The timing of the release of Andres Veiel’s documentary “Riefenstahl” (Kino Lorber), about actress/filmmaker/Nazi propagandist Leni Riefenstahl, is particularly notable. As far-right politicians and some followers spout hateful rhetoric, stirring the pot, regardless of the consequences, “Riefenstahl” is a reminder of what can occur in the wake of such blatant disregard for others.
In his unsettling doc, Veiel weaves together a sizable assortment of vintage interviews with Riefenstahl, who died at 101 in 2003. The consistent aspect is that Riefenstahl, whose most famous, and propaganda-propelled films, “Triumph of the Will” (1935) and the two-part “Olympia” (1938), maintains her ignorance about what it was exactly that she was doing under the direction of Hitler, Goebbels, Speer, and others.
For example, when asked in the first interview whether she would live her life over again, given the chance, she answers yes, but without so many mistakes. When asked if her close association with Hitler was one of the mistakes, she doesn’t respond. The other constant in the interviews is that she often becomes hysterical, perhaps driven by her guilt, and cuts them short. Riefenstahl even backed out of a 1982 French television interview when she demanded they cut “certain political scenes,” but they refused.
There was no question that Riefenstahl was a natural-born filmmaker, which was why Propaganda Minister Goebbels pursued her both professionally and personally. Her camera work at the rallies and various appearances by the high-ranking Nazi leaders, was far more artistic than the subject matter deserved. “Olympia,” about the 1936 Olympic Games held in Berlin, at which, Jesse Owens, a Black track and field athlete, won four gold medals, is particularly breathtaking. It's also notable that Riefenstahl, who was fascinated by Owens, hadn’t realized how much she had focused on him until she was in the editing process. Years later, fed up with what she considered her mistreatment in Germany (having filed multiple defamation suits), Riefenstahl relocated to Sudan in the 1960s, where she photographed the Nuba people, resulting in two photography books.
Perhaps most shocking of all are the recordings of phone conversations with fellow Germans, responding to Riefenstahl’s various television appearances, voicing their support for her. In fact, near the end of the doc, one such caller tells her, “It won’t take all that long, but it will take one or two generations. And then we’ll return to morality, decency, and virtue.” Which is why the rise of Christian nationalism in this century is far less surprising than most people might think.
Rating: B-
