tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089271153735288184.post9206413256413562663..comments2022-07-06T01:09:28.014-04:00Comments on A March Through Film History: Triumph of the Will (1935)Ryan McCormickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13560952178103637506noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089271153735288184.post-90202954124066141992012-03-03T15:30:31.415-05:002012-03-03T15:30:31.415-05:00I agree with you as well. Of course it is not an e...I agree with you as well. Of course it is not an entertaining film, or (I believe) one that should play on television, like TCM or even The History Channel. (if they ever would play significant historical programming again.) I see the motion picture as a recorded moment of time we get to see today, instead of a retrospective documentary produced with modern day entertainment value a year XXXX modern perspective. To get the full appreciation of the film you have to know the prologue of Germany to this point and what is to come. (I love the fact that it was the second such film Riefenstahl made after Hitler made "changes" to history) It unnerving to think that most of those people in the film would die within the next decade due to war.<br /><br />As for watching it in fast forward, that is the sign of one just not trying to grasp the fullness of what this film brings to us as a modern day audience. I was naive and use to say films like 2001: A Space Odyssey was a far more entertaining film in fast forward. I have since learned to appreciate the filmmaker, the artists, the vision, and the perspective in which the film was presented, giving me a sense of awe when I such films. (Take for example Intolerance. What a production of its time! But that is a different subject)<br /><br />I find the NRA logos in this era of American cinema to be laughable when thinking about the self-righteous Hollywood we see today. At that time the movie moguls were Eastern European immigrants that came to this country in the late 19th century and made themselves into American citizens they were, even creating the vision of the American Dream for millions in their films. They were Republicans that supported organizations such as the NRA to especially show their patriotism. Times have changed. The eagle symbolism was such illustration of power that inspired many, American and Nazi alike. The NRA used the symbol obviously to parallel American values with the organization's vision of respectability at that time.Ryan McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13560952178103637506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3089271153735288184.post-30761227484951967132012-03-03T10:24:12.029-05:002012-03-03T10:24:12.029-05:00I agree with everything you say about this importa...I agree with everything you say about this important film, but want to add that as for entertainment value alone, most viewers are going to be impressed (briefly) with the amazing images and then look for the fast forward button. The movie has no real linear narrative or suspense. Granted that no one can call themself a student of 20th Century history without watching this film, but it's way too boring to start running on TCM every month.<br /><br />What brings interest and suspense to the film is what we know about what comes after, and our genuine curiousity about how so many millions were drawn into the immense evil of Nazism. Notice that Hitler et al do not rally support for mass murder or bombings, it's all about teamwork and building roads and harvesting grain and raising strong children.<br /><br />There are considerable similarities with the contemporaneous NRA images, like the NRA blue eagle that resembles the icon Leni is pictured with. Not to say that is a bad thing, community spirit and cooperation are a good thing when they are not used to rationalize oppression and murder.Ron in L.A.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16414593738610885701noreply@blogger.com