Tuesday, September 9, 2003 at 11:00 AM EDT
Hitler’s Willing Filmmaker
Controversial documentarian and photographer Leni Riefenstahl, long regarded as Hitler’s favorite filmmaker, died yesterday in Germany. She was 101 years old. Her ascent as a director mirrors the rise of the Nazi party in Germany, which she exalted with chilling technique in films like “Olympia” and “Triumph of the Will.” Riefenstahl’s innovative approach to lighting and photography reinforced Hitler’s ideals of Aryan purity and realized the power of film as propaganda tool. Although she denied knowing anything of Hitler’s “Final Solution,” she never apologized for her films. On Point looks at the revered and reviled Leni Riefenstahl.
Guests:
David Bathrick, Professor and Chair of Theatre, Film and Dance at Cornell University.
