Der Sieg des Glaubens (1933)

Director:

Leni Riefenstahl

Release Date:

1 December 1933 (Germany)

Cast

Josef Goebbels	...	Himself
Hermann Göring	...	Himself
Rudolf Hess	...	Himself
Heinrich Himmler	...	Himself
Adolf Hitler	...	Himself
Robert Ley	...	Himself
Willy Liebel	...	Himself
Prince August Wilhelm	...	Himself
Ernst Röhm	...	Himself
Albert Speer	...	Himself
Margarete Speer	...	Herself
Julius Streicher	...	Himself
Franz von Epp	...	Himself
Franz von Papen	...	Himself
Baldur von Schirach	...	Himself

Also Known As:

Der Sieg des Glaubens - Der Film vom Reichs-Parteitag der NSDAP (Germany) (poster title)
Victory of the Faith (International: English title)

Runtime:

61 min

Country:

Germany

Language:

German | Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Tobis-Klangfilm)

Filming Locations:

Reichsparteitag-Gelände, Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany

Company:

Reichspropagandaleitung der NSDAP

Trivia:

This film includes Ernst Röhm, head of the Nazi Party "Brownshirts" and heir-apparent to the Head of the NSDAP (National Socialist German Worker's Party). In June 1934, suspecting a coup, Röhm and several of his lieutenants were assassinated under Hitler's orders. All references to Röhm were ordered to be erased from German history, which included the destruction of all known copies of this film. The film Triumph des Willens (1935) was produced to replace it.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Die Macht der Bilder: Leni Riefenstahl (1993)

Soundtrack:

Die Fahnen hoch (Horst Wessel Lied)

A Disturbingly Effective Documentary

Like all of Ms. Riefenstahl's work this is a disturbingly effective piece of propaganda. When I look at the low scores that some people have given this film I understand. If you are looking for meaning and social redemption, then this film deserves less than a one. However, Ms. Riefenstahl shows us here, as in her later propaganda, how Hitler and his brownshirts seduced the German people. Hitler was elected by the German people who sought a solution to the Great Depression, reparations, and the slight they felt after an ignominious defeat in World War One. When we see the effectiveness of modern spin machines at shaping public policy we must look at this documentary with eyes wide open. Here Hitler is neither a clown nor a caricature but a messianic messenger that is freely embraced. Look closely and feel the seductive embrace of fascism. Look again and look at yourself in the mirror. The spell is seductive and mesmerizing. The German people lost and were butchered as surely as they butchered their victims. The world may not survive another conflagration like World Word II. Look in the mirror and ask yourself if you are above the mesmerizing spell of the roaring crowd. Ask yourself if you are willing to defy the crowd.