One of my biggest complaints I have about biographies and biopics is that they are way too brief and tend to skip a lot of important material. Fortunately, this documentary about the controversial and long-lived film star and director, Leni Riefenstahl, is not short--clocking in at well over three hours! It certainly can't be seen as incomplete! The only question, then, is would the average person find it worth designating a huge block to time to just one documentary? Read on and see.
The first thing I noticed was that at 90 years of age, Ms. Riefenstahl was amazingly lucid and full of life...and well-preserved. So, most of the film consisted of her talking about her life--and it was not just a lot of old film with narration. I also noticed that the film makers did a good job of assembling old silent film footage from her films--all with excellent prints and properly tinted. This didn't surprise me too much, as I've seen most of the existing films of Riefenstahl and knew that good copies existed--I am just glad that the film makers didn't use the usual scratchy film footage.
Next came the most anticipated portion of the documentary--Riefenstahl's involvement with the Nazis and the filming of her brilliantly artistic "Triumph of the Will". At times, Riefenstahl was amazingly candid while at other times she talked as if she was only a detached outsider and not one of those responsible for the almost god-like image of Hitler. Interestingly, as times she got angry and insisted she was apolitical despite this tribute film. This was where it got VERY interesting! All these denials and minimizations contrasted with her brilliantly composed shots from "Triumph". Occasionally, her arguments made sense...while at others you marveled at how she seemed to delude herself and minimize her contributions.
The film continues by discussing Riefenstahl's other pre-war and wartime films as well as her trial during the de-Nazification period. However, this only took her up to the middle of her life. What's interesting, then, is how she spent her final decades. Instead of either a glowing film career or spending the rest of her life in hiding, Riefenstahl did NOT sit still but spent this period living among tribes in Southern Sudan and scuba diving--getting certified at age 70 and continuing to diving at age 90. What happened after that is not covered, as the film ended at this point--yet this incredibly interesting and flawed woman continued to live for more than a decade longer! Overall, this was a sweeping film that managed to both confront Reifenstahl AND praise her--an odd combination to say the least. Though, of course, Reifenstahl was no ordinary person. Fascinating from start to finish.
The first thing I noticed was that at 90 years of age, Ms. Riefenstahl was amazingly lucid and full of life...and well-preserved. So, most of the film consisted of her talking about her life--and it was not just a lot of old film with narration. I also noticed that the film makers did a good job of assembling old silent film footage from her films--all with excellent prints and properly tinted. This didn't surprise me too much, as I've seen most of the existing films of Riefenstahl and knew that good copies existed--I am just glad that the film makers didn't use the usual scratchy film footage.
Next came the most anticipated portion of the documentary--Riefenstahl's involvement with the Nazis and the filming of her brilliantly artistic "Triumph of the Will". At times, Riefenstahl was amazingly candid while at other times she talked as if she was only a detached outsider and not one of those responsible for the almost god-like image of Hitler. Interestingly, as times she got angry and insisted she was apolitical despite this tribute film. This was where it got VERY interesting! All these denials and minimizations contrasted with her brilliantly composed shots from "Triumph". Occasionally, her arguments made sense...while at others you marveled at how she seemed to delude herself and minimize her contributions.
The film continues by discussing Riefenstahl's other pre-war and wartime films as well as her trial during the de-Nazification period. However, this only took her up to the middle of her life. What's interesting, then, is how she spent her final decades. Instead of either a glowing film career or spending the rest of her life in hiding, Riefenstahl did NOT sit still but spent this period living among tribes in Southern Sudan and scuba diving--getting certified at age 70 and continuing to diving at age 90. What happened after that is not covered, as the film ended at this point--yet this incredibly interesting and flawed woman continued to live for more than a decade longer! Overall, this was a sweeping film that managed to both confront Reifenstahl AND praise her--an odd combination to say the least. Though, of course, Reifenstahl was no ordinary person. Fascinating from start to finish.