Abstract
Leni Riefenstahl will forever be connected to the political ideology of fascism and the images of Adolf Hitler and male strength and beauty she brought to the screen in Triumph of the Will (1935) and Olympia (1938), the contested masterpieces of her filmmaking career under the Third Reich. Now 100 years old and releasing her first film in almost half a century, she has remained a ubiquitous media presence for most of her life. In the 1 970s, an article in Newsweek began: "Leni Riefenstahl simply will not go away" and her media presence has only increased since that time ("Leni's triumph of the will" 11/29/76). More recently, in the past decade, Vanity Fair featured an interview with Riefenstahl and published Helmut Newton's photographs of her; lengthy reviews of her memoirs appeared in the New York Times, the Globe and Mail, and the Times of London; Ray Muller's documentary, The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl appeared at film festivals in New York and Washington, D.C.; and Jodie Foster's decision to make a film based on Riefenstahl's life was announced on CNN. This media attention prompted Eric Rentschler to describe Riefenstahl as "the Third Reich's most visible living celebrity and a constant object oflurid speculation, be it as 'Hitler's girlfriend,' a 'Nazi pin-up girl,' or a 'fallen goddess.' The spectacle of Riefenstahl has always made for good press" (1996: 27-8). This paper examines the media's enduring fascination with Riefenstahl by analyzing articles devoted to the filmmaker's life and work that have appeared in Western newspapers, popular journals and on the Internet over the course of the past three decades.
Highlights
Leni Riefenstahl will forever be connected to the political ideology of fascism and the images of Adolf Hitler and male strength and beauty she brought to the screen in Triumph ofthe Will (1935) and Olympia (1938), the contested masterpieces of her filmmaking career under the Third Reich
In the past decade, Vanity Fair featured an interview with Riefenstahl and published Helmut Newton's photographs of her; lengthy reviews of her memoirs appeared in the New York Times, the Globe and Mail, and the Times of London; Ray Muller's documentary, The Wonderful, Horrible Life ofLeni Riefenstahl appeared at film festivals in New York and Washington, D.C.; and Jodie Foster's decision to make a film based on Riefenstahl's life was announced on CNN
This media attention prompted Eric Rentschler to describe Riefenstahl as "the Third Reich's most visible living celebrity and a constant object oflurid speculation, be it as 'Hitler's girlfriend,' a 'Nazi pin-up girl,' or a 'fallen goddess.' The spectacle ofRiefenstahl has always made for good press" (1996: 27-8)
Summary
Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture York University-Ryerson University Toronto, Ontario, Canada Thursday, January 9, 2003. The redemptive articles that echo Hinton's contention that Riefenstahl was faithful to her own aesthetics rather than those ofthe Nazi regime, argue that Riefenstahl's concerns were solely artistic Supporters of this argument cite aesthetics in Riefenstahl's work that they believe express an opposition to fascist ideology. The second panel in the triptych consists ofRiefenstahl's works for the Nazi party, Triumph a/the Will and Olympia, which are described as expressions of the fascist cult of leadership and the asexual adulation of perfect, athletic bodies: "In Olympia, the richest visually of all her films ...one straining, scantily clad figure after another seeks the ecstasy of victory, cheered on by ranks of compatriots in the stands, all under the still gaze of the benign Super-Spectator, Hitler" (ibid: 314). In From Caligari to Hitler, Kracauer argued that the Expressionist cinema (the avant-garde techniques of which influenced Riefenstahl's directing style) and the mountain film genre express the fascist tendencies of Weimar-era Germany, anticipating the rise of National Socialism. Dasenbrock concludes that, because of the continued influence of fascism, it would be more appropriate to call our current society "post-fascist" rather than postmodern
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