Hitler! And why he terrified the living c*** out of everyone else.

Ok, so I have to comment on this documentary called "Triumph of The Will" that we watched today in class. For those who haven't seen it, well, it's a little piece of propaganda created by Leni Riefenstahl in 1935. Unfortunately despite it's fairly simple and boring theme, it marches on for a good 2 hours (pun intended). The idea is to inform the public, specifically Germany, of Hitler's new plan for the country and how he will bring greatness to Germany once again, following their defeat in World War I. It has been rated as one of the greatest propaganda films of all time and has won several awards.

Thing is, though, that at the time it was a very powerful tool for convincing the public to support Hitler and his plans to rebuild Germany. His plans, however, were decidedly militant and despite the Treaty of Versailles, he had begun to build an army again. This, among other factors ultimately lead to World War II, which is ironic considering the fact that he mentions many times in the documentary that the people should be peace loving.

At the time, the surrounding countries and places like the USA or Japan, who had access to the film as well, were probably not particularly happy with the idea of Hitler and the Nazi Army. They were most likely surprised and possibly even scared with the thought of the Germans attacking again. Countries like France or Belgium had even more to worry about considering the casualties and damage that had been done in World War I. I do think, though, that this film would not have been the first time that they would have found out about Hitler, although for some it may have been.

The documentary uses clever techniques to emphasize the power and importance of the Nazi movement and make it seem as though Germany faces a wonderful future due to such a strong and determined leader. This, as we know, was not the outcome, although at the time it had a great social impact, as it changed most of the world's view of Germany at the time and brought Hitler's plans for Germany to the world.