Leni Riefenstahl created the propagandistic movie Triumph of the Will in 1935 during Hitler’s rise to power. Hitler had been a fan of her previous work as a director and actress, and he saw the cinema as an efficacious medium for persuasion (Hagopian). In this movie, Riefenstahl portrays Nazi rituals and rallies from the 1934 Nazi Party Congress in Nuremberg (Wikipedia). It idolizes Hitler and dramatically depicts the German citizens’ love for their leader. Triumph of the Will presents an image to the German people of Germany's rebirth as a major world power led to glory by a great leader (Wikipedia). Hitler went to Riefenstahl to create this movie because it was an extremely effective form of propaganda that persuaded German people to believe in Hitler’s authority and magnificence. The early 1930s were Hitler’s initial years as a leader, so he used awe-inspiring propaganda that made him appear godlike to help him attain his power.
The movie starts off with Hitler’s descent in his airplane, through the clouds and over his supporters. He flies over a beautiful landscape and is met with applause from masses of people once he lands. Already, Riefenstahl characterizes Hitler as a God to his cheering subjects; he makes a journey down through a cloudy “heaven” and passes over all his glorious land. Throughout the movie, young men are shown as completely uniform in their salutes and repetition of orders. Hitler, however, is special—Riefenstahl often zooms in on his face to show both his joking demeanor and his serious pensiveness (Hagopian). Every move Hitler makes is met with cheering and adoration from the crowd, only idolizing him more (Hagopian). Thousands of troops watch as Hitler leaves a wreath at the World War I memorial, exemplifying Hitler’s status as the deliverer of Germany’s recovery and redemption (Wikipedia). By editing the movie to give the leader’s face so much attention and by showing the German people’s excessive adoration, Riefenstahl effectively makes Hitler the God of 1930s Germany (Hagopian).
In this movie, it is evident that the German people idolize Hitler to the point that he is essentially a God of a new religion: Nazism. The Germans put their faith in this charismatic new leader because they needed a savior from the debt and embarrassment they suffered from as a result of losing World War I. The Treaty of Versailles left Germany bankrupt and humiliated, and the nation was financially unstable for years after the First World War ended (Duiker 648). Hitler gave the bitter German people hope of salvation and revenge, so they put their faith in him. The Germans needed to unite to overcome their hardships, and a new “religion” helped them do just that. Thematically, this shows that suffering and a craving for unification make people turn to faith and put their trust a leader, even if their faith is not religious in the traditional sense. The way German people used faith to cope with misfortune in the 1930s parallels the African-American slaves’ use of religion. Both groups of people put their faith in a prominent figure, whether it was Hitler or Jesus. The Germans hoped that their “religious” reverence of Hitler would bring them revenge and prosperity, just as the slaves hoped their dedication to the Lord would lead to heavenly salvation and freedom.
Duiker, William J. and Speilvogel, Jackson J., Eds. World History. 5th ed. Belmont, CA:
Thomas Wadsworth, 2007.
Hagopian, Kevin. “Triumph of the Will.” New York State Writers Institute. 18 Apr.
“Triumph of the Will.” Wikipedia. 1 May 2011. 25 Apr. 2011.
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