The Nazi Director: Leni Riefenstahl

Leni Riefenstahl was one of the most important directors of the 20th century. She pioneered several filmmaking techniques and forever influenced how sports and action are filmed on camera. But she was also a Nazi. Or was she? After the war, Riefenstahl spent the rest of her very long life defending her work and denying any involvement with the Nazi Party...sometimes in the face of very real evidence to refute her claims. So what's the truth? Listen to this episode to hear the full story.Warning: this episode talks about the Holocaust, bigotry, and stigmatization of mental illness. This episode was re-recorded for this release. The original version aired on Grab Bag Collab in May 2025. Stephanie Weber researched, wrote, recorded, and edited the episode. Brock Alter did all of the artwork. Follow us on social media to see clips and stills from the films discussed in this episode. SOURCES:Connolly, Kate. Gypsies’ Fate Haunts Film Muse of Hitler. August 18, 2002. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/aug/18/artsandhumanities.germanyConnolly, Kate. “Film suggests Nazis’ lead propagandist had role in 1939 massacre.” The Guardian. August 28, 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2024/aug/28/film-suggests-nazis-propagandist-leni-riefenstahl-had-role-in-1939-massacre“Just What Did Leni Riefenstahl’s Lens See?” New York Times. March 13, 1994. Accessed via https://writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/Holocaust/maslin.html on May 1, 2025.Indiana, Gary. “Leni Riefenstahl.” Art Forum. https://www.artforum.com/columns/leni-riefenstahl-168029/Muller, Ray. The Wonderful Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl. (1993)Prose, Francine. “Leni Riefenstahl: On a Nazi Filmmaker”. The Yale Review. October 1, 2018. https://yalereview.org/article/leni-riefenstahlRiefenstahl, Leni. “The Blue Light”. (1932). Riefenstahl, Leni. “Olympia Part One: The Festival of Nationals” (1938).Riefenstahl, Leni. “Olympia Part Two: Festival of Beauty” (1938). Veiel, Andres. Riefenstahl. (2024)Zajc, Melita. A cruel game by Hitler’s Favourite Filmmaker Exposed. Modern Times Review. February 20, 2022. https://www.moderntimes.review/a-cruel-game-by-hitlers-favourite-filmmaker-exposed/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.