Triumph of the Will (1935)

Wellllllllll.... if there is any day to knock this off the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" list... even as, I dunno, I feel like I could die without having seen this (and it is still on the most recent as-of 2024 edition), it might as well be January *20th, 2025.  One piece of solace is that 99% of the people on film here not only are long dead, many were likely bombed by Allied forces and/or killed in war crimes convictions.

As a film, I'm once again largely in agreement with Roger Ebert in his assessment, and he points keenly to what Riefenstahl does that makes the film iconic while also totally deathly and completely lumbering as a documentary. It is all just images in the one single-minded aim of making all these men in formation, and the Nazi officials in positions of power making speeches (and of course good ol' mustache man himself), into these pillars of the powerful masculine idealism, and that is all it is.

There is nothing about how these rallies were put together, nothing of interest about process in how everyone is put together or fed, nothing that shows they're human past the fact that they can move their arm into the same formation and use their vocal chords in rabid German shouts.  There are some expressive compositions and cinematography, one *nearly* compelling quiet moment where the camera ust glides over a small river in the early morning before everyone goes into formation.

 But nearly a hundred years later, having awareness of the frame and editing doesn't impress me much. Or I should say it impresses me the same way that it does with Birth of a Nation, like "oh, isn't that cut something" as I still spit on the floor. There's less than zero narrative momentum because the next set piece is the same as the one before (save maybe for that one part where all those young half shirtless men are playing fighting and laughing and my goodness did that age well as an example of rigid heterosexual masculine fortitude lol).

Just because there were literally dozens of cameras implemented and lots of faces framed in awe means it makes it a "great" piece of filmmaking (and as we see even today, that's not necessary the mark of genius). Substance? Um... it's sure full of speeches about "peace," which was always a lie at a time when brownshirts were slaughtering people left and right, and courageousness and yada yada and about how important conformity is (especially when AH and the Nazis got in on a relative minority vote in the election) Kind of redundant! Everyone has the same hair cut, everyone sings in unison, and even the horses can't miss a beat. I might as well be looking at LEGOs.

It's not a movie made by someone who would ever think or just dare to speak to someone about what they are seeing to get a perspective - after all, that might suddenly mean there are... individuals in this lot (cue up the Life of Brian scene, you know the one). Through meaning to hype up the In-lock-step depiction of a certain white supremacist ideal of perfection, it shows its own up its own assery: this is largely dull, plain, lifeless, much the equivalent of sitting for a sermon where you'd rather be anywhere else because the preacher doesn't let anyone into their mind, just "listen to what this person said and don't think about it."

Aside from the subject matter being everything wrong with the world (and that it seems some today can't wait to reemphasize to the worst and dumbest of society), it isn't good in what it ams to do. Oooh, you can move the camera while someone speaks, (Christian Bale rant voice) good for you. Guess it helped George Lucas for his visual Stormtrooper/Clones references, so, fine I guess.  Fuck this movie, what else should I end with?

Anyway, for today: Welcome to hell.  

And here is a picture of a poster I have up in my apartment: