Download Triumph of the Will (Triumph des Willens) was a film made to show a

Triumph of the Will Background Information
Triumph of the Will (Triumph des Willens) was a film made to show a picture of Germany in
1934. It does not document so much of what Germany really was, but rather the Germany that
Hitler wanted to see. The film was made 18 months after the 1933 election that created the
National Government. By this time, the offices of Chancellor and President were controlled by
Hitler.
Because this was a time before television and radio were in wide use, most Germans had never
seen or heard Hitler, even though he was the new leader of the country. The film was a means
of introducing Hitler and the Third Reich to Germans. The film played to sold-out movie
theaters across Germany. It also served as a warning to foreign (especially European) countries
that Germany had awakened and they could not be pushed around anymore.
Leni Riefenstahl co-wrote and directed Triumph of the Will. She was an awarded director
before Hitler specifically requested her to document his Germany. Many people consider this
film to be propaganda. However, Riefenstahl claimed that the film was in no way propaganda and
that she was not connected in any way with the Nazi Party—she claimed this until she died, at
101-years-old. While the film does not include a single anti-Semitic word, some believe this was
done on purpose.
documentary
Movies, Television. based on or re-creating an actual event, era, life story, etc., that purports to
be factually accurate and contains no fictional elements: a documentary life of Gandhi.
propaganda
information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group,
movement, institution, nation, etc.; the deliberate spreading of such information, rumors, etc.
official government communications to the public that are designed to influence opinion. The
information may be true or false, but it is always carefully selected for its political effect.