Triumph Des Willens Film Analysis

Based off Charles Webb’s 1963 novel by the same name, The Graduate is an American romantic comedy/drama released in the United States on December 21, 1967 starring Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross, and William Daniels. The film was directed by Mike Nichols, produced by Lawrence Turman and the screenplay written by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham. The film was produced by Lawrence Turman/Mike Nichols productions starting in March of 1967. Mike Nichols has also directed other well known films such as Catch-22 (1970), Working Girl (1988), and more recently Closer (2004). The film was distributed by AVCO Embassy Pictures nationally and United Artists internationally. AVCO Embassy Pictures studio, founded by Joseph E. Levine, the films executive producer, also claims production/distribution for other hit films such as Godzilla, King of Monsters! (1956), The Fog (1980), and Prom Night (1980). The movie was well received due to its $104 million dollar box office opening tab. The score was produced by Dave Grusin and the songs written by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel.

Working out conflicts face to face can and cannot make a difference in resolving the problem.“These face-to-face interactions build trust, understanding, and a real sense of a shared mission, and this has made all the difference in the world.” This direct quote from Forbes.com explains how this specific way can improve how the world communicates to each other. Many people will disagree with the previous statement, but it is just one of the basic elements of the social system. Admittedly, not everyone believes in face to face interaction. People can choose whichever side they want to, but people can solve their problems by talking to somebody.

However, as Wolfgang Ruge argues, “the Nazi party developed a propaganda apparatus whose activities far eclipsed all previous heights of the demagogy of German imperialism.” On this note, it is widely agreed by historians that the regime was highly successful in one of Friedreich's principles; control of the increasingly powerful mass media in German society as a mechanism for public control. Primarily coordinated through the work of propaganda minister Goebbels, Hitler was portrayed as a leader who was at the same time moderate and reasonable who put the national good before his own interest. Other themes highlighted images of strength and authority which appealed to the highly nationalist German population; epitomised by Hitler appearing out of the sky to lead the German people depicted in Riefenstahl's 1934 film Triumph of the Will, still widely considered the most influential propaganda film of all time. The radio, state produced to be inexpensive, become the regimes number one weapon as it allowed propaganda to not only infiltrate but permeate as many homes as possible.

Film- Precious Knowledge Precious Knowledge is a documentary that takes place in Tucson, Arizona and focuses on how the Unified School district wants to completely ban the Mexican American Studies Program. In the film there were many scenes with examples of rhetorical appeal. I believe that the way the film was set up since the beginning had an impactful and direct emotional appeal on the audience. For instance, in the first scenes of the film we have the opportunity to get to know the main characters in a more intimate level.

The film Triumph of the Will was created in 1934 after Hitler was named Fuhrer of Germany. At the time, Hitler was eager to improve the public image of the NSDP (National Socialist German Workers ' Party). After his election as chancellor in Early January 1933, Hitler gave Leni Riefenstahl the job of filming the annual NSDAP conference in Nuremberg, Germany . Riefenstahl accepted the offer and agreed document, direct and edit the Conference. As years pasted, the infamous “documentary” began to be speculated as possible Nazi Propaganda.

Triumph of the Will is a documentary of the Nazi Party conference in 1934 in Nuremberg. From the first frame of the film, Riefenstahl captures every essence of how worshiped Hitler

The marginalization and isolation found in the suburbs of Paris are the results of 20th century postwar Paris failed urban planning. City officials attempted to reconstruct Paris into a higher functioning city based on models of other metropolitan communities; using designs that broke the city into sections. As a result, urban planners created separation between classes, which produced a loss of connection and identity for immigrant families. That class division became a breeding ground for hostile attitudes, stereotypes, and generations of poverty in the suburbs. These increased tensions centered on race and wealth are today modern Paris’s most pressing issues. The flawed urban planning that gave birth to the suburbs created what Prime Minister

As the film opened in Germany and around the world it became obvious that Riefenstahl had achieved overall success, beyond all expectations. In America, specifically New York it was called “flawless” and “a highly fascinating fantasy”. The Blue Light was even awarded a silver medal at the first Venice Biennale that year. Riefenstahl still saw herself primarily as an actress, but after her new found success, expected to continue filmmaking as a career. If The Blue Light had not influenced her career path she would not have reached her prominence with her films such as Triumph of the Will and Olympia to come. Riefenstahl did not only gain wider international fame, she also gained the admiration and support of Adolf Hitler. According to Audrey Salkeld, “Hitler was already an admirer of hers, having been won over by her first dance of fluttering veils in her first movie.......From then on, he had followed her career with interest, The Blue Light in particular catching his imagination.” Indeed the success of The Blue Light was one of the determining influences on Riefenstahl’s rise to prominence as she states, “This film was pivotal in my life, not so much because it was my first successful effort as a producer and director, but because Hitler was so fascinated by this film that he insisted I make a documentary about the Party rally in Nuremberg. The result was Triumph of

The film “Miracle” depicts the story of the U.S. men’s ice hockey team during their preparation and participation in the 1980 Winter Olympics. During these Olympics, the United States team was regarded as an underdog compared to the powerful Soviet Union. There were many obstacles the team had to overcome in order to defeat the Soviets. There was also a lot of political turmoil that made the stakes at these Olympics even higher.

“Triumph of the Will” and “Night and Fog,” portray Hitler’s vision for Germany, and the findings of Allied liberators of concentration camps in the beginning of World War II. A comparison of the films present two very different views of what Hitler deemed necessary for Germany. They each displayed propaganda in a way they’re eye-catching simply because of the raw footage. It took everything that we knew about pre WWII and corrected it, so that we knew the truth about how the people of Germany felt, and what they saw in those exact moments. The task of viewing these films was quite difficult, and although both films seem to be a highly emotional and factual, I believe that “Night and Fog” was a more superior piece of propaganda. I will

Propaganda in general is the idea of getting others to believe in one’s own beliefs. Propaganda is the “attempt to influence behavior…by affecting through the use of mass media of communications, the manner in which a mass audience perceives and ascribes meaning to the material world.”1 Propaganda was a major part of Germany’s way to brain wash people into following Hitler and his army. The theme of Hitler and Goebbels, (Paul Joseph Goebbels, was appointed Hitler’s Reichspropagandaleiter, the Nazis national director of propaganda), using propaganda, “was to merge the traditional German patriotism with Nazi ideological motifs”2, this was basically used from1919 to 1945.

As Adolf Hitler began to gain power in Germany, propaganda was a key component of his political plan. Hitler believed that propaganda was the best way to unite the masses. He used propaganda in a different manner than Charles Foster Kane did in the film, but it had the same goal; to formulate the opinions of the people of Germany in his favor. Hitler believed that the best use of propaganda was through simple slogans that specifically targeted the emotions of the middle and lower classes. The main emotion that was targeted by Hitler and the Nazi party was terror. “Many Germans, seduced by Nazi propaganda, accepted terror as a legitimate weapon against subversives and racial defilers who threatened the new Germany” (Perry 445). As seen with the people of Germany during the 1930’s and 1940’s, propaganda can easily sway the beliefs of the people. While Hitler believed that propaganda was the key to uniting the masses, it was not through written sources that he believed the key lied to reach unity, it was through speeches. This is also seen in Citizen Kane.

     The Nazis utilized propaganda to spread the Nazi ideology, philosophy, and mentality into the German population. The hope of the Nazis was the ideas and mentality expressed were going to be part of the Germans everyday regime, and their everyday lives. The thought of the evil Jews was to consume the Germans minds, bodies, and their souls. The thought of other enemies was not to be permitted; the Jews were the only enemy. They were to be the “enemy of the common people.”

Triumph of the Will is a 1935 propaganda film directed, written and edited by Leni Riefenstahl. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler ordered the film and participated in its making as an unofficial executive producer. Triumph of the Will follows the 1934 Nazi Party Congress in Nuremberg, promoting the narrative of Germany's return as a world power with Hitler as the peoples God-like mesiah. Triumph of the Will was released in 1935 and became a prominent example of propaganda in film history. Though Leni Riefenstahl disputed the claim that her film was a propaganda piece, many contest that her work glorified the power of the Nazi party and manipulated the German people in to blindly following the will of Adolf Hitler. Today Triumph of the Will continues as a key representation of Nazi propaganda.

Throughout this class, various discussions and blogs have been used to analyze the different elements of films such as theme, cinematic techniques and genre. It is time to bring all of these separate elements together in the analysis of one specific film, according to class text, “analyzing levels of meaning below the surface story can greatly enhance enjoyment as well as understanding of a film” (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014. p. 10.03). There are several different approaches to film analysis including formalist, auteurist, and generic or any combination thereof. Utilizing a genre theory lens, the 1956 film The Searchers will be analyzed addressing contextual information, story/plot, aesthetic choices, social/personal impact and how these areas come together to develop the film.