Triumph des Willens (1935)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Leni Riefenstahl

Writers:

Leni Riefenstahl (writer)
Walter Ruttmann (writer)

Release Date:

28 March 1935 (Germany)

Genre:

Documentary | War

Plot:

The infamous propaganda film of the 1934 Nazi Party rally in Nuremberg, Germany.

Plot Keywords:

Hitler | Nuremberg | Third Reich | Nazi | Rally

US Showtimes:

(register to personalize)

Cast

Adolf Hitler	...	Himself (lauded by Hess, Physical Labour speech to RAD, Behind Us Comes Germany speech to HJ, We Created Our State speech, Black Shadow speech to SA, reviews parade, Two Principles speech to Party)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Max Amann	...	Himself (views parade of SA in long pants, no banners)
Martin Bormann	...	Himself (sits on Hitler's left, at HJ rally, enters hall behind Hess, sits behind Streicher)
Walter Buch	...	Himself (views parade of SA in long pants, no banners, views SS parade)
Walter Darré	...	Himself (Health of Our Farmers speech)
Otto Dietrich	...	Himself (Truth About Germany speech)
Sepp Dietrich	...	Himself (Commander of the SS-Leibstandarten)
Hans Frank	...	Himself (speech)
Josef Goebbels	...	Himself (arrives by plane with Hitler, Bright Flame speech, at HJ rally, views RAD parade, listens to Hitler)
Hermann Göring	...	Himself (listens to Hess, reviews Army, parades in SA uniform then joins Hitler, listens to Hitler, stands and nods agreement)
Jakob Grimminger	...	Blood Flag Bearer
Rudolf Hess	...	Himself (opens Congress, You Are Germany speech, at HJ rally, reviews parade, sits on Hitler's right, introduces Hitler, listens to Hitler, Hitler Is Germany speech)
Reinhard Heydrich	...	Himself (views SS parade with other officers by Hitler's car)
Konstantin Hierl	...	Himself (National Labour Service speech, presents RAD to Hitler, leads RAD parade then joins Hitler)
Heinrich Himmler	...	Himself (walks to flame with Hitler and Lutze, leads SS at SA rally, leads SS parade then joins Hitler, sits beside Lutze, listens to Hitler)
Robert Ley	...	Himself (reviews DAF with Hitler, Single Thought speech, salutes SA parade, listens to Hitler with Schwarz)
Viktor Lutze	...	Himself (speech as new SA leader, walks to flame with Hitler, Faithful to Führer speech, leads SA parade then joins Hitler, sits between Himmler and Hess, listens to Hitler)
Erich Raeder	...	Himself (listens to Hess, salutes SA parade when Göring sighted)
Fritz Reinhardt	...	Himself (Improvements speech)
Alfred Rosenberg	...	Himself (Unshakeable Belief speech)
Hjalmar Schacht	...	Himself
Franz Xaver Schwarz	...	Himself (sits between Wagner and Himmler, listens to Hitler with Ley)
Julius Streicher	...	Himself (stands with Hitler, Purity Of Race speech, sits on Hitler's left near podium, nods in agreement with Hitler)
Fritz Todt	...	Himself (Autobahn speech)
Werner von Blomberg	...	Himself (reviews Army units with Hitler and Göring)
Hans Georg von Friedeburg	...	Himself (salutes SA parade when Göring sighted)
Gerd von Rundstedt	...	Himself (behind Raeder as he salutes, views Army parade with officers) (unconfirmed)
Baldur von Schirach	...	Himself (in car, arrives at stadium with Hitler, Selfless Youth speech to HJ, views SS parade, listens to Hitler)
Adolf Wagner	...	Himself (reads Hitler's proclamation, views parade of SA in short pants, sits beside Schwarz, listens to Hitler)

Also Known As:

Das Dokument vom Reichsparteitag 1934 (Germany) (subtitle)
Triumph of the Will (USA)

Runtime:

114 min | USA:110 min

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Tobis-Klangfilm)

Certification:

Brazil:18 | Australia:G | West Germany:(Banned) | Germany:(Banned) | Sweden:Btl | UK:E | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany

Company:

Leni Riefenstahl-Produktion

Trivia:

Riefenstahl had been given carte blanche by Hitler in the making of the film: effectively, the party rally was the first produced-for-camera event. But at the beginning the word hadn't gotten through to officials at the airport and in the parade. Riefenstahl's cameramen were pushed away from the plane carrying Hitler, which is why we see only one out-of-focus shot of Hitler descending from the plane and why the taxiing of the aircraft is repeated and out of sequence. During the parade, a shot of the camera car passing the limo carrying Hitler reveals a dirty look from one of the passengers. Riefenstahl spoke to Hitler at the hotel about the way she'd been snubbed and from then on had no problems.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Opening crawl: On September 5, 1934, 20 years after the outbreak of the World War, 16 years after Germany's Suffering, 19 months after the beginning of the German Rebirth, Adolf Hitler again flew to Nuremberg to review the assembly of his faithful followers.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Corporation (2003)

Soundtrack:

Die Jugend Marschiert (Youth Marches)

Riefenstahl's Powerfully Cinematic Sensibilities Remain Noteworthy Despite the Controversial Subject

Before her death in 2003 at the age of 101, filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl would have you believe she had no affiliation with the Nazi party when she was asked by Adolf Hitler to document the momentous four days leading to the 1934 Nuremberg rally. However, it's obvious from her concurrently celebrated and reviled 1935 propaganda film that she was mesmerized by Hitler's oratorical skills judging from the dynamic way she has captured his undeniable charisma. She shows a remarkable deftness in editing techniques and camera movement and placement that remains the gold standard among documentarians. Riefenstahl succeeds in making Hitler a larger than life figure to the masses without resorting to editorial commentary to validate what is obvious from the images.

The film begins with Hitler's arrival in Nuremberg by personal aircraft where he is greeted by enthusiastic throngs of Nazi supporters. In fact, the first third of the film focuses primarily on civilian support of Fuehrer and then transitions to the opening of the Reich Party Congress where we see familiar historical figures, such as Rudolf Hess and Joseph Goebbels, speak. This leads to the third day of activity with rather unsettling shots of Hitler Youth as they prepare to greet Hitler from the rows of teepees in which they have camped. Her discriminating use of close-ups is most striking here when we see tow-headed Aryan boys hypnotized by Hitler's speech. The film ends with the startlingly choreographed rally with the famous shot of Hitler, flanked by Heinrich Himmler and Viktor Lutze, walking down an emptied aisle to place a wreath at a WWI memorial (a shot replicated by George Lucas at the end of the first "Star Wars"). The climax is designed to be celebratory as Hitler leads the masses toward unity under the Reich with his fanatical delivery.

Like D.W. Griffiths' "Birth of a Nation", it is difficult to defend the intended messaging behind such a trenchant film, yet it is criminal not to recognize the powerfully cinematic sense with which Riefenstahl imbues her work. The 2001 Synapse DVD contains a good though not outstanding print transfer. However, there are two worthwhile extras - the extremely informative commentary track from historian Dr. Anthony R. Santoro (which I recommend you switch on immediately to fully appreciate the individual personalities and historical details behind the rally) and a short Riefenstahl made at the following year's rally to celebrate the Wehrmacht (the German army), "Day of Freedom". There is little use in attempting any sort of objectivity about this film as it was intended to evoke strong emotions with the sole goal of solidifying the Reich in a country still feeling weakened from WWI. In this respect, Riefenstahl succeeds admirably.