4. He Gave A Personal Tour Of Disney Studios To A Nazi
Nazi director Leni Riefenstahl is regarded by many film critics as one of the most innovative filmmakers of all time. Her 1935 propaganda piece Triumph of the Will used striking imagery to foster nationalism under the Nazi regime. After its release, the film made Riefenstahl an international sensation. In 1938, paramilitary groups organized by the Nazi regime carried out a series of attacks, dubbed Kristallnacht, on Jewish ghettos in Germany. Newspapers around the world reported on the attacks, bringing to light the dark side of the Nazi regime. Because of her personal association with Adolf HItler and the Third Reich, Riefenstahl found herself shunned by Hollywood in the wake of the attacks. Riefenstahl's status as a pariah didn't stop Walt from inviting her to visit him in America. Despite Kristallnacht still being fresh news, Walt guided Riefenstahl on a tour of Disney studios. Later, Riefenstahl praised Walt for not believing the media coverage on Kristallnacht, which she dubbed a Jewish smear campaign against the Nazis. Although World War II found Disney producing American propaganda pieces that ridiculed the Nazi regime, Walt's hobnobbing with a high profile member of the Third Reich is one of the more troubling skeletons hidden in the Disney vault.
