Hitler's screen idol - Leni Riefenstahl - WW2 Biography Special

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks to Madeline Johnson for the research for this episode. In many ways it's our community who keep TimeGhost going. If you want to be part of this then join the TimeGhost Army on www.patreon.com/timeghosthistory or timeghost.tv. Please let us know what other Bios you'd like to see. And if you have a question about the war you're dying to have answered, submit it for our Q&A series, Out of the Foxholes at: community.timeghost.tv/c/Out-of-the-Foxholes-Qs. Before you comment, read our rules of conduct: community.timeghost.tv/t/rules-of-conduct/4518

[@paratrooper6]

Thanks Madeline!

[@budmeister]

You misspelled her name, it's Riefenstahl, not Reifenstahl.

[@nigeh5326]

Just wondering how many languages to Indy and the other members of the team speak fluently?

[@typxxilps]

Let's call her what she was : a contractor If the american governments hires a director for a movie or task then you don't call him a member of the regime. At least she succeeded ... and survived ... My grandpa had the same impression of rallye parties and meeting Hitler.

[@QuizmasterLaw]

this is your best video yet. it only could have been improved with a comparison between Riefenstahl (evil but brilliant) with Eisenstein (well intentioned but a useful idiot) but 1) cinematography and 2) comparative dictatorial propagandists is probably beyond the scope of your channel and also would take more like an hour. Visually, Eisenstein is better. Riefenstahl frames clearly, but that's it. Her camera (like her ideology...) is static, frozen in the past. Eisenstein's in contrast is dynamic, fluid, moves with and reacts to the time. I don't think there is a nazi comparator to Stanislavsky, though a comparison of the mutual influences of these propagandists would also be interesting.

[@gianniverschueren870]

This looks like another spectacular tie, but the waistcoat and the many shades of beige are making it a little hard to tell. 4.5/5 for now, but hopefully we'll see a return and a closer look!

[@Lodycau]

Oh yeah, the beige does keep it somewhat subdued.

[@jennifermizutani6230]

Looking back at it, I wonder if they should have switched the material on the vest (waistcoat). Put the colorful print on the front and the beige on the back.

[@DoraFauszt]

Hope it has cameras on it!

[@unclebob540i3]

"She was a manipulative narcissist..." Sounds like she would be a natural fit in Hollywood.

[@johnprice9072]

These people literally portray fake personas for a living, the industry always has and always will be filled with people like that. Come to think of it she's worse, she probably wasn't a Nazi but went along with it anyway because it benefited her personally 🤢

[@johnprice9072]

@AIFAHRA HORGGHRO savage

[@unclebob540i3]

@@johnprice9072 As they say in show biz, a gig is a gig.

[@95MAFS]

Pretty fair.

[@blugaledoh2669]

@AIFAHRA HORGGHRO lol

[@QuizmasterLaw]

"she never knew what was really happening" this shall be a common refrain from 1946 on

[@rayyanarviandri140]

especially the high ranking wehrmacht

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

“If I protested I would’ve been shot!” Johannes Blaskowitz: “I protested and got a vacation.” These were the same self-servers that would raise a stink about their authority being threatened, but not about mass murder.

[@Shauma_llama]

"Ich bin kein Nazi!" Yeah, sure...

[@stevekaczynski3793]

@@fuzzydunlop7928 Blaskowitz arguably damaged his career (not promoted to Field Marshal) and was despised by Hitler afterwards, but suffered no other negative consequences. He is an interesting subject for a biographical sketch... SPOILER Not least because of his apparent suicide while under indictment at Nuremberg, which has been suspected of being in fact murder by other inmates.

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

@@stevekaczynski3793 Such an interesting guy - he’s a case-study for the archetypal “commander who must reconcile the actions of his nation” - the mental gymnastics involved in compartmentalizing these competing sentiments. Blaskowitz didn’t just protest the actions of the SS while in charge in Poland but sentenced SS men to death for their crimes (the sentences were never carried out) - to my knowledge the most any of the OKH or German generals did to intervene in war crimes out of moral resistance. The man isn’t a hero, after being relieved for that incident he came back, was called on again to serve the Nazis in other pivotal roles but notably, he is one of only two German generals of that level that never served on the Soviet front (iirc) - the other is Erwin Rommel and I’ve read it was Blaskowitz who worked to convince Rommel of the veracity of the reports of the barbarism of that front, from his experiences in Poland. When the July plot went down, Blaskowitz was not just feeling threatened due to his prior protestations but I believe he had a cousin involved somehow in the coup attempt. He sent an eloquent letter to Hitler affirming his loyalty. Like I said, not a hero. Ultimately, I think his most important claim to historical relevancy is that by his sheer existence - his wartime experiences - he refutes the old claim of “they would have shot me.” And is of course just an interesting figure who is criminally under-researched. Speaking on the claims of foul play in his death, though - supposedly his lawyer told him that he was going to be acquitted of any charges against him - which I believe were connected to his time late in the war overseeing Holland during the “hunger-winter” there. I always thought it odd, because while he had no cause to commit suicide any plot carried out as it was would need SOME level of allied involvement. Well, that was until I saw a recent Mark Felton video talking about how some surprising help was enlisted to guard prisoners at Nuremberg - Hiwi SS men were guarding the prisoners. Remember those death sentences I mentioned? Blaskowitz detested the SS, bet the feeling was mutual.

[@HandleGF]

It should have been flagged at the end that the Americans released her after deciding she had no case to answer. The French then imprisoned her instead but that was only for show. They had of course given Triumph of the Will a gold medal at the Paris World Fair in 1937.

[@loli_ravioli_4204]

I see you are not aware of this (can't blame you, honestly), so let me educate you. The third republic (which ended in 1940) was, and is still known as a failure of democracy and an example of the tyranny of white collars. The Dreyfus affair fifty years prior had both proved and worsened the French government's and the public's antisemitism, so it's no surprise some people were so enthusiastic about Hitler. However, post-war France (ruled by De Gaulle, notoriously fed up with the 3rd Rep's nonsense) had nothing to do with the third republic, you could even say they are polar opposites. So, please excuse my manners, but what you just said is total bullshit. Next time, try looking deeper into a subject before pretending you know about it.

[@HandleGF]

@@loli_ravioli_4204 You can change republics all you like but you can never change France :-D

[@loli_ravioli_4204]

@@HandleGF Well, I can't say that's not true. Although, you gotta admit that the 4th rep was way more forgiving than the folks it ruled over. I'm sure you've heard of all the public executions that happened.

[@Knoloaify]

Nope. More anglo lies : She did receive the "Best Documentary" award at the Paris World Fair in 1937 (and both the Nazi and Commie pavillons received gold medals, tells you something about the political tensions in France back then). However she wasn't imprisoned by the French authorities (or maybe just for the duration of her trial), in fact she was judged by a court in French occupied Germany and despite 3 appeals from the military authorities she was judged to as "nicht betroffen" (meaning she got a slap on the wrist), she was later attacked in court for supposedly not paying her roma actors, but she was found "not guilty" of the charges. Hell a French director even helped her release her movie after the ward. So no she wasn't somehow propped up and later "betrayed" by France. In fact she's received a lot of support from French personalities (just like she also received a lot of criticism).

[@loli_ravioli_4204]

@@Knoloaify this man

[@Coulton20]

I can’t believe how interesting every single piece of ww2 history manages to be. I can’t get enough it’s incredible this channel is amazing

[@johnfurface]

Still the most influential female director of all time... shots such as the Throne Room scene at the end of Star Wars were a carbon copy of her camerawork

[@hermanncapulet5485]

Game of thrones often copys her work as well, but almost exclusively in the daenarys storyline.

[@bigredmed]

Arguably one of the greatest movie directors of all time. Every Summer Olympics seen since uses her camera angles and Triumph of the Will is still studied for its brilliant use of imagery.

[@finchborat]

Also, the scene where Saruman speaks to the army of orcs in The Two Towers is based on Triumph of the Will.

[@CarrotConsumer]

@Rodycaz Eh, we call Alexander Great despite being a warmongering despot. Or Fredrick II.

[@bigredmed]

@Rodycaz Fair enough. It is amazing to me that she invented sports on Video. Basically, ESPN and the summer olympics would not be the same with out all the Riefenstahl shots. Given the paucity of similar achievement by other female directors, I would think that she would be both most influential and greatest.

[@davidwright7193]

Ah another person with a severe case of Waldheim’s amnesia.* *named for Kurt Waldheim suffers showed severe issues with memory and interpretation of past events symptoms would begin with events from some point in the 1930s but clear memory was regained on 8th May 1945 (September 2nd 1945 for cases in Asian nationals).

[@harbl99]

So many people visiting their sick Oma during the period 1933-45.

[@nirfz]

Waldheim was ambassador to canada, foreign minister of austria and secretary general of the UN twice. The strange thing to me is that during that whole time nobody cared! And only after all that, when he ran for the office of "Bundespräsident" (the second time) of Austria (which is an office with laughable power), the issue was raised big way. So it kind of looks like he wasn't the only one with this disease, but his only lasted between the end of the 30's an 1945 while others had it from 1945-1985.

[@davidwright7193]

nirfz He had been rather economical with the actualite when it came to his war record claiming to have been a student in Vienna from 43-45 and the mid-80’s is when the details of his actual war service came to light...

[@Darwinek]

Little bit like Günther Grass. You can't spell Grass without SS.

[@DarklordZagarna]

I mean, these days in Japan the far right just unapologetically says that the fascists were right all along. No amnesia required. All those Korean comfort women surely had it coming to them for... [checks notes] being the victims of forcible rape and sex trafficking...

[@geniemiki]

12:07 that's an amazing photograph. Don"t get wrong, horrific as it can be, but that's the point. You don't need to see what those people are looking at. Every single face on this picture tells you EXACTLY what they are witnesses to.

[@neilwilson5785]

It's so grim. Of course, the watchers are being instructed in what will happen to them if they dissent. Stick, and carrot. This is how evil works.

[@AndreAndFriends]

Neil Wilson glorious German soldiers fighting to free Europa from?

[@stevekaczynski3793]

They at least are grim-faced, and in her case horrified. In other photos some participants or witnesses of massacres or executions actually seem to be enjoying themselves. The collar patches suggest these are Heer (Army) soldiers, not the SS or Order Police.

[@Thechezbailey]

@@stevekaczynski3793 Hence their normal human reaction to what they are seeing, I suppose.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

@@Thechezbailey It was still early in WW2. With time perhaps they became more indifferent or even enjoyed it.

[@ATINKERER]

I knew a friend of Leni Riefenstal. When I told my friend that I thought that Riefenstal had aided the Nazis by making her film Triumph of the Will, my friend went absolutely ballistic! She told me that Riefenstal was just an artist doing her job and nothing more. I don't know, but if that's true, then I guess no one in Germany ever aided the Nazis.

[@RhodokTribesman]

"just doing his/her job" is always such a scary explanation.

[@thebecksbeerboy583]

Yeah every german after 1945 claimed they just followed orders

[@RhodokTribesman]

@@Aryan_Psycho88 "But guys, I was told to do it :(("

[@strugglingcollegestudent]

Yeah every single German says that grandparents weren’t Nazis” That’s not possible lol they can’t all be innocent

[@strugglingcollegestudent]

@@RhodokTribesmanyeah and the miligramos experiment was recently disproven It was a flawed / biased study which sought to justify the Holocaust. When in reality we all have choice and the Germans were fine with killing Jews as it benefited them

[@goneham4015]

Would there ever be a biography episode on Ferdinand Porsche? I think his life would certainly be able to be made into an episode

[@LukeBunyip]

#FerdinandIntensifies

[@jasonhiggins8909]

He was another sucjed up to the ti.es to serve this scatterbrained hitler by way of No choice

[@jimreid6370]

As the aldi Nazi family

[@bryansammis998]

Especially when telling the story of development if the great cluster**** known as the” Porsche Tiger”

[@michaelochido3244]

Can we also have a video of Mercedes benz,the Nazi fascists favoirite limousine

[@jjeherrera]

The opening scenes in Olympia are staggering! I didn't know about her, but certainly admired her just because of that. The filming of the different sports don't look so impressive today, but I understand it would be quite a novelty in it's days.

[@rsmith5606]

Never did I think I'd hear cozy and Joseph Gobbels in the same sentence! Another excellent video, can't wait for more! Keep up the great work and stay safe!

[@rikgto9351]

This Channel and Mark Felton are excellent. Both are Easy to follow and comprehend, with a communication style that explains the complex characters of that era

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you

[@95MAFS]

Honestly, her work was very impressive and it seems like she was ahead of her time in regards to film techniques. Still there is a lot to record on her for sure.

[@ScooterWeibels]

I'm sorry but her contemporary from Japan Akira Kurosawa was 100 times more influential and he is still popular to this day.

[@mikedeck8381]

She is the German film equivalent of what Walther Braun was to rocketry. Unfortunately for her they didn't need her after the war like they needed Braun.

[@sluxi]

Wernher von Braun.

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

A man whose allegiance is ruled by expedience. Call him a Nazi, he wont even frown. “Nazi Schmatzi!” says Wernher von Braun.

[@davidwright7193]

Fuzzy Dunlop I just put them up, Where they come down, That’s not my department says Wernher Von Braun

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

@@davidwright7193 Some have harsh words for this man of renown But some think our attitude should be one of gratitude Like the widows and cripples of old London town Who owe their large pensions to Wernher Von Braun A man of culture, I see. :)

[@sluxi]

@@davidwright7193 Thanks, I was not familiar with this from Tom Lehrer. I hope Timeghost will do a biography episode on von Braun also, I certainly think he's interesting enough.

[@spudskie3907]

American director Frank Capra said he was terrified when he saw Triumph of the Will. In response he created the Why We Fight series.

[@jadeharvey1265]

Of course

[@geekay4703]

This WW2 chronicle is so thorough and so good. Nothing else brings together so much different source material in a clear, concise and accurate way. Might be too soon to say but this really should go down as a national treasure.

[@OldProVidios]

I like the comparison Mountain to Western films. The mountains in Europe are a wonder to visit. I love to watch the weather come across the ridgeline.

[@sheep1903]

Triumph of the will is available in full on youtube, She was insanely ahead of her time.

[@ramakrishnasuresh4703]

It is now taken off the You tube. That's censorship and stifling of free thought in the times we live in.

[@shelbynamels973]

The Blue Light is or at least was available on youtube. The camera work is simply stunning.

[@sheep1903]

It is on Dailymotion in full

[@dodibenabba1378]

@@ramakrishnasuresh4703 yes and who's the censorship by? Yep you guessed it!

[@8catweazle]

How funny that they remove her film yet you know anyone and everyone in Hollywood has copied her innovative techniques for decades.

[@prairiehawker]

In the early 90's I had the opportunity to see both Triumph of the Will and her biography on the big screen back to back. I can safely say it was a whole different experience seeing the film in a theater. The vibe one gets watching Triumph in that venue is overwhelming. It is easy to see why it was so powerful to film goers

[@ScooterWeibels]

yet it is forgotten today compared to work of her contemporaries.

[@derekk.2263]

Man, the more I learn about Hitler and his weird interests and obsessions the more I realize he was a really a deranged fantasy nerd. If it hadn't been for WW1 he would have just been the really annoying guy who always shows up at whatever the early 1900s equivalent of Magic the Gathering and Halo tournaments was who everyone just tolerates and tries to be nice to.

[@MajesticOak]

So we all have within us for the greatness of world conquest, slavery, and genocide if only the stars align... Oh wait, that's basically the isekai genre in a nutshell.

[@leeboy26]

Hitler, the ultimate 'That Guy'.

[@Deshoda100]

In truth, not sure when, Hitler was on crazy amount of drugs at the time. He was even prescribed meth. If youve seen clips Hitler had a jittery right hand. I think he took not just meth but some other drugs for that but it didnt help much

[@leeboy26]

@@Deshoda100 Probably had hands covered in Cheetos dust as well.

[@DarklordZagarna]

Basically the 1920s version of Gamergate, in other words. @Deshoda100: They already did an episode on this; search "High Hitler."

[@roymartin500]

You guys hit the nail on the head with this one, great job Time Ghost team!!

[@TheNMan64]

Love that The Lion King was the one film to get an immediate mention with the imagery used in the film.

[@johncox2865]

I am constantly amazed by all the things that I am ignorant of.

[@alcaulique8358]

As always, a great well-written biography with a lot of balance and precision. Congratulations Indy! I was always fascinated by Leni Riefenstahl since documentaries aired after her death 2003. It's incredible to see a woman so far of Nazi's ideal woman leading such a fascinating career. Only some women in Nazi Germany were able to stand out, usually because their were in the direct proximity of Hitler (make me think that a special about Hitler's relationship with women would be very interesting). Beside, Leni Riefenstahl, I can only think of Hanna Reitsch (that would also be a very interesting biography special) who had a career Nazi Germany.

[@richardmcleod5967]

And Leni Renfenstahl's camera work is still used and admired to this day.

[@nbarrett100]

Walt Disney making a very on-brand cameo

[@alexk6343]

I was around 8 years old when I saw the clip for "Stripped" by Rammstein, which uses her footage from the Olympics in Berlin. That's the moment I realized film is an art form, even if I had no way of understanding it back then.

[@LukeBunyip]

Rammstein at eight! Brutal.

[@alexk6343]

@@LukeBunyip it was played on Viva Zwei if I recall correctly :)

[@Thechezbailey]

@@LukeBunyip So metal.

[@CoolGobyFish]

i never understood why Rammstein used footage from Nazi Olympics in their video. They are very left-wing. I guess they were looking to be provocative. The excuse from them was " we loved the footage". Well, they coud have shot something in that style witout actualy using it. in any case, it was in poor taste

[@8catweazle]

They come from east Germany, lived under communism. They were not brainwashed by western media.

[@nickhtk6285]

Always find it amusing that the claim of "never knew what was really happening" is never followed up with "would you have approved ?". I think that is far more telling.

[@JaegerHammer]

Nick HTK, did you really know what was going on in the Soviet Union ? The ally of the western democracies that murdered tens of millions of their own citizens in the gulag. Or did you approve? Now THAT is more telling isn't it?

[@JaegerHammer]

@GazB stfu you commie .

[@mariellen8346]

I have Victory of Faith and Triumph of the Will. Love both of those films and her amazing filming/editing

[@gabrielgodinho3187]

Congratulations for another high quality video, Timeghost! It always bothered me when documentaries or biographies about Leni Riefenstahl tried to downplay or outright deny the fact that she was part of the regime and fully supported its vicious ideals and policies. However, Timeghost, I knew I could count on your commitment to the truth and that you wouldn't reiterate those fallacies. Once again, congratulations.

[@LightxHeaven]

Leni Riefenstahl was a true master of the art. Even to this day her work can still send shivers down one’s spine.

[@dlf7789]

A bit too enthusiastic of compliment given her history wouldnt you say?

[@LightxHeaven]

Zogu, King Of Albania Not really, you don’t need to be a nazi to appreciate that her work can evoke some powerful feelings. Not that of sympathy for the Nazi cause but feelings of power, collectivism and unity. I’m simply talking about the work she did, not who she was as a person.

[@sankarchaya]

Triumph of the will is visually beautiful. It's a useful reminder that horror can be charismatic and made to appear beautiful.

[@gertvanpeet3120]

What nobody knows: at around the age of 70...she started diving..and made books with underwater pictures! And movies...not Shure about that, but i have seen the books. Find out!

[@WorldWarTwo]

She passed the practical and theoretical tests for her scuba diving license at age 80, making her the oldest person to have done so at the time.

[@calendarpage]

@@WorldWarTwo One of my doctoral committee members was a German who enjoyed diving and wrote a book about it. He asked Riefenstahl to write the forward or something, which she declined. So, I have this weird '6 degree' connection to Hitler - Hitler, Riefenstahl, my committee member, and me.

[@chrisvickers7928]

She made a dive to celebrate her 100th birthday.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

@@WorldWarTwo Sounds like she was remarkably healthy and fit at an advanced age, no doubt explaining her making it past 100.

[@EF-fc4du]

Great filmaker. Deserves a posthumous Oscar.

[@sweeton12124]

Suggest you look at Chandler Johnson, Lt. Col., USMC. Met him (as a child) in Ocean City, NJ, where his wife was living. He’d been sent back from duty in the Pacific after being disabled by Malaria contracted in Guadalcanal. He was assigned to the Pentagon where he campaigned to get back into combat. He returned, to the invasion of Iwo Jima. He was the officer who sent marines with a large ship’s flag to restage the flag raising on Suribachi, yielding the Life Magazine cover. He refused to give the flag to a visiting politician. He was killed by a Japanese mortar a few days later.

[@xibungo71]

At university, many years ago, i saw both "Triumph of the Will" and "Olympia.' I am an amateur photographer myself, and technically, both of these films were excellent. As the video explains, she used techniques never seen before. "Triumph of Will" done so well, that if you did not know about what the Nazis were about, you might think, "hey, this is really neat, where do I sign up?" Which was precisely the point of the film. It was so good, it was scary. Many of her techniques used in 'Olympia' are still used today in sports photography. It's a pity that such a brilliant technician was such a hideous human being.

[@antonioacevedo5200]

I am not able to separate the art from the person. To me ,Riefenstahl's art is like a malignant tumor.

[@daba6866]

I knew Leni. She was forced to film for Hitler or die. Hitler agreed to give her unlimited funds and allowed her to utilize her own style and concepts. She never killed anyone. The Leni I knew was pleasant kind gentle and generous.

[@johncox2865]

That’s what she told you. If it had been true, she would have never been allowed to come to Hollywood.

[@steveweinstein3222]

Yes, of course you knew her, you precious thing.

[@tmack11]

She once won second prize in a beauty contest? That's a good way to collect $10

[@spudskie3907]

I ALWAYS got that damn card in Monopoly!

[@howardpope3932]

And it means that the other contestants must have been even more terrifying battle-axes.

[@howardpope3932]

@AIFAHRA HORGGHRO Funny! As tasteless as it is.

[@Altrantis]

@@robinderoos1166 She seems to have only been casually racist, which is common today, let alone back then. Her involvement with the nazis seems to have been largely self-serving and out of convenience, and she just didn't *care* about the damage they were doing.

[@wilshirewarrior2783]

1st prize was a personal visit with Hitler…2nd prize was 2 visits with Hitler.

[@QuizmasterLaw]

"cozy dinners at Josef Goebbels' house" Cozy? the irony here is a bitter pill to swallow . . .

[@QuizmasterLaw]

Ganz kuschelig. Jetzt kinder ab ins Bett. Schlafzeit!

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

I need dinner at the Goebbels’ like I need a hole in the head.

[@johnprice9072]

Yeah I'm sure they were real cozy, that's a disturbing thought, I'm trying to have breakfast here.

[@DarklordZagarna]

@@robinderoos1166 Bitter almond is, in fact, the classic scent associated with cyanide poisoning.

[@QuizmasterLaw]

@@DarklordZagarna Jetzt mit mehr Shocko!

[@TheCouchpotato00]

It's Riefenstahl. Not Reifenstahl

[@Pioneer_DE]

Reifenstahl translated would mean Carwheelsteel

[@TimDutch]

They have it right on the pictures. So it's a spelling mistake :)

[@TheCouchpotato00]

@@TimDutch Yep i just wanted to point out the mistake in the title

[@TimDutch]

@@TheCouchpotato00 👍

[@princekrazie]

🤣

[@el1tefire252]

When he says there a part two so I look below for the video only to find out it came out 3 minutes ago and that there is not yet a part two :(

[@Sam316451]

If Wedding was a MIDDLE CLASS Neighbourhood in 1900, then Liverpool was the seat the british royal family back then :D

[@Zumama2]

It's still not the best neighborhood in Berlin to live in today... although it has improved

[@QuizmasterLaw]

Ehrlich gesagt ich liebe Moabit. Wirklich. Wedding ist im Vergleich langweilig.

[@tattie278]

Yes, I always thought that Wedding was a slum.

[@QuizmasterLaw]

@@tattie278 Wedding is definitely not a slum. Hell I wouldn't even call Moabit a slum.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

It was actually quite Communist, was often referred to as "Red Wedding", and clashes between Nazi and Communist paramilitaries were frequent there in the early 1930s.

[@eleanorkett1129]

Thanks for presenting this biography. In interview she almost attacked the interviewer who mentioned her social life with Hitler and Goebbels.

[@HistoryHustle]

That photo on 12:05 capturing Riefenstal's horror is truly intense.

[@kaspafischer]

The soldiers surrounding her looked gloomy as hell too...

[@ldmitruk]

The mash up of "Triumph of the Will" and a German version of "Help" by the Beatles in "Jo Jo Rabbit" was well done.

[@97SEMTEX]

This is very well researched and written, cant wait for part two. Nice Tie Indy

[@Daniel-kq4bx]

A part 2 on a Biography. Crazy. This channel is just great

[@joeyjamison5772]

She lived to be 101. I guess that proves only the good die young.

[@sircoloniser5454]

The queen 👀

[@D88111]

Only the weak die young lol

[@Inesophet]

This is why i love this Channel. The Attention to detail, the unrelenting quest for truth as best as we can possibly know it. This is by far the best summary and representation of Leni i have ever seen. She was undoubtedly a Pivotal Figure since Images and Films have Power and change destiny. Just ask Wernher von Braun, without the Movie "Die Frau im Mond" our world would likely be a very different one.

[@pahunter3]

You should do a report on the aviation pioneer Hannah Reitsch. She broke barriers and was a test pilot.

[@bucksdiaryfan]

Damn it, this was your best video ever -- well done, and I can't wait for part two

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks a lot!

[@bpetrosoff]

Great episode, can’t wait to hear the rest. Thank you!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks!

[@Masada1911]

Very interesting episode, I’m really looking forward to part two

[@charlesbutler4646]

This is an amazing series. Superbly conceived and executed. Truly extraordinary work.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you for watching!

[@seankinsellasean]

she looks like an 80s glam rocker in the thumbnail

[@christopherroa9781]

I thought so too

[@CloseUp1961]

I would also add that she used her position to portray herself as a victim after the surrender in 1945.

[@vvattees1511]

Excellent work and contribution to help interested people to better understand one of the biggest most relevant events of the 20th century. Thank you and keep the good work!!

[@fredericleclerc9037]

Excellent and very interesting like always. You are very professional and your passion is obvious. I often watch some of your videos after flying my bf.109 in War Thunder listening to the Luftwaffe March, Erika or Panzerlied :P

[@uncleeric3317]

1920s Berlin must have been a crazy place before the Brownshirts came to town.

[@Mercurywheeler]

Try Babylon Berlin TV Show. Its a great depiction.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

@@Mercurywheeler There is a good graphic novel series by Jason Lutes, "Berlin".

[@garcalej]

You have no idea.

[@D88111]

It was similar to modern day USA lol, degeneracy was rampant

[@D88111]

@@FutureBoyWonder You sound like a degenerate leftist

[@QuizmasterLaw]

After the war she filmed Africans and basically had no career - or prison term. There's a film "the wonderful horrible life of leni riefenstahl"; I liked it.

[@leonardosantetti]

Great video and oratory, I enjoyed the work of research and how you portrayed it, well done!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you, really appreciate your comment. -TimeGhost Ambassador

[@jtking76]

I recall seeing a documentary about her in the early 2000's, it might have been The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl but I am not certain. I think this video may contain information the documentary didn't but again, I am not sure. Nevertheless, this seems to me to be an excellent introduction to Ms. Riefenstahl. I was so impressed I have subscribed to the channel. The gentleman narrating this fine production, Indy Neidell, didn't introduce himself by name but he should have. Everyone involved should be proud, I wish more youtube videos were so professionally done.

[@hughmckendrick3018]

Excellent content. Looking forward to Part 2.

[@BillBird2111]

This is more great stuff from Indy. Great writing. Great presentation. If there is one regret, and there is one, it's this:

[@vincentkosik403]

Remember reading a book on her a long while ago...she recalled toward the invasion of East Prussia and the hoards of refugees, she pleaded to Hitler to end the War and of course he did not

[@stevipedia]

1:29 "she did get attention for winning second prize in a beauty contest." I just hope that she at least remembered to collect that free ten dollars from the community chest.

[@alanholck7995]

Quite a life she had. Hope you do part 2 someday (not that many 98 year olds survive a helicopter crash in Africa or hit the beach in the Maldives at age 100).

[@patrickjspoon]

Right as I said "yeah, look at The Lion King," you said the same thing. I love all of your work so much.

[@erichstocker8358]

After the war when it was clear that she wouldn't be able to get work as a film maker, she turned to photography. She was a brilliant photographer as she was a brilliant film maker. One photographic essay on a tribe in Africa made it into Life (in the 1970s I believe). Her photographs were brilliant. There is no doubt that she was a flawed but brilliant artist.

[@gordonsills]

Huh, I was watching this wondering if an episode of Riefenstahl witnessing massacre in Końskie (my home town) will be brought forward, thank you so much for including it (and showing the actual picture). Do you plan to prepare an episode about Polish partisans?

[@titanuranus3095]

1:29 She must have landed on a community chest.

[@Zebrateaser]

lol I paused the vid and scrolled down to see this. It needed to be said, well done :)

[@chanhjohnnguyen1867]

$10 prize

[@spudskie3907]

I ALWAYS got that card!

[@DarklordZagarna]

From what Indy tells us, it sounds like she had a bit of a community chest herself... if you catch my drift.

[@bw2442]

Possibly a get out of jail also

[@fawneckman9297]

She did give ample attention to Jessie Owens. Her pioneer tech work was innovative. She had cameras in ditches on the track so runners could pass overhead. The "elevators" they speak of here were not just for the cameras. Riefenstahl herself sat in a tiny box holding the camera and was moved up and down on a track. She was totally exposed and cramped in the box and was always at risk for falling hundreds of feet. She was so used to climbing barefoot (to the point where her feet would bleed) in Max Pabst's Alp movies....it was nothing to her to undertake such risks for the sake of art. She even caught Hitler on film "congratulating" Owens to save face in defeat. I think Leni was just trying to make the most of being in bad situations. Hard to say not being there

[@derekkelley7490]

Indy, Fantastic bio, I really enjoyed it!!

[@gmeliberty]

fascinating episode! I have read a great deal about Riefenstahl but I leaned much from this.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks!

[@antoinehenderson1659]

I had multiple classes with a political science professor who loved bringing up Riefenstahl when we would touch on Nietzsche, fascism, the rise of modern political ideologies, and the secularization of the West.

[@gunman47]

Ah Leni Riefenstahl, a name that comes to mind with her Nazi propaganda film Triumph of the Will (Triumph des Willens), with her techniques influencing many films such as Star Wars and the Lord of the Rings. I wonder what she would have directed if she had not lived in the Nazi era...

[@EdVarkarion]

"Thought it was a documentary she rearranged, the actual order of events to create emotional peaks and valleys" So basically a modern documentary.

[@Dustz92]

Had no idea there was a Nazi version of Terra Baixa (tiefland). It is a very popular play in Catalonia even nowadays.

[@DarklordZagarna]

Presumably it isn't a "Nazi version," as it was not finished until after the war. (Whether it carries forward neo-Nazi tropes is a separate question, of course. I haven't seen it.)

[@Ystadcop]

Excellent, Indy. Congrats to your team. Whatever her dodgy politics, she stands head and shoulders above an overwhelming mass of film makers. Hollywood at the time? Hah.

[@differentboy9697]

There's some great european directors who have being shunned by Hollywood. Riefenstahl, Buñuel, De Sica, Cocteau.

[@RamblingRecruiter]

A talented and groundbreaking film maker, and high up on the list of history's most despicable women. Her comments on the Roma late in her life were weaker than Postum ersatz coffee. Try to imagine my shock that the only person in Hollywood who would give her the time of day was Walt Disney.

[@CaptainGyro]

Great script and, as always, an outstanding narration by Indy.

[@ralfrath699]

Leni was a monster - she did not understand why Hitler was a criminal.

[@anthonydivon5571]

Great video. I would also like to see a video on Ferdinand Porsche and the Krupp family

[@fh8769]

Very informative! Enjoyed this immensely.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks!

[@Aeyekay0]

This was very informative and interesting, good work.

[@j.javierf.8654]

Looking forward to part 2!

[@shaider1982]

Interesting, I just watched the Vanity Fair video on how a Camera operator makes a film more dramatic through proper zooming, use of dolly and lens, and I can see that used in the clips from Leni's work.

[@andyhallbootdoctornz3991]

Your amazing channel just gets better and better. Wonderful job team ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@WorldWarTwo]

Our team works hard so we really appreciate your kind comment, thanks for watching.

[@Jari_Sanou]

12:57 That letter was not actually sent by Leni Riefenstahl; it was actually sent by Leni Reifenstahl (Ripe steel).

[@TheTrickster923]

Speaking of the Nuremberg stadium, do you have any plans to do a biography special on Albert Speer once you get to the events of 1942 or so?

[@VanaeCavae]

You need to do a video about Hanna Reitsch.

[@RichardTingey]

Fascinating thank you - I can't wait for Part 2.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you for your support Richard!

[@leary4]

The video quality on this is top notch. It's about the thing all day my one good eye didn't have to work at. If ya have the time I would recommend a bio special of Alfred Rosenburg. Now the only reason to do this is because he was/ is the highest ranking nazi that no one has ever heard of. There is good reason for this he is completely unremarkable and was the walking embodiment of Arendts' "banality of evil". Still his nazi book was a must read of the time second only to Mein Kampf and I guess court philosopher and second tier art thief count for something.

[@fried.rooster06]

I love this channel.

[@4catsnow]

It would appear that the bomb bay doors on the Boeing B-17 were equal opportunity....they didn't care what number "reich" it was...but apparently the propellers on the aircraft were too noisy for Leni to get any closeups....oh well, that''s showbiz......

[@chef2224]

Great, I’m looking forward to pt 2

[@sorrenable]

Excellent as always!

[@mcdowelltw]

Wonderful video.