Should The Will By Leni Riefenstahl Use Government Propaganda?

Through a series of carefully constructed shots Leni Riefenstahl creates the most effective government propaganda piece to date, effectively taking part in the genocide of thousands. Triumph of the Will offers a completely twisted version of the true Nazi party, portraying a half truth to the audience, resulting in thousands more joining the hate and evil of the Nazis. While many argue the brilliance behind this documentary, the artistic aspects become insignificant when compared to the atrocities that followed its influence, and the evil committed by the government sponsors. I will argue that when governments sponsor documentaries, their influence over the content can too easily become propaganda for a corrupt system, exploiting the medium

The Nazi party maintained this absolute control through the distribution and media coverage of Triumph of the Will. The Nazi government guaranteed the film’s success by ensuring “the film was shown all over Germany, particularly by means of mandatory screenings in schools and local halls.” (Culbert). When governments are given influence over the creation of content and its message as they do in Triumph of the Will, they can alter it into whatever they choose and control its distribution rights. This takeover of the medium allows for a monopoly over the platform. When the media is overwhelmed by this bias narrative, it limits the public’s knowledge and allows for only one viewpoint, one that coincides with the Nazi governments agenda. This message of hate was then consumed by the German public, misinforming them on who and what their government was, and as it has in Nazi Germany, an uneducated public can lead to a dangerous political take

Under the influence of the Nazi government, Leni Riefenstahl produced the ideal propaganda piece, that showcased the Nazi Party as a peaceful government. During the 6th Nazi party Congress the speaker says to Hitler “’Thanks to your leadership, Germany will reach its goal of being home to all Germans throughout the world. You were our guarantor of peace.’” Though as the documentary was done “by order of the Führer,” as is stated in the opening credits, the method through which Hitler achieved this ‘peace’ was not featured in the film. By excluding these crucial narrative facts, the documentary is essentially lying to the viewers, attempting to erase the horrid acts that the Nazi government has committed. The documentary was filmed and released from 1932 to 1935, with events coinciding with the events of the Holocaust (Hirsh 20). By failing to acknowledge the violence at the time being committed against the Jewish people, Riefenstahl, under the influence of the Nazi government commits a vile act of injustice against the world. As the Nazi government erases these facts from Triumph of the Will, the German public would only receive a half truth. This corruption goes unknown by the public, as the government hides behind Riefenstahl’s work, as she claims to only use real