Leni started out as a dancer but switched to acting after a knee injury. She made a series of films for Arnold Fanck and she received a Silver Medal at the Venice Film Festival in 1932 for her film Das Blaue Licht which she produced and directed. Her best known work as a director is a documentary made in 1934 called Triumph of the Will which is of Adolph Hilter and his officers giving speeches with the German Army marching in formations. She also directed the documentary Olympia 1 and 2 of the Olympics held in Berlin in 1938. She was never a member of the Nazi party, she lived into her nineties and was also an avid scuba diver.
It is tough decision if you elect to place Leni on the side of the Nazi's and involved with them and their politics or do you place her in the category of a filmmaker doing a project? Triumph of the Will is under lock and key in Germany and banned from view. Interesting. 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
188 min, Doc directed by Ray Muller with Leni Riefenstahl, Ray Muller, Luis Trenker.
Note: Blockbuster 3 1/2*, imdb 8.1 out of 10, 95% critic 81% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.
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