10 Most Fascinating Films Produced By Brutal Governments
2. Triumph Of The Will
Probably one of the most famous and praised documentaries of all time, Triumph Of The Will is a 1935 account of the Nazi Party Rally in Nuremburg shortly after Hitler and the Nazis took power in Germany. Roger Ebert said it was “by general consent [one] of the best documentaries ever made”.
Triumph Des Willes is the work of Leni Riefenstahl and is the terrifyingly effective culmination of the Nazis well known love of cinema. The party had an entire Film Department since at least 1930 and Hitler was an enormous film fan, regularly watching and keeping notes on his favourite films in his private cinema.
Riefenstahl’s documentary serves to bring the enormity of Nazi indoctrination and support into full view, the camera sweeping over the obedient identikit crowds, with the Fuhrer being the only man whose face is settled upon for more than a minute. In fact, long segments are given over to speeches where he rallies Nazi Germany to action.
The film exudes the kind of bombast and grandeur that was such a key component of the Nazi mindset and Riefenstahl achieved worldwide acclaim for her cinematic achievement even as Hitler’s relation to the rest of the world grew frostier.