Introduction to Leni Riefenstahl
Leni Riefenstahl, known to history as Hitler’s favorite filmmaker, has long had a remarkable level of approval in Hollywood. Many famous directors, including Quentin Tarantino and Francis Ford Coppola, have expressed admiration for her cinematic gifts. In 2007, George Lucas even praised her modernity and recognized the debt of his film "Star Wars" to Riefenstahl’s "Triumph of the Will".
The Myth of the Apolitical Artist
After the Second World War, Riefenstahl successfully scrubbed her call as an accomplice with the Nazi regime, and a widespread buy-in for her carefully designed narrative emerged: she was an apolitical artist who was only taken up by Hitler and his propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels. However, this imagination is exploded in the documentary "Different Steel", staged by the German filmmaker Andres Veiel.
Uncovering the Truth
In the documentary, Veiel reveals that Riefenstahl – far from being an artist who was moved into the service of Hitler – actually inspired the Nazis’ ideology from the early 1930s. Through diligent research in her archives, together with his producer, journalist Sandra Maischberger, Veiel found damning material that was overlooked by other researchers. A single communication after the war between Riefenstahl and the Third Reich official Albert Speer provided the architect and minister of armor and war production for the Nazis.
Terrifying Evidence
Veiel tells us of terrifying evidence that Riefenstahl had entered Poland in September 1939 and used Roma in a concentration camp as extras in a film production in war – innocent people who were later killed by the Nazis. He also reveals Riefenstahl’s reaction as an important cameraman in her film "Olympia" was later sent to a psychiatric institution and violently sterilized in accordance with the Nazis’ faith in Eugenics.
The Documentary
The documentary "Different Steel" is now playing in US cinemas via Cinema Lorber and will receive a campaign for the Oscar exam. Veiel explains how he reveals the truth about Riefenstahl’s involvement with the Nazi regime in the new edition of Deadline’s DOC Talk Podcast. The podcast is hosted by Oscar winner John Ridley and Matt Carey, Deadline Documentary Factor, and is a production by Deadline and Ridley’s Nō Studios.
Listen to the Podcast
The episode is available to listen to above or on large podcast platforms such as Spotify, Iheart, and Apple.
