Triumph of the Will Irony

Triumph of the Will Irony

Propaganda

It must be noted that this film in its entirety is a work of irony. Leni Riefenstahl's work portrays Adolf Hitler as the supreme leader that will restore Germany to being a great power. Ironically, the film's intention is to inflate the fantasy of Hitler as savior in order for Germans to invest deeper into his horrific desire to rule the world and slaughter millions in war and genocide.

Streicher

Julius Streicher is seen speaking during the start of the Congress. He is a leader of the Nazi hierarchy who is meant to be ushering in this new world. He created Der Stürmer a newspaper distributed for the Nazis which fed the people of the issues of the day. Ironically, the paper was also semi-pornographic and illustrates the perpetration of lies and the breakdown of healthy relationships that are necessary for people to thrive in health. Thus his "newspaper" distributed disconnection rather than information that would connect the masses.

Descending from Above

The opening scene of the film tells us that Hitler was flying in to speak to the people about the rebirth of Germany at his leadership. We then see clouds from an aerial view inside an airplane as it descends onto the land. The imagery is meant to evoke Hitler as a god-like figure descending from above. Ironically, the implementation of his ideas became a plague on the earth rather than the creation of a superpower.

Cruciform

We see the shadow of Hitler's plane flying above Nuremberg as it is in the form of a cross. It represents Hitler as a savior. Ironically he deified himself in order that people would believe he was the only savior capable of rebuilding Germany after World War I. In reality, he was nothing more than a man who manipulated the masses with propaganda.

POV

We watch as the camera shoots the Nazis marching into Nuremberg and we see a large crowd seated on bleachers surrounded by buildings. The scene is meant to evoke the power of the Nazi regime and how they were honored by the people of the city. Ironically, the scene reveals the truth: the boxed in nature of the composition shows us that this imagery is contained and controlled and not placed in its proper context within a problematic world view. Thus, the point of view is manipulated.

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