The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl (1993)

A documentary about the life and work of Leni Riefenstahl, a German film director most notorious for making the most effective propaganda films for the Nazis.

Directors:

Ray Muller, Ray Müller

Writers:

Ray Müller, Ray Muller

Stars:

Leni Riefenstahl, Marlene Dietrich, Arnold Fanck

5 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Leni Riefenstahl	...	Herself
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Marlene Dietrich	...	Herself (archive footage)
Arnold Fanck	...	Himself (archive footage)
Walter Frentz	...	Himself - Camerman 1936 Olymipcs
Joseph Goebbels	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Josef Goebbels)
Rudolf Hess	...	Himself (archive footage)
John Herbert Higgins	...	Himself - U.S. Swimmer (archive footage)
Adolf Hitler	...	Himself (archive footage)
Saburo Ito	...	Himself - Japanese Swimmer (archive footage)
Horst Kettner	...	Himself - Leni's Companion
Reizô Koike	...	Himself - Japanese Swimmer (archive footage)
Guzzi Lantschner	...	Himself - Camerman 1936 Olymipcs
Ralph Metcalfe	...	Himself - U.S. Sprinter (archive footage)
Ray Müller	...	Himself
Jesse Owens	...	Himself (archive footage)

Storyline

This documentary recounts the life and work of one of most famous, and yet reviled, German film directors in history, Leni Riefenstahl. The film recounts the rise of her career from a dancer, to a movie actor to the most important film director in Nazi Germany who directed such famous propaganda films as Triumph of the Will and Olympiad. The film also explores her later activities after Nazi Germany's defeat in 1945 and her disgrace for being so associated with it which includes her amazingly active life over the age of 90.

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Plot Keywords:

film director as character | female film director as character | female film director | woman director | reference to leni riefenstahl | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | History

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Details

Country:

France UK Germany Belgium

Language:

German English

Release Date:

June 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Power of the Image: Leni Riefenstahl

Filming Locations:

Austria

Box Office

Gross USA:

$449,707

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arte France, Channel Four Films, Middlemarch Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

183 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Edited from The Mountaineers (1924)

User Reviews

A Documentary on Making Documentaries

For American tastes, this documentary is much too long for the subject matter. Yet, it is worth watching for several reasons. Considerable insight into the early appeal of Hitler to the German people shows through Frau Riefenstahl's comments. More than that, though, is the detailed presentation of a master documentary filmmaker and her secrets. As evidenced through her later work in Africa and under the sea, she is an amazing woman. Her comments and her work are presented in such a way that both can be appreciated.