Saturday, January 28, 2017

The Film "Triumph of the Will": It's Relevance to Our Modern Political Environment

Quotes from Joseph Goebbels:
“If you tell a lie, tell a big one.” 
“When the Führer speaks it is like a divine service”
"The essence of propaganda consists in winning people over to an idea so sincerely, so vitally, that in the end they succumb to it utterly and can never again escape from it."
"Triumph of The Will" is a German film directed, produced, edited and co-written by Leni Riefenstahl.  "Triumph of the Will was released in 1935 and became a prominent example of propaganda in film history. Riefenstahl's techniques—such as moving cameras, aerial photography, the use of long focus lenses to create a distorted perspective, and the revolutionary approach to the use of music and cinematography—have earned Triumph of the Will recognition as one of the greatest propaganda films in history." From Wikipedia

Why should we watch this 82 year old black and white film today?  I remember seeing it in college in 1970. I do not know if people under the age of 60 have ever seen this film. This iconic film illustrates the insidious and powerful impact of propaganda on people and democracies.  We must be on our guard against the use of such techniques that can effectively make people act in hateful ways and even counter to their own interests. If you have never seen this film, you must see it right now.








1 comment:

  1. I've seen it several times some years ago when the History Channel used to have real history...:(

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