is the climax of the film, where the most memorable of the imagery is presented. As
the soundtrack plays themes from Wagner's Götterdämmerung, Hitler, flanked by Heinrich Himmler and
Viktor Lutze, walks through a long wide expanse with over 150,000 SA and SS troops standing at attention,
to lay a wreath at a World War I Memorial. Hitler then reviews the parading SA and SS men, following
which Hitler and Lutze deliver a speech where they discuss the Night of the Long Knives purge of the SA
several months prior. Lutze reaffirms the SA's loyalty to the regime, and Hitler absolves the SA of any
crimes committed by Ernst Röhm. New party flags are consecrated by touching them to the "blood banner"
(the same cloth flag said to have been carried by the fallen Nazis during the Beer Hall Putsch) and,
following a final parade in front of the Nuremberg Frauenkirche, Hitler delivers his closing speech. In it he
reaffirms the primacy of the Nazi Party in Germany, declaring, "All loyal Germans will become National
Socialists. Only the best National Socialists are party comrades!" Hess then leads the assembled crowd in a
final Sieg Heil salute for Hitler, marking the close of the party congress. The film fades to black as the entire
crowd sings the "Horst-Wessel-Lied".
Origins
"Shortly after he came to power Hitler called me to see him and explained that he wanted a film about a
Party Congress, and wanted me to make it. My first reaction was to say that I did not know anything about
the way such a thing worked or the organization of the Party, so that I would obviously photograph all the
wrong things and please nobody — even supposing that I could make a documentary, which I had never yet
done. Hitler said that this was exactly why he wanted me to do it: because anyone who knew all about the
relative importance of the various people and groups and so on might make a film that would be
pedantically accurate, but this was not what he wanted. He wanted a film showing the Congress through a
non-expert eye, selecting just what was most artistically satisfying — in terms of spectacle, I suppose you
might say. He wanted a film which would move, appeal to, impress an audience which was not necessarily
interested in politics." -- Leni Riefenstahl[4]
Riefenstahl, a popular German actress, had directed her first movie called Das Blaue Licht (The Blue Light)
in 1932. Around the same time she first heard Hitler speak at a Nazi rally and, by her own admission, was
impressed. She later began a correspondence with him that would last for years. Hitler, by turn, was equally
impressed with Das Blaue Licht, and in 1933 asked her to direct a film about the Nazi's annual Nuremberg
Rally. The Nazis had only recently taken power amid a period of political instability (Hitler was the fourth
Chancellor of Germany in less than a year) and were considered an unknown quantity by many Germans, to
say nothing of the world.
Riefenstahl was initially reluctant, not because of any moral qualms, but because she wanted to continue
making feature films. Hitler persisted and Riefenstahl eventually agreed to make a film at the 1933
Nuremberg Rally called Der Sieg des Glaubens (Victory of Faith). However the film had numerous
technical problems, including a lack of preparation (Riefenstahl reported having just a few days) and Hitler's
apparent unease at being filmed. To make matters worse, Riefenstahl had to deal with infighting by party
officials, in particular Joseph Goebbels who tried to have the film released by the Propaganda Ministry.
Though Der Sieg des Glaubens apparently did well at the box office, it later became a serious
embarrassment to the Nazis after SA Leader Ernst Röhm, who had a prominent role in the film, was
executed during the Night of the Long Knives.
In 1934, Riefenstahl had no wish to repeat the fiasco of Der Sieg des Glaubens and initially recommended
fellow director Walter Ruttmann. Ruttmann's film, which would have covered the rise of the Nazi Party
from 1923 to 1934 and been more overtly propagandistic (the opening text of Triumph of the Will was his),
did not appeal to Hitler. He again asked Riefenstahl, who finally relented (there is still debate over how
willing she was) after Hitler guaranteed his personal support and promised to keep other Nazi organizations,
specifically the Propaganda Ministry, from meddling with her film.
Filmmaking
Unlike Der Sieg des Glaubens (German for Victory of Faith), Riefenstahl shot Triumph of the Will with a
large budget, extensive preparations, and vital help from high-ranking Nazis like Goebbels. As Susan Sontag
observed, "The Rally was planned not only as a spectacular mass meeting, but as a spectacular propaganda
film."[5] Albert Speer, Hitler's personal architect designed the set in Nuremberg and did most of the
coordination for the event.[3] Riefenstahl also used a film crew that was extravagant by the standards of the
day. Her crew consisted of 172 people, including ten technical staff, thirty-six cameramen and assistants
(operating in 16 teams with 30 cameras), nine aerial photographers, 17 newsreel men, 12 newsreel crew, 17
lighting men, two photographers, 26 drivers, 37 security personnel, four labour service workers, and two
office assistants. Many of her cameramen also dressed in SA uniforms so they could blend into the
crowds.[6]
The New York Times has said it took almost two years to edit the final version from 250 miles (400 km) of
raw footage.[7] However, this time frame is obviously incorrect, as there were only 200 days between the
rally in September 1934 and the premiere in March 1935. The New York Times is most likely referring to
Olympia, Riefenstahl's documentary about the 1936 Berlin Olympic games. In the documentary The
Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl, the 400,000 meters (250 miles) of footage and the two years of
editing are mentioned. In Triumph of the Will, however, Riefenstahl did have the difficult task of condensing
an estimated 61 hours of film into two hours.[6] She laboured to complete the film as fast as she could,
going so far as to sleep in the editing room filled with hundreds of thousands of feet of film footage.[8]
Themes
"[Triumph of the Will is] the supreme visualisation in cinematic form of the Nazi political religion. Its
artistry, reinforced by the grandeur and power of the Nuremberg decor, is designed to sweep us into
empathetic identification with Hitler as a kind of human deity. The massive spectacle of regimentation, unity
and loyalty to the Führer powerfully conveys the message that the Nazi movement was the living symbol of
the reborn German nation." -- Professor Robert Wistrich[4]
Religion: This morning's opening meeting…was more than a gorgeous show, it also had something of the
mysticism and religious fervour of an Easter or Christmas Mass in a great Gothic cathedral." -- Reporter
William Shirer[16]
Religion is a major theme in Triumph of the Will. The film opens with a Point Of View coming godlike out
of the skies to alight on twin cathedral spires. It contains many scenes of church bells ringing, and
individuals in a state of near-religious fervour, as well as a prominent shot of Reich Bishop Ludwig Müller
standing in his vestments among high-ranking Nazis. It is probably not a coincidence that the final parade of
the film was held in front of the Nuremberg Frauenkirche. In his final speech in the film, Hitler also directly
compares the Nazi party to a holy order, and the consecration of new party flags by having Hitler touch
them to the "blood flag" has obvious religious overtones. Hitler himself is portrayed in a messianic manner,
from the opening where he descends from the clouds, to his drive through Nuremberg where even a cat stops
what it is doing to watch him, to the many scenes where — standing on his podium — he will issue a
command to hundreds of thousands of followers and the audience will comply in unison. Frank Tomasulo
comments that in Triumph of the Will, "Hitler is cast as a veritable German Messiah who will save the
nation, if only the citizenry will put its destiny in his hands."[9]
Power: "It is our will that this state shall endure for a thousand years." -- Hitler
Germany had not seen images of military power and strength since the end of World War I, and the huge
formations of men would remind the audience that Germany was becoming a great power once again.
Though the men carried shovels, they handled them as if they were rifles. The Eagles and Swastikas could
be seen as a reference to the Roman Legions of antiquity.[17] The large mass of well-drilled party members
could be seen in a more ominous light, as a warning to anyone thinking of challenging the regime. Hitler's
arrival in an airplane should also be viewed in this context. According to Kenneth Poferl, "Flying in an
airplane was a luxury known only to a select few in the 1930s, but Hitler had made himself widely
associated with the practice, having been the first politician to campaign via air travel. Victory reinforced
this image and defined him as the top man in the movement, by showing him as the only one to arrive in a
plane and receive an individual welcome from the crowd. "Hitler's speech to the SA also contained an
implied threat: if he could have Röhm -- the commander of the hundreds of thousands of troops on the
screen -- shot, it was only logical to assume that Hitler could get away with having anyone executed.[3]
Unity: "The Party is Hitler - and Hitler is Germany just as Germany is Hitler!" -- Hess
Triumph has many scenes that blur the distinction between the Nazi Party, the German State, and the
German People. There are scenes where Germans in peasant farmers’ costumes and other traditional
clothing greet Hitler. The torchlight processions, though now associated by many with the Nazis, would
remind the viewer of the medieval Karneval celebration. The old flag of Imperial Germany is also shown
several times flying alongside the Swastika, and there is a ceremony where Hitler pays his respects to
soldiers who died in World War I (as well as President Paul von Hindenburg who had died a month before
the convention). There is also a scene where the Labour Servicemen individually call out which town or area
in Germany they are from, reminding the viewers that the Nazi Party had expanded from its stronghold in
Bavaria to become a pan-Germanic movement.
The Pride in a Nation
Among the themes presented, the desire for pride in Germany and the purification of the German people is
well exemplified through the speeches and ideals of the Third Reich in Triumph. Before Hitler could invoke
his image of the Aryan Race, he came to power when he was elected as a Chancellor. Though he was put
into political power, it was not believed that he would do anything meaningful. “a newspaper aligned to the
Bavarian People's Party, that Hitler Chancellorship marked a ‘leap into the dark’…the view prevailed that
Hitler would be no more than the ‘front-man’ for a cabinet of reactionaries dominated by Hugenberg, von
Papen, and their friends, the direct representatives of Germany's ruling classes." The Hitler Myth. Even with
the predictions made about Hitler, the extremes he went to for his vision could not, might not have been
predictable. While Hitler was appointed Chancellor, his power grew, along with his influence on the people.
With his growing influence he would become the most influential power of Nazi Germany until its demise at
the end of World War II.
In every speech given and shown in Triumph of the Will, pride is one of the major focuses. Hitler would
advocate to the people that they should not be satisfied with their current state and they should not be
satisfied with the dissention from power and greatness Germany has endured since World War I. The
German people should believe in themselves and the movement that is occurring in Germany. Hitler
promotes pride in Germany through the unification of it. While unifying Germany, it would force the
elimination of what does not amount to the standards of the Nazi regime.
To unify Germany, Hitler believes purification would have to take place. This meant not only eliminating
the non-Aryan raced citizens of Germany, but the sick, weak, crippled, or any citizens not deemed healthy or
pure as well. (The Third Reich). In Triumph, Hitler even preaches to the people that Germany must take a
look at itself and seek out which does not belong. “the elements that have become bad, and therefore do not
belong with us!” The elimination of the ‘inferior’ people of Germany would, in theory, return Germany to
its once prideful and powerful former self. Julius Streicher, stresses the importance of purification and the
effects of what happens when it is not purified. The first measure taken by Hitler for his idea of purification
was in 1920 with the Nazi Party Program Articles. These articles were numerous ideals of the Nazi party
which were adopted to set the limits and regulations on the members of the new sought after Aryan Nation,
Ian Kershaw. Another measure was this documentary of the Reich Party Day 1934. These standards and
regulations of the Nazi party would be the platform of the biasness and racial injustices throughout the rest
of the Nazi reign in Germany.
Hitler preaches to the people in his speeches that they should believe in their country and themselves. The
German people are better than what they have become because of the impurities in society. Hitler wants
them to believe in him and believe what he wants to do for his people, and what he is doing is for the
country's and people's benefit. Hess, in the last scene of Triumph says, “Hail Hitler, hail victory, hail
victory!” After Hess said this, everyone in attendance yells in support. This verbal sign represents their faith
to their leader and his most trusted advisors and belief in the Nazi cause. This is directly followed by Hitler
yelling “Long live the National Socialist Movement! Long live Germany!” and the crowd erupts with
cheering and the fulfilment of pride for themselves and their political party.
Response
Triumph of the Will premiered on March 28, 1935 at the Berlin Ufa Palace Theatre and was an instant
success. Within two months the film had earned 815,000 Reichsmark, and the Ufa considered it one of the
three most profitable films of that year.[3] Hitler praised the film as being an "incomparable glorification of
the power and beauty of our Movement." For her efforts, Riefenstahl was rewarded with the German Film
Prize (Deutscher Filmpreis), a gold medal at the 1935 Venice Biennale, and the Grand Prix at the 1937
World Exhibition in Paris.[9] However, there were few claims that the film would result in a mass influx of
'converts' to fascism and the Nazis apparently did not make a serious effort to promote the film outside of
Germany. Film historian Richard Taylor also said that Triumph was not generally used for propaganda
purposes inside the Third Reich,[10] although Roy Frumkes argued that, on the contrary, it was shown each
year in every German theatre until 1945.[8]
The reception in other countries was not as enthusiastic. British documentarian Paul Rotha called it tedious,
while others were repelled by its pro-Nazi sentiments.[3] During World War II, Frank Capra made a direct
response called Why We Fight, a series of newsreels commissioned by the United States government that
spliced in footage from Triumph of the Will, but recontextualized it so that it promoted the cause of the
Allies instead. Capra later remarked that Triumph, "fired no gun, dropped no bombs. But as a psychological
weapon aimed at destroying the will to resist, it was just as lethal."[11] Clips from Triumph were also used
in an Allied propaganda short called General Adolph Takes Over, set to the British dance tune "The
Lambeth Walk." The legions of marching soldiers, as well as Hitler giving his Nazi salute, were made to
look like wind-up dolls, dancing to the music. Also during World War II, the poet Dylan Thomas wrote the
screenplay and narrated "These Are The Men", a propaganda piece using "Triumph" footage to discredit
Nazi leadership.
One of the best ways to gauge the response to Triumph of the Will was the instant and lasting international
fame it gave Riefenstahl. The Economist said it "sealed her reputation as the greatest female filmmaker of
the 20th century."[12] For a director who made eight films, only two of which received significant coverage
outside of Germany, Riefenstahl had unusually high name recognition for the remainder of her life, most of
it stemming from Triumph. However, her career was also permanently damaged by this association. After
the war, Riefenstahl was imprisoned by the Allies for four years for allegedly being a Nazi sympathizer and
was permanently blacklisted by the film industry. When she died in 2003, 68 years after its premiere, her
obituary received significant coverage in many major publications -- including the Associated Press,[13]
Wall Street Journal,[14] New York Times,[7] and The Guardian[15] -- most of which reaffirmed the
importance of Triumph of the Will.
Though the actual effectiveness of the media film Triumph of the Will is hard to measure, in terms of
numbers or statistics that actually state its effectiveness, its response from the people is well documented
with the amount of views and the popularity of the movie during the time period. One way to measure the
effectiveness of German propaganda, like Triumph of the Will, was how the people treated the acts of the
Nazis and their treatment and conduct towards the Jewish people. German citizen reactions to the methods
used by the Nazis were merely to do nothing and research proves that it was not well accepted. “…In the
short run most of those who felt embarrassed learned to turn a blind eye and retreat into non-political
privacy. It was much easier to conform than to swim against the stream” (The Germans and the Final
Solution). The film Triumph influenced Germany and its people that Hitler and his cause were just. It helped
the people ease their tensions towards the Third Reich and the actions that were taken.
Controversy
Like American filmmaker D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation, Triumph of the Will has been criticized as a
use of spectacular filmmaking to promote a system that is widely seen as both evil and profoundly
reprehensible. In Germany, this movie is classified as National Socialist propaganda and its showing is
restricted under post-war denazification laws, but it may be shown in an educational context. In her defence,
Riefenstahl claimed that she was naïve about the Nazis when she made it and had no knowledge of Hitler's
genocidal policies. She also pointed out that Triumph of the Will contains "not one single anti-Semitic
word",[13] although it does contain a veiled comment by Julius Streicher that "A people that does not
protect its racial purity will perish." However, Roger Ebert has observed that for some, "the very absence of
antisemitism in Triumph of the Will looks like a calculation; excluding the central motif of almost all of
Hitler's public speeches must have been a deliberate decision to make the film more efficient as
propaganda."[1]
Riefenstahl also repeatedly defended herself against the charge that she was a Nazi propagandist, saying that
Triumph focuses on images over ideas, and should therefore be viewed as a Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of
art). In 1964, she returned to this topic, saying:
"If you see this film again today you ascertain that it doesn't contain a single reconstructed scene.
Everything in it is true. And it contains no tendentious commentary at all. It is history. A pure historical
film… it is film-vérité. It reflects the truth that was then in 1934, history. It is therefore a documentary. Not a
propaganda film. Oh! I know very well what propaganda is. That consists of recreating events in order to
illustrate a thesis, or, in the face of certain events, to let one thing go in order to accentuate another. I found
myself, me, at the heart of an event which was the reality of a certain time and a certain place. My film is
composed of what stemmed from that."[5]
However, Riefenstahl was an active participant in the rally, though in later years she downplayed her
influence significantly, claiming, "I just observed and tried to film it well. The idea that I helped to plan it is
downright absurd." Film critic Roy Frumkes has called Triumph of the Will "the antithesis of an objective
work" and suggested that because of the special accommodations Riefenstahl received (one scene featured
aerial searchlights requisitioned from the Luftwaffe) and because "the film was altered by practically every
in-the-camera and laboratory special effect then known" the film can be labelled anything except a
documentary.[8] Ebert also disagrees, saying that Triumph is "by general consent [one] of the best
documentaries ever made", but added that because it reflects the ideology of a movement regarded by many
as evil, "[it poses] a classic question of the contest between art and morality: Is there such a thing as pure art,
or does all art make a political statement?"[1]
Susan Sontag considered Triumph of the Will the "most successful, most purely propagandistic film ever
made, whose very conception negates the possibility of the filmmaker's having an aesthetic or visual
conception independent of propaganda" ( "Fascinating Fascism" in B. Nichols (ed.) Movies & Methods,
1976). Sontag points to Riefenstahl's involvement in the planning and design of the Nuremberg ceremonies
as evidence that Riefenstahl was working, not as an artist in any sense of the word, but as propagandist.
With some 30 cameras and a crew of 150, the marches, parades, speeches and processions were orchestrated
like a movie set for Riefenstahl's film. Nor was this the first political film made by Riefenstahl for the Third
Reich (there was Victory of Faith, 1933, and Day of Freedom, shot in 1933 released in 1935). Nor was it the
last (Olympia, 1938). "Anyone who defends Riefenstahl's films as documentary", Sontag states, "if
documentary is to be distinguished from propaganda, is being ingenuous. In Triumph of the Will, the
document (the image) is no longer simply the record of reality; 'reality' has been constructed to serve the
image" (1976:36).
Brian Winston's essay on the film in The Movies as History: Visions of the Twentieth Century, an anthology
edited by David Ellwood (published by the International Association for Media and History), is largely a
critique of Sontag's analysis, which he finds faulty. His ultimate point is that any filmmaker could have
made the film look impressive because the Nazi's mise en scène was impressive, particularly when they
were offering it for camera re-stagings. In form, the film alternates repetitively between marches and
speeches. Winston asks the viewers to consider if such a film should be seen as anything more than a
pedestrian effort. Like Rotha, he finds the film tedious, and believes anyone who takes the time to analyze
its structure will quickly agree.
This is not totally true. The filmmaker in Triumph of the Will has from the start, surrendered (voluntarily) to
the “Will” of the documentary subject, National Socialism. And what gives this film its power, is that the
film maker as an identifiable personality in the production and direction of the film does not, in the strictest
sense, even exist.
Wehrmacht objections
The first controversy over Triumph of the Will occurred even before its release, when several generals in the
Wehrmacht protested over the minimal army presence in the film. Only one scene, the review of the German
cavalry, actually involved the German military. The other formations were party organizations that were not
part of the military. Hitler proposed his own "artistic" compromise where Triumph of the Will would open
with a camera slowly tracking down a row of all the "overlooked" generals (and placate each general's ego).
According to her own testimony, Riefenstahl refused his suggestion and insisted on keeping artistic control
over Triumph of the Will. She did agree to return to the 1935 rally to make a film exclusively about the
Wehrmacht, which became Tag der Freiheit: Unsere Wehrmacht.[18]
Influences and legacy
According to historian Philip Gavin, "The legacy of Triumph of the Will lives on today in the numerous TV
documentaries concerning the Nazi era which replay portions of the film… [Its] most enduring and
dangerous illusion is that Nazi Germany was a super-organized state, that, although evil in nature, was
impressive nonetheless."[16] Gavin believes that the reality of Nazism as a disorganized and bureaucratic
mess was obscured by Triumph of the Will's powerful images of a united Fascist movement. Nicholas
Reeves concurs, adding that "many of the most enduring images of the Third Reich and Adolf Hitler derive
from Riefenstahl's film."[3]
Triumph of the Will has also been studied by many contemporary artists, including film directors Peter
Jackson, George Lucas, and Ridley Scott. The first known movie to use Triumph imagery is Charlie
Chaplin's The Great Dictator, a parody of Nazism. Scenes from the film have also been imitated in later
movies, most famously Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (as well as the other Star Wars films). Other
films to use either Triumph–like imagery or scenes from the film are Citizen Kane, A Clockwork Orange,
The Last Emperor, Gladiator, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Hero, The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, The
Lion King, Richard III, Red Dawn, Spartacus, The Wall, and Starship Troopers. The movie The Empty
Mirror even shows several scenes from Triumph of the Will, with Hitler (played by Norman Rodway) giving
his analysis of them. Some see the musical Springtime for Hitler in the Mel Brooks comedy The Producers
as a spoof of Triumph of the Will. The scene in Lion King where the Hyenas march past Scar is similar to
scenes from Triumph of the Will.
The film's fame (or infamy) has even turned the phrase "Triumph of the Will" into a gag line, because so
many people understand the reference. For example, in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when Dr. Frank N.
Furter shows his creation to his retainers, his maid exclaims in a strong German accent that it is "a triumph
of your vill." In addition, the Boomtown Rats song "(I Never Loved) Eva Braun" also includes the line "Eva
Braun…never really fitted in the scheme of things/She was a triumph of my will." The title was also
referenced in the Dead Kennedys song "Triumph of the Swill" as well as the 1979 Devo song "Triumph of
the Will". In the DVD of "Venue Songs" from They Might Be Giants, the House of Blues in West Hollywod
was described as having a "Triumph-of-the-Will management style." (contrasting it being a "hub of losse
morals and lost weekends.") In an episode of the animated series Rocko's Modern Life, filmmaker Ralph
Bighead is told by a sycophant that his new film is a "triumph of your will". In a Season 4 episode of the
U.S. television series The Office, Michael Scott declares "If we don't nail this, we'll lose the triumph of the
moment; the triumph of the will!"
The film has also influenced American politics. The director of a political ad for Nelson Rockefeller's 1968
presidential campaign admitted he used Triumph of the Will as a reference.[8] Some American political
commentators have also drawn comparisons between Triumph of the Will and various facets of
contemporary American politics. While Naomi Wolf has drawn parallels between the opening scene
featuring Hitler's aircraft landing in Nuremberg to thunderous applause and U.S. President George W.
Bush's landing on the USS Abraham Lincoln in 2003,[19] other commentators have compared both the
Republican and Democratic Party Conventions to Triumph of the Will, although these criticisms are usually
partisan in nature.
Footnotes
1. a b c Ebert, Roger. "The Wonderful Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl." Chicago Sun-Times, June 24,
1994.
2. a Triumph des Willens at the Internet Movie Database
3. a b c d e Poferl, Kenneth. (2003). "An Evil Faith." Detailed comparison between Sieg des Glaubens
and Triumph of the Will.
4. a b FilmEducation.Org. Brief overview of the film and its place in history.
5. a b c Cheshire, Ellen (2000). "Leni Riefenstahl: Documentary Film-Maker Or Propagandist?".
Kamera: –.
6. a b c Triumph of the Will. Retrieved on December 26, 2005.
7. a b Riding, Alan. "Leni Riefenstahl, Filmmaker and Nazi Propagandist, Dies at 101", New York Times,
September 9, 2003, pp. XX.
8. a b c d Frumkes, Roy (Essayist). (2001). "Triumph of the Will (Special Edition) [Film]." United
States:Synapse Films.
9. a b Butcher, Edmund. (2002). "Leni Riefenstahl - Art and Propaganda in Triumph of the Will."
Questions the popular labels of Triumph as "art" or "propaganda".
10. a Winston, Brian. (1997) "Triumph of the Will." Subscription required.
11. a Origins of Documentary film: Leni Riefenstahl. Reel Life Stories. Retrieved on December 28, 2005.
12. a "Leni Riefenstahl: Hand-held history", The Economist, September, 2003, pp. XX.
13. a b Rising, David. "Hitler's filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, revered and reviled for her work, dies at 101",
Associated Press, September 9, 2003, pp. XX.
14. a Petropolous, Jonathan. "Leni Riefenstahl, Coy Propagandist Of the Nazi Era", Wall Street Journal,
September 11, 2003, pp. XX.
15. a Harding, Luke. "Leni Riefenstahl, Hitler's favourite film propagandist, dies at 101", The Guardian,
September 10, 2003, pp. XX.
16. a b Gavin, Philip. (2001). "Triumph of Hitler." Focuses on the religious imagery and the SA
controversy. Also briefly touches on the myth of Germany as a super-organized state.
17. a Lenin Imports. "Leni Riefenstahl Triumph of the Will (1934)." Overview of the plot and imagery.
18. a Chamorro, Enrique B. "DVD Comparison Triumph of the Will" and "DVD Comparison Day of
Freedom."
19. a Wolf, Naiomi. (2007). "[1]." Speech discussing recent book The End of America: A Letter of Warning
to a Young Patriot.
References
1.
http://www.humboldt.edu/~go1/sed741/film/triumph.html
• http://jamesklambert.com/Victory_of_Faith_Triumph_of_the_Will.htm "Victory of Faith & Triumph of
the Will: Her Propaganda Marches On". Retrieved on October 25, 2005.
• Cheshire, Ellen (2000). "Leni Riefenstahl: Documentary Film-Maker Or Propagandist?". Kamera: –.
• Riding, Alan. "Leni Riefenstahl, Filmmaker and Nazi Propagandist, Dies at 101", New York Times,
September 9, 2003, pp. XX.
• Riefenstahl, Leni (Director). (1935) Triumph of the Will (Special Edition) [Film]. United States: Synapse
Films.. (Includes film commentary by Dr. Anthony Santoro and essay by Roy Frumkes)
• Smith, David Calvert (1990). Triumph of the Will: A Film by Leni Riefenstahl. Richardson, TX:
Celluloid Chronicles Press. (Complete Screenplay)
• http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/triumph/tr-will.htm The Triumph of Hitler Retrieved on
November 3, 2005.
• http://classes.design.ucla.edu/Spring04/161A/projects/Wes/Exercise_B/mainpage.html Retrieved on
December 26, 2005.
• Welch, David (1993). The Third Reich Politics and Propaganda. New Fetter Lane, London: Routledge,
65-72.
• Deutsch, Bernard S (1934). in Pierre Van Paassen: Nazism: An Assault on Civilization. New York, NY:
Harrison Smith and Robert Haas, 41-43.
• Kershaw, Ian (1987). The Hitler Myth. Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press, 48-49.
• Bankier, David (1992). The Germans and the Final Solution. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 4849.
Further reading
Shirer, William. Berlin Diary: The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent 1934–1941. New York, Alfred A.
Knopf, 1941. Includes a contemporary account of the 1934 Nuremberg rally.