Triumph of the Will (Triumph des Willens in German) is a documentary of a propaganda event by the German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the 1934 Nazi Party Congress in Nuremberg. It is one of the best-known propaganda films in the history of the cinema, with wide and enduring recognition of the technical skills of Riefenstahl despite the controversial subject.
The film shows much footage of uniformed Nazi party members as well as common soldiers marching to melodious major-keyed classical music, then later singing, playing, and cooking; it also includes soundbites from speeches given by various advisors to Adolf Hitler, and portions of a speech by Hitler himself. The film tries to show how the German people pledged their loyalty to the person of Hitler, but becomes somewhat disorienting when Hitler is praised as an "epitome of altruism" and later informs the assembled masses that he is on a God-given mission.
For this film Riefenstahl was awarded with the gold medal at the 1937 World Exhibition in Paris.
In Germany, this movie is only allowed to be shown in critical context, e.g. with introducing remarks.
This film is considered by many as a way to understand why the German people allowed Hitler to gain power.
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