Triumph of the Will (1935)
"Triumph des Willens" (original title)

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

Director:

Leni Riefenstahl

Writers:

Leni Riefenstahl, Walter Ruttmann,

Stars:

Adolf Hitler, Max Amann, Martin Bormann

1 win.

Cast

Credited 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
Jakob Grimminger	...	Blood Flag Bearer
Hermann Göring	...	Himself - Listens to Hess, Reviews Army, Parades in SA Uniform Then Joins Hitler, Listens to Hitler, Stands and Nods Agreement
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

Storyline

A legendary propaganda/documentary of the Third Reich's 1934 Nuremberg Party Rally. Featuring a cast of thousands as well as, of course, Hitler, Himmler, Goebbels, Hess, Goering and other top party officials.

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Plot Keywords:

nuremberg | hitler | rally | nazi | third reich | 

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Genres:

Documentary | War

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Details

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

28 March 1935 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Triumph of the Will

Filming Locations:

Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Leni Riefenstahl-Produktion, Reichspropagandaleitung der NSDAP

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Tobis-Klangfilm)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Leni Riefenstahl directed an earlier film for the NSDAP, Victory of the Faith, which showcased an earlier Nazi rally, but all known copies of the film were destroyed after Ernst Röhm, who was featured in that film, was suspected of participating in a plot against Adolf Hitler and was executed. Rohm was head of the feared Nazi "brownshirts", and all published references to him were ordered destroyed in an attempt to erase him from history. This film was produced to replace "Der Sieg des Glaubens", and only one complete second-generation copy of that earlier film has ever been found.

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Quotes

[first lines]
subtitle: The documentary of the Reich Party Congress, 1934 - Produced by order of the Führer.
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.
crowd: [for more than 20 minutes, there is only one discernible word:] Heil! Heil! Heil!...
Rudolf Hess: I open the sixth Party Congress in respectful memory of he who has passed...

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Connections

Featured in The Twisted Cross (1956)

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Soundtracks

"Die Fanhe Hoch (Raise High the Flag)"
Horst Wessel

User Reviews

Thought-provoking, and scary

This is the thinking person's horror film. Zombies? Ghosts? Lunatics with hockey masks and chainsaws generating gallons of fake blood? Not a tiny bit as scary as thousands upon thousands of people lined up in squares, gleefully losing their individual identities and glorifying in the group, willing to perform some of the most evil deeds imaginable for the perceived benefit of that whole.

If this film was done badly, it would be something to laugh at or study as a historical artifact, a relic of a past we left behind. However, its power, and why it can disturb to this very day, is the fact that it was done beautifully. Anyone who talks about equating "truth and beauty" should think about this film. It is certainly beautiful, but it is also in the service of a lie, and an evil one at that.

Sadly, I suspect that the types who make modern political propaganda and advertising get on their knees at night and pray for some of the inspiration that made this film. Stars? This film defies a star rating.