Le Triomphe de la volonté

Fascinating, scary, monstrous. Nazism as a cinematic religion... Riefenstahl had a great talent, but unfortunately, to whom she lent it was all the more visible. Yet, if I free myself from all moralistic judgments, there is something monstrously hypnotic about it. If you are interested in film as a servant and carrier of ideology, then this work is a complete canon of manipulation of the viewer. It is condemnable, and yet The Triumph of the Will should not be forgotten. At least as a warning against the propaganda mechanism, because it still works today... (02/02/2004)

Propaganda from firsthand. However, Riefenstahl can bring the technical side close to perfection, but the content sucks the blood out of me even in the following century. I understand that Triumph of the Will should be taken with irony, but besides the ambiguous feeling of peeking under the Nazi lid at something almost intangible, I can't take anything from it. However, it can function as an all-telling image as well as a warning message. (21/12/2010)

Those monsters knew very well what they were doing and how, and Triumph of the Will fulfilled its purpose in the sense that it emphasized, not only to the German fanatics of the time, but also to all future uninitiated generations, how far a nation in its entire generational scope can go when it allows itself to be swept away by fierce nationalism and a sense of its own superiority. And while this message served as a tool to consolidate Nazi power and was the pinnacle of sophisticated propaganda, now it functions instead as an important warning and perhaps even a lesson. No matter how elaborate or simple it is, this documentary will always be a powerful and stimulating historical reflection. (09/03/2016)

It is very difficult to watch this film without seeing the atrocities that followed, but it is still unbelievable what the film and the relatively young Leni Riefenstahl were able to achieve. At the age of thirty-one, she made a monstrous celebration of Hitler and the Third Reich, which contains elements that many contemporary filmmakers are often unable to convey in their films. Yes, she had the support of the party, which is evident in the excellent aerial shots, but the angles, compositions, and shots she chose are simply incredible. It becomes even more terrifying when one realizes what the film was able to accomplish and promote. A cinematically amazing work... unfortunately, the other aspects behind it are an example of how film can be abused. (04/08/2014)