Triumph of the Will (1935) directed by Leni Riefenstahl. Fascinating, yet scary, propaganda film shot by Riefenstahl on Adolf Hitler's orders in 1934. The movie is almost two hours long, and shows the gigantic Nazi party rally held in Nuremburg in that year. Riefenstahl is a masterful filmmaker, and this film really packs a wallop. I tried to imagine what it might have been like to see it in 1934, before we knew what a monster Hitler would become. It shows the Fuhrer only in the best light, and would surely have been inspiring to any patriotic German. The night rally features lighting effects designed by Hitler's architect, Albert Speer, and is truly inspired in its mania. The joy on the faces of the common German citizens who greet Hitler is enough to convince the viewer that he will be, perhaps already is, the supreme power in Germany. I couldn't help but think, if he had only not been a psychopath, how differently things would all have turned out. Hitler, of course, gets an F, but the film gets a Grade: A.
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