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	...	Self - Führer und Reichskanzler
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Max Amann	...	Self - Views Parade of SA in Long Pants, No Banners
Martin Bormann	...	Self - Sits on Hitler's Left, at HJ Rally, Enters Hall Behind Hess, Sits Behind Streicher
Walter Buch	...	Self - Views Parade of SA in Long Pants, No Banners, Views SS Parade
Walter Darré	...	Self - Health of Our Farmers Speech
Otto Dietrich	...	Self - Truth About Germany Speech
Sepp Dietrich	...	Self - Commander of the SS-Leibstandarten
Hans Frank	...	Self - Speech
Joseph Goebbels	...	Self - 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	...	Self - Listens to Hess, Reviews Army, Parades in SA Uniform Then Joins Hitler, Listens to Hitler, Stands and Nods Agreement
Rudolf Hess	...	Self - 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	...	Self - Views SS Parade with Other Officers by Hitler's Car
Konstantin Hierl	...	Self - National Labour Service Speech, Presents RAD to Hitler, Leads RAD Parade Then Joins Hitler
Heinrich Himmler	...	Self - 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

This documentary by filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl's is about the Nazi party's 1934 rally in Nuremberg, Germany. Told without narration, it documents all six days of activities from Adolf Hitler's arrival to his departure. It includes speeches by all of the major participants as well as the various activities of the thousands upon thousands who attended. In hindsight, it's a chilling film that shows the power of propaganda.

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Plot Keywords:

propaganda | fascism | fascist | nuremberg rally | nazi officer | 

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Taglines:

The infamous propaganda film.

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Genres:

Documentary | History | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels did not enjoy the film, and condemned it. He was furious that Leni Riefenstahl, who wasn't even a member of the Nazi party, was commissioned by Hitler to direct the film. Furthermore, the movie had gone against everything he viewed as the proper channels for propaganda. He believed that propaganda was best utilized when it was indirect. He is even quoted as saying 'That is the secret of propaganda: to permeate the person it aims to grasp, without his even noticing that he is being permeated. Of course propaganda has a purpose, but the purpose must be concealed with such cleverness and virtuosity that the person on whom this purpose is to be carried out doesn't notice it at all'

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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 on...

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Connections

Featured in From Caligari to Hitler: German Cinema in the Age of the Masses (2014)

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Soundtracks

Die Fanhe Hoch (Raise High the Flag)
Horst Wessel

User Reviews

A flag is not a flag

After winning elections, the National Socialist Party of Germany held a congress in 1934, a demonstration of force that was filmed "to show the world the triumph of the will of the German people." From the opening when the Führer literally arrives from heaven and the healthy, disciplined and pure Arian party members gather in Nuremberg, the documentary goes from the particular to the general with clever audiovisual manipulation, through marches, speeches and banners, turning the masses that celebrate the triumph of their will into a perfect piece of architecture, a magnificent structure that is reduced to the power of the Party. For decades, this so-called work of "reactionary modernism" was dismissed after the revelation of the Nazis' iniquity. However, after emotions are subdued, the masterfulness of director Leni Riefenstahl is evident (see "Die Match der Bilder.") In this and her 1938 film of the Olympic Games in Berlin, "Olympia", she coined techniques that today are common place in the entertainment industry. So don't be surprised if today you watch a football game with technical solutions of Nazi origin...

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:

DEM280,000 (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