Triumph of the Will is a propaganda film made by filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl that depicts the 1934 Nazi Party rally in Nuremberg, Germany. The film, which was commissioned by Adolf Hitler himself, was meant to be a celebration of Nazi ideology, propaganda, and power. The movie features footage of massive military parades, speeches by Nazi leaders, and scenes of adoring crowds cheering and saluting Hitler.
The movie opens with a montage of German landscapes set to music, and then cuts to Hitler's plane arriving in Nuremberg, where he is greeted by a cheering crowd. The film then shows scenes of the massive crowds of attendees at the rally, with the camera swooping over the thousands of uniformed soldiers and civilians gathered in the city.
The main part of the movie showcases the speeches given by Nazi leaders, including Hitler himself, as they exhort the crowd with speeches filled with references to patriotism, sacrifice, and Aryan superiority. The movie also highlights the role of the military in the Nazi party, with extensive footage of soldiers marching and drills.
Throughout the film, Riefenstahl uses innovative camera techniques to create a sense of awe and power. For example, she uses low-angle shots to make Nazi leaders appear larger than life and creates sweeping, panoramic shots of the rally to convey the size and unity of the Nazi movement.
Although Triumph of the Will was widely praised for its cinematic techniques, it has been widely criticized for its role in promoting Nazi ideology and propaganda, and for its contribution to the normalizing of Hitler's regime in the eyes of the German people. Despite this, the movie remains a seminal work of propaganda filmmaking and a key example of the ways in which art can be co-opted by political movements.
