The “Bergfilms” as they became known were very popular and she became well known to audiences and her films enjoyed immense popularity- fans included Joesph Goebbels and Adolf Hitler. By 1933, Leni Riefenstahl was a popular movie star in Germany, a powerful rival to Marlene Dietrich. Therefore her influence on the society of Germany was pronounced long before the production of Triumpf Des Willens or Olympia. Riefenstahl’s films were providing an escape to the German people from the horrors of depression and the increasing street violence and unrest caused by the frequent elections.
Some pro-Nazists and later historiand viewed the Bergfilms as a precursor to the ideology of the Nazis- the concept of ‘Blut und Boden” (blood and soil) proclaimed that fit, racially pure Aryan Germans belinged to the countryside and mountians. Some historians believe that Riefenstahl’s love of the Bergfilm genre as evidence of her support of anti-Semitism. However, Riefenstahl has never stated anything to support this argument, so it appears to be unfounded.
Despite her success, Riefenstahl found herself growing dissatisfied with her acting career, finding that acting and dancing in icy mountain landscapes physically dangerous and uncomfortable. As early as 1930, she had decided that directing was the career that she wanted to pursue.
In 1931, Leni Riefenstahl’s first film that she produced, directed and starred in- Das Blaue Licht (The Blue Light). In Das Blaue Licht, her early love of fairy tales helped inspire her to invent the story of Junta- the tragic heroine of the story who suicides in her grief. Das Blaue Licht was a great success and won a silver medal at the Venice Film Festival in 1933. Leni Riefenstahl’s contribution to the German Film Industry in Weimar Germany was major, and her influence led in later years to claims that she was actively involved in political aspects of the Nazi Regime. This claim once again highlights her great contribution to social and cultural life in Germany.
By 1932 the political situation in Germany was tense. When Riefenstahl finished touring Europe with Das Blaue Licht in 1932, she returned to Berlin and found the city innundated with pro- Adolf Hitler propaganda. She later claimed that she had been away from Berlin for so long that she was unaware of who Hitler was. This is plausible but doubted by some historians. She attended a Nazi rally at the Sportpalast (Sports Palace) when advised by a friend. She was transfixed by the charismatic Hitler. “He radiated something very powerful” she observed in a later interview. “..Something which had a kind of hypnotic effect. That frightened me a little.”
Over the years, Riefenstahl has been accused on several occasions of being amorously involved with Adolf Hitler and sympathising thus with the Nazis. Riefenstahl has denied this strongly however. “…As a man….he did not interest me at all.” Historians have remained unconvinced on this issue. Leni Riefenstahl has gained a notorious reputation for using her sexuality to gain power. Many believe that she had a relationship with either Adolf Hitler of Joesph Goebbels.
After the rally, Riefenstahl wrote a letter to Hitler as follows:
“Dear Herr Hitler,
Recently I attended a political rally for the first time in my life. You were giving a speech at the sports palace and I must confess that I was so impressed by you and by the ethusiasm of the spectators that I would like to meet you personally.”
Adolf Hitler was an ardent admirer of Leni Riefenstahl from Der Heilige Berg and Das Blaue Licht. Soon after sending her letter she received an invitation from him. She met Adolf Hitler for the first time in late 1932, and was surprised at the change in him at a personal, rather then political, meeting. He was polite, modest and extremely courteous. He praised her acting and together they discussed favourite scenes in her films. It was at that meeting that Adolf Hitler first suggested the idea of Leni making films for him after the Nazis gained power. Despite the frantic denials made by Leni Riefenstahl in post-war interviews it also triggered the start of Riefenstahl’s passive sympathy towards Adolf Hitler that surivied until, at the very least, the end of the Nazi period in 1945.
Riefenstahl was in Greenland completing her next film, SOS Eisberg (S.O.S Iceburg) when Hitler came to power in 1933, but when she returned she was well aware of the violence against political opponents (Such as the assassination of Kurt Von Schleicher, former chancellor) and the Jewish people. Riefenstahl claimed that she tried to approach Hitler about this issue but he refused to talk about it. This is probably false but highlights her relative weakness as a political force or advisory within the Nazi Party, meaning that her contribution to German society in the Nazi Party was a social and cultural one, rather than a political force.
However, this being said, it is true that Riefenstahl certainly moved in high government circles, which is where the allegations about her ‘relationships’ with the top Nazis stem.
By 1933, the film industry had fallen under the control of Goebbels and his Reich ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. Akk film products had to be approved of before release, however Goebbels had the best of American films screened privately for him. However most films of the 1930’s were adventures, musicals and romances that were intended to keep the public entertained. Therefore Leni Riefenstahl could work comfortably in Germany in the 1930’s.
The Nazi party understood the mass intoxication that carefully staged rallies held. As stated by Adolf Hitler, “The broad massess of the population are more amenable to the power of a rhetoric than to any other force.” Therefore in 1933 Hitler requested Riefenstahl to produce a film about the 1933 rally entitled “Sieg Des Glaubens” (Victory Of Faith). As she had little time to prepare for the filming and faced obstruction by sexist party officials, the overall film effect was dissapointing, Riefenstahl noting that her usual artistic flair. But Adolf Hitler was pleased by the film, and then insisted that she make a film of the 1934 rally with unlimited resources and crew. Riefenstahl could work with virtual freedom, as the authorisation Hitler had given her overrode the regulations of the Reichsministry.
The 1934 rally was designed to promote Adolf Hitler’s image as führer. It was through the five month editing that the powerful images of the film were brought together to produce a film of a standard never seen before. Hitler gave the film its name “Triumpf Des Willens” (Triumph Of The Will). It was released in 1935 and attracted great praise, winning awards such as the Gold Medal at the 1935 Venice Film Festival and the Grand Prix at the Paris Film Festival of 1937. Since the Second World War, historians have praised Triumpf Des Willens, with writer Dan van der Vat describing it as “technically brilliant” and historian David Welch calling it “A masterpiece of timing”. But one of the most important evaluations of its power as a tool of Nazi propaganda came from film historian Audrey Salheld- “Triumph Of The Will is successful in almost every context one seeks to judge it- artistically, cinematographically, documentarily- and as a potent piece of Nazi proaganda.”
It is very true that Triumpf Des Willens made a huge contribution to the political Nazi regime, and this film is the major evidence to substantiate the claim that Riefenstahl had a more profound affect on the political aspects of Germany. However her early career can not be forgotten, and it was not Riefenstahl’s desire to create a propaganda film. However this being said, the German Government would never allow a film to be released that portrayed the Nazis in a negative light.
Riefenstahl’s social contribution was heightened when, I 935, after the release of Triumpf Des Willens, Riefenstahl was asked by the organising committee for the Olympic Games, to be held in Berlin, 1936, to produce a film of the games. Titled “Olympia”, Riefenstahl again planned the film with meticulous care. She saw the film as an opportunity to capture the beauty of the human body. Many have seen this glorification of the human body and the concept of struggle as supporting the Nazi ideals of the master race. Unlike Triumpf Des Willens, which is undoubtably a piece of propaganda despite its intent, Olympia is hard to classify as a piece of propaganda. It is still disputed today that the film should be classified as a work of art or propaganda.
A major charge against Riefenstahl is that she was a willing propagandist for the Nazis, applying her skills to benefit Hitler and the Nazi movement. Theroetically, this made her a Nazi and a particularly significant one. Although cleared of war-crimes, until and after her death in September 2003, many believed that she was a believer in the Nazi ideology.
There is no question that Leni Riefenstahl’s films were of enormous benefit to the Nazis as film propaganda. Her films no doubt aided in promoting the Nazi Government to German society and foreign nations. However when assessing the full impact of her career from 1918- 1945, it cannot be concluded that her impact to the politics of Nazi Germany was greater than her cultural contribution as an artist. Her early “Bergfilms” and dancing career had a significant impact upon the society of Germany, and she was a renowned actress and director long before she commenced work for the Nazi Party. Therefore, when the long and eventful span of her career is career is evaluated in an unbiased fashion , it becomes clear that Leni Riefenstahl made a greater contribution to the social and cultural aspects of life under the Nazi Regime in Germany.