Propaganda!

From my POV, in the film Triumph of the Will by director Leni Riefenstahl, there are copious camera angles that portray Hitler in a way that is godlike and beautiful. The idea of making any political figure is not dangerous, literally, but the repercussions of such actions might be viewed as such. But what is to be done? Communities could not choose exclusively political figures that are ugly. The movie not only makes Hitler seem attractive, stern, and kind, but also portrays the German villages and country as beautiful; Hitler is metaphorically married to Germany midway through the movie and so there is another connection of beauty made in Hitler's direction. But as I said before, making political figures beautiful is not dangerous in itself, it is the actions they commit once they have been put into a position of power.

Triumph of the Will is most definitely a propaganda film. By definition, propaganda is "information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation,etc." The film is openly for Hitler. The idea spread by the movie is that Hitler is the most beautiful, godlike, stern, smart, and loving individual Germany has ever laid eyes on and he is the greatest and most fit man to rule. I would not, however, argue that this movie is not a documentary. It seems that all of the things that happened in the film were merely being documented and if there were any cuts or extra scenes added, they appeared to be just for the aural aesthetics and clarity. I don't think that it would have been possible to make this film a documentary and not a propaganda film. There is always a hint of bias anywhere in any creative product. The only way would have been to have it be made by a filming and editing robot. In my opinion, every film is made to spread an idea about something. Every film is therefore, by definition, a propaganda film.


-Matthew