The Many Leni Riefenstahls
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Historical Perspectives: Santa Clara University Undergraduate Journal of History, Series II Volume 10 Article 7 2005 The aM ny Leni Riefenstahls: Inventing a Cinematic Legend Ashley Bunnell Ritchie Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarcommons.scu.edu/historical-perspectives Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Ritchie, Ashley Bunnell (2005) "The aM ny Leni Riefenstahls: Inventing a Cinematic Legend," Historical Perspectives: Santa Clara University Undergraduate Journal of History, Series II: Vol. 10 , Article 7. Available at: http://scholarcommons.scu.edu/historical-perspectives/vol10/iss1/7 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Historical Perspectives: Santa Clara University Undergraduate Journal of History, Series II by an authorized editor of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Ritchie: The Many Leni Riefenstahls Kate Chopin, Unfiltered 23 24 Historical Perspectives March 2005 in their lives. She was invited to speak at a women’s The Many Leni Riefenstahls: club luncheon in St. Louis, where she received con- gratulations on her work. Despite this encourage- Inventing a Cinematic Legend ment, her ambition began to decline. She concentrated on taking care of sick relatives, until she suffered a Ashley Bunnell Ritchie cerebral hemorrhage and died in 1904. Leni Riefenstahl, an aspiring German actress However misguided their interpretation of her turned director/producer is best known for her re- motives as a writer, Chopin’s feminist admirers are markable skills in directing documentary films for owed a debt of gratitude. Without their attraction to Adolph Hitler before World War II. After the war, her her work, Chopin might have remained undiscovered success as a director faltered as the public and the by a public not interested in regional authors. But it film community shunned her for her involvement does a disservice to the complex and many faceted with the Nazi regime. Many of those attending or forces that shaped this unconventional woman and watching the 2003 Academy Awards, where author to see her only through the feminist lens of Riefenstahl was honored as one of the greatest film- modern scholars. Chopin exhibited in 1899 what we makers of her time, failed to understand how the would call a feminist consciousness today, not because Academy could honor a woman who had been so of some kind of precognition, but rather owing to her heavily involved with Hitler. The anger some ex- unique life experiences. Although it was the feminist pressed raises the issue of how people need to re- label that rescued Chopin from obscurity, that same member Leni Riefenstahl. There was little doubt label threatens to relegate her to the ghetto of “feminist about her genius as a filmmaker, but the contro- authors.” Chopin took what she saw around her: versy focused on whether or not she deserved to be powerful women, a rich French heritage, and Catholic recognized by the Academy given her notorious past. and Creole influences, and transformed all those forces Some interpreted her recognition as an insult to into stories that remain powerful and timeless. To public opinion since, in their view, her artistic de- pigeonhole her as “feminist” is to miss the profound mise after World War II was a punishment adminis- and universal themes of her work, and to diminish the tered by a public outraged at her Nazi sympathy. uniqueness and complexity of her circumstances and Yet, the enigma of her career before and after the her outlook. War remains. Who was the real Leni Riefenstahl? Was she a Nazi collaborator or an unassuming victim? Was she a naive film genius who did not foresee the conse- quences of her actions or an ambitious woman who did not mind sweeping her morals under the carpet for success? Was she really a cinematic genius? Would she have continued to create masterpieces Published by Scholar Commons, 2005 1 Historical Perspectives: Santa Clara University Undergraduate Journal of History, Series II, Vol. 10 [2005], Art. 7 The Many Leni Riefenstahls 25 26 Historical Perspectives March 2005 had she not been shunned? jury, Riefenstahl made the decision to transition into To arrive at a fair assessment of the woman and acting, a dream she would carry for the rest of her her talents is not easy. In the literature surrounding life. She often described her move into cinema as “a this enigmatic presence in film history, several Leni classical moment of revelation,”2 and after gaining Riefenstahls appear. To judge from current scholar- notoriety for her work in smaller budget films, she ship about her, it is evident that she meant different got the chance to work for a director whom she had things to different people. However, few question her long admired: Arnold Fanck. She used her time with ability. Though commentators almost universally Fanck to familiarize herself with every aspect of film attribute the demise of her artistic career to her production and then made the decision to move notorious reputation, this may not have been the behind the camera to explore directing. case. Perhaps the failures of her post-World War II When Riefenstahl became a self-proclaimed direc- films are better explained by her inability to adapt to tor, she quickly established herself as a household the evolving pace of films. Perhaps the “punishment” name. Her two documentaries, “Triumph of the Will” that was inflicted on her had no role in the down- and “Olympia,” brought the standards of documen- ward spiral of her career. Leni Riefenstahl, “the lim- tary films to a level never seen before and surpassed ited talent,” is one possible depiction of this contro- any of the artistic works she had created or ever versial woman very few individuals have con- would create in the future. “Triumph of the Will,” structed, but it will be a serious consideration in the Riefenstahl’s best known film, gained its reputation latter part of this paper. for its original and brilliant techniques. However, today it is judged for its effectiveness in promoting How Riefenstahl came to be known as a ‘cine- the Nazi regime. matic genius’ Riefenstahl got her chance to direct “Triumph of In order to better understand the public’s percep- the Will” after Hitler saw her film, “The Blue Light,” tion of Riefenstahl, it is crucial to examine how she and was impressed with her original style. He asked earned her reputation as a cinematic genius. her first to film a small Nazi party meeting. The re- Riefenstahl was fascinated with the entertainment sults, “Sieg des Glaubens,” pleased Hitler. Thus, industry at an early age. Relentless in her pursuit of when the Nuremberg rally was in the works, Hitler getting what she wanted, Riefenstahl was convinced knew just whom to call on. Although she lacked she could do anything and everything.1 Thus, she experience with documentary films, Leni Riefenstahl pursued dancing as a child, even when though it displayed artistic techniques Hitler had not seen in horrified her father. When she suffered a knee in- other directors. As with everything he did, Hitler was unremitting in his pursuit of her as a director. In 1Rainer Rother, Leni Riefenstahl: The seduction of genius. (London: Continuum, 2002), 11. 2Ibid., 22. http://scholarcommons.scu.edu/historical-perspectives/vol10/iss1/7 2 Ritchie: The Many Leni Riefenstahls The Many Leni Riefenstahls 25 26 Historical Perspectives March 2005 had she not been shunned? jury, Riefenstahl made the decision to transition into To arrive at a fair assessment of the woman and acting, a dream she would carry for the rest of her her talents is not easy. In the literature surrounding life. She often described her move into cinema as “a this enigmatic presence in film history, several Leni classical moment of revelation,”2 and after gaining Riefenstahls appear. To judge from current scholar- notoriety for her work in smaller budget films, she ship about her, it is evident that she meant different got the chance to work for a director whom she had things to different people. However, few question her long admired: Arnold Fanck. She used her time with ability. Though commentators almost universally Fanck to familiarize herself with every aspect of film attribute the demise of her artistic career to her production and then made the decision to move notorious reputation, this may not have been the behind the camera to explore directing. case. Perhaps the failures of her post-World War II When Riefenstahl became a self-proclaimed direc- films are better explained by her inability to adapt to tor, she quickly established herself as a household the evolving pace of films. Perhaps the “punishment” name. Her two documentaries, “Triumph of the Will” that was inflicted on her had no role in the down- and “Olympia,” brought the standards of documen- ward spiral of her career. Leni Riefenstahl, “the lim- tary films to a level never seen before and surpassed ited talent,” is one possible depiction of this contro- any of the artistic works she had created or ever versial woman very few individuals have con- would create in the future. “Triumph of the Will,” structed, but it will be a serious consideration in the Riefenstahl’s best known film, gained its reputation latter part of this paper. for its original and brilliant techniques. However, today it is judged for its effectiveness in promoting How Riefenstahl came to be known as a ‘cine- the Nazi regime. matic genius’ Riefenstahl got her chance to direct “Triumph of In order to better understand the public’s percep- the Will” after Hitler saw her film, “The Blue Light,” tion of Riefenstahl, it is crucial to examine how she and was impressed with her original style.