filma makers, generals, economically deprived

Mr.A.Hitler was *not* a madman with or without a moustache: he was genius: an evil genius. All those who backed him, backed the wrong horse: so obvious. Hence the continuing embarrasment of souls..... ( my Father had a part in WW 2 ).

Posted by: Brit | 4/14/03

Mad or Genius

The jury's still out on the question. A good book to read on the subject is Ron Rosenbaum's "Explaining Hitler" where he explores the idea of whether or not Hitler was insane, or just evil.

Posted by: Lucy Snow | 4/14/03

riefenstahl

The woman is infuriating and has been since she first began excusing herself in the immediate post-war years. I agree that Ron Rosenthal's Explaining Hitler is a valuable book. Even more so is Ian Kershaw's two-volume political biography of Hitler. There are some passages in that book about "unsere treuere Leni" that might be of particular interest.

Posted by: rougemont | 4/14/03

Hitler

Hitler did not need Leni Riefenstahl to become "charismatic" Since the 90ies, numerous people have (finally?) said that they were under the spell of him, when they saw him even from far. See the BBC documentary, the Nazi's a warning of the past, in which older people all of a sudden admit they admire(d?) Hitler. Luc/Brussels

Posted by: luc deneulin | 4/15/03

PHOTO - PRICE

While Taschen ed. sells a few pictures for 20.000 $, it mst be said that the Olympic photo's are sold for 2800-4000 $ (only?) Best regards Luc/Brussels

Posted by: luc deneulin | 4/15/03

Leni Riefenstahl

Great art is great art indendently of subject matter. The question for art is how it is done, not the subject matter.

Posted by: Wanda | 4/17/03

Leni Riefstahl

Pity that Sharon cannot employ Leni to glamorize the Israeli devastation of the West Bank and Gaza.

Posted by: Wanda | 4/17/03

Adolph Hitler

If you had been Hitler, you would have done and said exactly what he did and said. If we start from there, we can get past the name-calling and look into what made him what he was.

Posted by: Bill Driedger | 4/17/03

Old Angles

In "Olympia," Riefenstahl created camera angles where there had never been any before, angles used, because standard now, in TV propaganda of U.S. wars. Billy Migg

Posted by: Billy Migg | 4/18/03

The Gifted Beauty Claims Innocence

Has anyone considered how this fact has touched the debate: Leni was a very beautiful,very attractive woman; pretty, intelligent, gifted, articulate. Has it had any effect on how she has been judged, making some, perhaps many, more sympathetic than they otherwise might be? What if Riefenstahl were a man, instead, perhaps an overstuffed pomposity like Goering? How long would this debate have lasted? December of 1945? January of 1946? Or would it have continued to this day to fascinate us? I hope this question is not dismissed simply as male-chauvinistic trivia. I am curious about how our normative judgements and our aesthetic biases interact.

Posted by: Zhuad | 4/20/03

The Great Dictator

Charles Chaplin who wore the toothbrush in 1914 while der Fuhrer sported a handlebar made The Great Dictator which is a great tour de force. I haven't seen it since I was a child but the precis is that a simple barber is a ringer for der Fooie ... which is pretty much Chaplin's dilemma, he was born 4 days before Adolph & much in his aesthetic is common to both Charlie Barber and Adolph Fooie including adulation by the masses. We MUST transcend Good/Evil and appreciate what Hitler's historical function was beyond what he believed it was: Hitler created the geopolitical conditions that made the resurrection of Israel a Necessity ... I think of him as God's Dybbuk, other than that Fooey!

Posted by: SGFoxe | 4/27/03

Leni

Everyone must remember that in those days there was no television in every home,nor did the Internet exist,unlike now. Propaganda was heard on the radio and television, just like now. The truth was not announced, just like now. In order to find out what was really going on, other sources for information had to be sought, just like now. However, unlike now, they were not readily available then. Often these sources were wiped out by the government, just like now, because the truth is not something the government wants its citizens to know. Many people today are aware of the atrocities that are being committed everyday in their here and abroad with the sanctions of the government. But many people deny the evidence. All information is available today, but people chose not to be informed beyond what their government tells them. Will you blame those people in the future? Leni Riefenstahl maintains she did not know what was going on. I believe her, because I can understand that in order to do serious work you do not have time for politics.

Posted by: blitzmesser | 4/28/03

art

I agree with this and your next post.

Posted by: blitzmesser | 4/28/03

gossip

Just repeating what has been said a hundred times and is more or less gossip does not make you a qualified Psychiatrist. Besides, the topic is Riefenstahl, not Hitler.

Posted by: blitzmesser | 4/28/03

gifted beauty

On the contrary, she has been ostracized and hated because she was beautiful and more gifted than the men she worked with. Genius is always envied. Today you hear nothing of the men who made films and worked with her under the regime. None of them seem to have been "guilty".

Posted by: blitzmesser | 4/28/03