Free Movie Friday: Triumph of the Will [I Heart Movies]

In 1936, the Nazi party of Germany, as part of the fanfare of the ‘36 Berlin Olympics, invented the idea of the Olympic torch run as a way to spread the Nazi name and fake mythological ideas around the world.  With the aid of the more or less official Nazi director and cinematographer Leni Riefenstahl, the torch became forever part of the mystique of the Olympic Games.

Over 70 years later, as the torch for the 2008 Beijing games winds its way around the world, the IOC has been begging people to ignore the disagreeable politics of the Chinese government and to come together under the banner of sportmanship and good will.  But the Chinese know the power of the torch as a subtle propaganda tool, just as the Germans did in ‘36 and just as every country who hosts the Olympics is aware of.

So today, we have Triumph of the Will, the master Nazi propaganda documentary, shot and directed by Leni Riefenstahl.  If you can suspend reality for a bit, The Triumph of the Will is more than just Nazi propaganda, it’s one of the most technically brilliant and groundbreaking pieces of filmmaking ever created.  Its enormous, epic crane shots, the use of lighting, camera angle and perspective is absolutely brilliant.  It’s often been called one of the best films of all time.  It just happens that it’s also the cinematic centerpiece of Nazi propaganda.

Oh, and it’s all in German, so unless you know German, you don’t have to listen to the Nazi bullshit anyway.