Leni Riefenstahl

by Leni Riefenstahl

Book Overview

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year.

A memoir from one of the century's most remarkable and controversial women, an artist of the first order, Leni Riefenstahl.

Dancer, actor, and photographer, she is best known as the director of Triumph of the Will, a film of a Nazi Party rally and Olympia, the classic account of the 1936 Berlin Olympics. It is for these works of cinematic propaganda that...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312119267
• ISBN13: 9780312119263
• Release Date: January 1995
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 672 Pages
• Weight: 2.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A Window Into a Grand Twentieth Century Epic Life

It took me over a month but I finally finished this astonishing book. I'm exhausted and staggered by the sheer scope of this woman's life--it is in fact a story larger than life. By way of illustration, I recently read the famed and lengthy Carlos Baker biography of Ernest Hemingway. Let me tell you in no uncertain terms: Papa was a sissy in comparison to Leni Riefenstahl (hereafter, LR). This woman displays more grit, tenacity, artistic vision, dedication, resilience and audacity than a pack of wolves cross bred with Ayn Rand and some other extreme artist of maniacal bent, say, Van Gogh. She exemplifies the good and bad potentials for life in the extreme. Hers is a story of perseverance and survival, with agony and ecstasy throughout. The movie "The Wonderful, Horrible Life of LR" could not be more aptly titled. Whew, I'm tongue tied....this book took me there and back and I need a week off to recuperate. It's well-written, but you won't read this for the writing. This is about a life lived to the hilt, decades of painful adventure, the stuff of legend. Should you contemplate reading this book, I think you need to make a decision in advance: Are you going to squander your time primarily evaluating whether she had knowledge of the genocide of the Jewish people by Hitler and hisminions?? If sitting as a juror as to facts almost 60 years old is a particular hobby of yours, go at it. The fact is, LR was pulled in front of multiple courts, tribunals, and boards throughout the years and has essentially been acquitted time and again by people who would have relished convicting her had there been sufficient evidence. LR denies having knowledge of the genocidal treatment of the Jewish people. Her denials are very similar to those made by the balance of the German people who survived the War and who lived in the same cities and who had similar contacts with various Nazis, albeit perhaps at the lower social levels. I personally believe her, as she demonstrates herself throughout the book to be naive and self-absorbed. Like a lot of artists, she was preoccupied with her own artistic agenda, and "politics," political philosophy, and military ambitions were of no interest to her. Similarly, she gets betrayed and ripped off so many times by so many different people throughout this book of her life that it is clear she has no real ability to evaluate people from a character standpoint. She also seems credible from the stand point that she describes a Hitler who is, suprisingly, not immediately hateable. Instead, I was kind of taken aback by what a gentleman he appeared to be to LR, and how he honored various agreements that he made with her despite every temptation not to do so. LR's failure to categorically condemn Hitler seems to accrue to her credibility that she didn't know his full vicious potentials. (By so denouncing him she could have staved off some further criticism.) She doesn't, however, di

Our Leni...

...was just using the wrong men. And it is definitely not her fault that she lived in these times.I also believed for a long time that Riefenstahl produced propaganda movies for the Nazis including hate speeches and incitation to aggressive wars. But everybody who has seen her notorious movie "Triumph of the Will" knows that there Hitler preaches: "We want that this nation will be peace-loving but also brave, thats why you must be peaceful". Therefore the french government awarded this movie a "Grand Prix" during the world fair 1937 in Paris. And seven trials, one american, two french and four german, revealed that she was never member of any Nazi organisation. To those, who still continue bashing Leni Riefenstahl, I just want to say that they also cannot forsee the future. And they are also incapable of remote viewing what happens in some concentration camps hundreds of miles away, which were, as everybody knows, not accessible to the public. This book is as fascinating as her olympic movies. Although I like to go to bed very early I could not stop reading before 3:00 am. During breakfast I had to continue reading. It shows clearly that Riefenstahl was an extraordinary strong personality.Thats why she never gave excuses for crimes that she never commited, although a lot of pressure was put on her in that direction. For this I tribute her lots of respect. I am pretty much more concerned about those germans with weak moral, which believed in the past to be a member of a superior race, while today they feel guilty for crimes that they never commited, because they were not alive those times. What kind of madness will originate from these delicate personalities in the future? Another aspect: through Riefenstahls eyes it becomes discernible that the Nazi leaders were a bizarre clique of gamblers and bohemiens. But those, who read in between the lines of her memoirs, realize that Leni Riefenstahl had not only an extremly strong will but also narcissistic traces in her character. As a young girl she wanted to be admired as a dancer. Concerning men she decided to control them always. Whenever necessary she twisted them around her little finger and used them for her ambitions as an artist, which were the main motor of her live.But her movies demonstrate clearly that she had a positive attitude towards men.Everybody, who experienced as a forty year old man that a hundred year old lady appeared to him interesting as a woman believes the following episode of her memoirs. He also knows how she made it. 1936, in the olympic stadium, seen by all the spectators, the winner of the decathlon Morris (USA) opened her shirt and kissed her breast. Nazi propaganda minister Goebbels wanted to throw her out of the stadium because of her scandalous behavior. This is typical of Riefenstahl: the king of athlets must be captivated in the public and no thought about the consequences. In german newspapers there are still rumours from hearsay that around 1937 Riefenstahl confe

Controversial Filmmaker or Self Serving Propagandist?

There is no doubt that even today Leni Riefenstahl remains a controversial figure from the twentieth century. The editorial reviews listed have a knee jerk anti Riefenstahl sentiment and do not seem to be prepared to give her the benefit of the doubt. Riefenstahl was (is) undoubtedly a major film making talent, something which is admitted even by her greatest detractors. What the book shows is her internal fight against becoming the icon of propaganda film, with Riefenstahl longing to remain an actress and even become the next Marlene Dietrich. It is probably impossible to know how much of an apology for her life the book is, although the reader cannot help but admire her artistic vision and marvel at the truly amazing adventures she had (shooting movies on ice bergs which are breaking apart, for one!)Although there are many incidents from her post war work, the majority of readers will be interested in the Nazi years. The question of whether she was genuinely ignorant of the abuses and horrors of Hitler and his cronies, or wheher she is trying to recast her personal life in light of them is one which nags at the reader at every turn. The answer will probably depend on the individual. In any case, the assertion that this is a dry and weak account is wrong and perhaps only points to the fact that it is best to approach the book with a (sceptical) open mind. Anyone interested in film history and pre and post war Germany will not be disapointed in the slightest!

A Very Moving Memoir

I do not agree with the opinion that this memoir is merely a work of propoganda to try to salvage the author's image and legacy. One leaves this book very moved by the triumphs and tragedies of an fiercely independent woman who was willing to sacrifice everything for her passion and love of film-making. If you are the slightest bit curious about this woman, this book is absolutely essential for your library. It is endlessly fascinating and enjoyable reading.