Country: Germany
Year: 1933
Duration: 64'
Socialist Party convention was held in Nuremberg from August 10 to
September 3, 1933. Hitler wanted the "documentary" of the manifestation
to be filmed by Leni Riefenstahl, whom he had admired in her previous
film directed by Arnold Fanck, and probably in the 1933 film Das Blaue
Licht as well, which Riefenstahl had directed and starred in. Despite
much resistance (according to what Riefenstahl herself wrote in her
memoirs, after having denied, in previous interviews, that she had ever
made the film), she ended up agreeing to make the documentary and, with
the collaboration of a five-man team, she shot the various phases of the
convention, Hitler's speeches, the military parade in Nuremberg's
central square, etc. Later, careful editing of the abundant material
resulted in a film lasting over one hour, which was presented on
December 1, 1933 in Berlin, in front of Hitler and other Nazi
dignitaries. More than just a simple documentary, this work could be
defined "symphonic," aesthetically elaborate, in which the images, the
music, and the words of Hitler and the other leaders, form a filmic
texture of great formal impact. In this sense, despite occasional
uncertainties in direction and scenic composition, Der Sieg des Glaubens
can be considered a "dress rehearsal" for Riefenstahl's masterpiece,
Triumph des Willens. The film was later taken out of circulation because
Ernst Roehm, the leader of the S.A. who was killed in the massacre of
June 30, 1934, appears next to Hitler. The only existing copy, which is
conserved at the Cinema Museum in Munich, is missing the opening credits
and the first few minutes (Gianni Rondolino).
Biography
film director
Leni Riefenstahl
Leni Riefenstahl (1902-2003) began her career in cinema as an actress, working for the mountain director Arnold Frank. In 1932 she directed her first film, Das Blaue Licht, for which she wrote the screenplay with BÈla BalÈsz. The rise of Nazism brought her close to Hitler, who commissioned her to make the film Der Triumph des Willens. During the Berlin Olympics in 1936 she filmed the majestic Olympia, assisted by 40 cameramen. In 1945 she was arrested and then released for not having committed a crime. She went to Africa in the 1960's, where she lived for a while, and then returned to Europe with a marvelous collection of photographs. The Telluride Festival in Colorado was harshly criticized for having organized a retrospective of her work. Leni Riefenstahl continued her activity as a photographer and critical interest in her works was renewed. Over the past few years she has continued to travel the world with her exhibits and has published an autobiography.
FILMOGRAFIA
Das Blaue Licht (La bella maledetta, 1932), Der Sieg des Glaubens (1933), Der Triumph des Willens (1934), Tag der Freiheit Unsere Wehrmacht (1935), Olympia (1936), Tiefland (1954).
Cast
& Credits
Regia/Director: Leni Riefenstahl
Fotografia/Director of photography: Sepp Allgeier, Franz Weihmayr, Walter Frentz, Richard Quass, Paul Tesch
Montaggio/Film editor: Leni Riefenstahl, Waldemar Gaede, Guzzi Lantschner
Musica/Music: Herbert Windt
Suono/Sound: Waldemar Gaede, Siegfried Schulze
Produttore/Producer: Arnold Raether
Produzione/Production: Reichspropagandaleitung der NSDAP, Berlino
Fotografia/Director of photography: Sepp Allgeier, Franz Weihmayr, Walter Frentz, Richard Quass, Paul Tesch
Montaggio/Film editor: Leni Riefenstahl, Waldemar Gaede, Guzzi Lantschner
Musica/Music: Herbert Windt
Suono/Sound: Waldemar Gaede, Siegfried Schulze
Produttore/Producer: Arnold Raether
Produzione/Production: Reichspropagandaleitung der NSDAP, Berlino