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Triumph Of The WillRating:
Release Date: 18 August, 2000 Retail Price: $39.95 Sorry, this product is not currently available. Cast: Complete Cast (5 total) |
Triumph Of The Will Reviews
The Luitpold Arena on a sunny day in early September ( 1934 ).
Other reviewers have given good descriptions of the overall merits (or demerits) of "Triumph of the Will", including the role of Leni Riefenstahl in the making of the film.
I would therefore like to concentrate on the outdoor Memorial Ceremony which was held on day 4 of the sixth party congress.
This is probably the most spectacular scene in the film, and occurs at the Luitpold Arena, which constituted only one section of the Nazi Nuremberg "complex".
The Luitpold Arena was basically a parade ground with a hall and speaker's platform at one end, and a Hall of Honour (the Ehrenhalle) at the opposite end.
The Erenhalle was erected in 1930 as a memorial to those who died in World War 1. It is easily recognized by its 9 distinct arches.
The Luitpold Arena memorial scene opens with a close-up view of one of the two giant eagles at each end of the speaker's platform.
(These 2 eagles were the work of sculptor Kurt Schmid-Ehmen).
The camera then slowly pans from the eagle to 3 figures walking from the Speaker's Platform end of the Arena towards the Erenhalle at the far end . It is a fine sunny day in early September, 1934, and the music on the film soundtrack is "Ich hatte eine kameraden" (I once had a comrade ).
These three men are - Hitler (in the centre,and slightly ahead of the other two), Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS on Hitler's left (on the right side of the screen), and Viktor Lutze, head of the SA (stormtroopers or "Brownshirts" ).
The man who would normally occupy Lutze's position, Ernst Rohm, was killed only 3 months earlier, after the "Night of the Long Knives" . Lutze replaced Rohm as head of the SA in July . ( Hitler made a brief reference to this incident in his speech from the podium in another scene ).
What was particularly impressive about the outdoor Memorial segment, was the sight of these 3 men walking along a wide aisle between columns of approximately 150,000 SA and SS men. ( This aisle was referred to as the "Strasser des Fuhrers" - or the "Fuhrer's way"). The instant impression was one of overwhelming unity, conformity, and power!
The purpose of this Memorial ceremony was to salute the Blutfahne ( blood flag ) from the 1923 Munich putsch, where 16 Party members were killed . The Blutfahne was situated in the centre of a large memorial wreath in front of the Ehrenhalle.
After saluting the flag, Hitler, Himmler, and Lutze proceeded to walk back to the Speaker's platform at the other end of the Luitpold Arena.
I have given this film 4 stars, mainly because of it's historical value, and my parting remark is - "Thank God I wasn't born into Hitler's Germany" .
View and read the book as well
I saw the movie before I read Riefenstahls autobiography. When I watched the movie, I was sure it had been staged. Nothing could be THAT perfect just filmed during events.
Then I read Riefenstahl's autobiography and was awed. She describes in detail what she experienced and endured to make this film. Nothing was staged. Her enemies tried to prevent her from making it, but she persevered. It is a superb documentary of a very anguished time in world history.
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