Triumph of the Will (1935)

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

Director:

Leni Riefenstahl

Writers:

Leni Riefenstahl, Walter Ruttmann

Stars:

Adolf Hitler, Hermann Göring, Max Amann

1 win & 1 nomination.

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
Joseph Goebbels	...	Himself - Arrives by Plane with Hitler, Bright Flame Speech, at HJ Rally, Views RAD Parade, Listens to Hitler (as Josef Goebbels)
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:

f rated | nuremberg | nazi | propaganda | hitler | 

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Taglines:

The infamous propaganda film.

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Genres:

Documentary | History | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

28 March 1935 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Triumph of the Will

Filming Locations:

Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

DEM 280,000 (estimated)

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

George Lucas cites this movie as the inspiration for many scenes and shots of Clones/Stormtroopers.

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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 Natural Born Killers (1994)

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Soundtracks

Wir Marschieren Durch Grösseres Berlin (We March Through Greater Berlin)

User Reviews

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.