Berta Helene Amalie Riefenstahl , known as Leni Riefenstahl (August 22nd 1902 with Berlin - September 8th 2003 with Pöcking) is a dancer, actress, director and German photographer.

In spite of a work noticed between 1932 and 1936, it will be rejected after 1945 by the majority of the scenario writers to be itself associated with carried out mode national-Socialist.

Dancer and actress

Leni Riefenstahl was born with Berlin the August 22nd 1902. His/her father, Alfred, are commercial.

Starting from 1918, it takes courses of painting and drawing to the Kunstakademie of Berlin. Simultaneously with that, it also takes courses of ballet dancing and modern.

Starting from 1920, it is a certain success in the dance and takes part in various rounds in Germany, Czechoslovakia and Suisse. In 1923, it dances its first solo with Munich in the role of Diotima. It is then engaged by max Reinhardt as dancer soloist for the Deutsches Theater of Berlin.

It is in 1926 that she is discovered by Arnold Fanck which entrusts to him its first role with the cinema in the film the crowned Mountain ( DER heilige Berg ). It is the beginning of a relatively prolific career of actress of Films of mountain.

It acquires a great popularity near the public by playing the film main characters like DER große Sprung , Weiße Hölle amndt Piz Palü , Stürme über dem Mont Blanc and DER weiße Rausch , for which it must learn the alpinism and the ski.

Having acquired at Arnold Fanck the bases of the realization, framing and the assembly, it launches out finally itself in the realization. After having founded in 1931 its own agency of realization, “Leni Riefenstahl Film Studio”, it carries out in 1932 its first film the blue Light ( Das blaue Licht ), in which it holds the main role. This film, which constitutes a call with the tolerance and the respect of others, weaker in particular, will receive the Lion of money to the Mostra of Venice.

Director of propaganda

It is also this film which draws the attention of Adolf Hitler to the director. She meets the Führer for the first time in May 1932 and ties with him relations of mutual respect. After the accession with the capacity of the Nazi party, Adolf Hitler requires of Leni Riefenstahl to film the congress of the party with Nuremberg in 1934. This will give the film Sieg of Glaubens , documentary film carried out with an artistic talent hitherto unexplored.

After a forwarding with the Greenland from which it draws the film S.O.S iceberg ( S.O.S Eisberg ), it continues its work for the party national-Socialist and produces several very noticed documentary films. It carries out thus the Triumph of the will ( Triumph of Willens ). For this film, it occupies 16 teams of turning (more than 100 people) and collects more than 60 hours of documents. The film remains in the history of propaganda film like one of most famous and one of most effective. It proposes at it the solidarity of the base of the party with the mode, by alternating the images at unexpected intervals and while breaking with the chronology of the congress. It also places its cameras so as to create a quasi mythological environment around the chiefs of the party in a decoration designed by the famous architect Albert Speer. The light effects (“Lichtdom”) and the music in addition emphasize the force of the symbols of the party: swastika, flags, the eagle of the Reich . This film will be crowned in 1934 by the Price of German film and the Lion of gold of the Festival of Venice, then by a international Grand Prix at the time of the World Fair of Paris in 1937.

The reintroduction of the obligatory military service in 1935 gives to Leni Riefenstahl the opportunity of its film Jour of Freedom - our army ( Tag der Freiheit - unsere Wehrmacht ).

1936 offers to Leni Riefenstahl, then with the ridge of its glory, the ideal event to carry out a large film: the Olympic Games of Berlin. To carry out the Gods of the stage ( Olympia ), it implements a technique hitherto amazing and films for the first time during the tests. The work of assembly, which will last 18 months, will give rise to two parts distinct from the film Olympia : Festival of the people ( Fest der Völker ) and Festival of the beauty ( Fest der Schönheit ). In this work, the sporting images acquire a properly artistic dimension: the director seeks with exalter virility and the martial force, in particular through the beauty of the athletic male body. This film is regarded as one of best documentary films of the history of the cinema for its various innovative techniques such as innovating framings, the use of the dolly, cameras on rails and underwater cameras. The first projection of the film (two parts lasting in very nearly 4 a.m.) will take place the April 20th 1938 in homage to the birthday of the Führer . Once more, this film acquires a great international recognition, in particular receiving the First Price Festival of Venice. Leni Riefenstahl on its side will be seen decreeing in 1939 a Gold medal on behalf of the International Olympic committee for this film.

The films of Leni Riefenstahl and the admiration which Adolf Hitler carries to him is worth with the director the enmity of the Minister for propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, which, in spite of its official support, sees in the friendship of the director with Adolf Hitler a threat for its own position.

Second world war

The years 1940 and 1941 see Leni Riefenstahl working with a new film, Tiefland , for which it has 60 Sintis and Rroms extracted from Concentration camps. As from 1941, the course of the war as of the health issues prevents it from continuing any initial work.

In 1944, it marries major Peter Jacob from which it will separate 3 years later.

After war

After the Second world war, ridges some with the hatred of his/her colleagues, in particular of Hollywood, it is placed under the protection and the trusteeship of the French authorities of occupation of the Germany, and profits from the sympathy of Jean Cocteau during seven years.

Carried in front of the courts in 1948, shown not to have remunerated Rroms and Sintis of its film Tiefland and to have promised to them in a misleading way to save them deportation, it is finally discharged.

In 1949, a new lawsuit opposes it to the magazine Bunte which had published calumnies concerning the film Tiefland , lawsuit which it gains. Follow of other lawsuits in connection with its work of propagandist for the Nazi regime.

It is only in 1954 that it finishes its film Tiefland which will be a failure.

It is starting from this date that, confronted with criticisms ceaseless aiming all its projects of film, it turns primarily to the Photographie, in particular carrying out several illustrated reports on the Noubas of the Sudan (from which it learns the language). These series are the subject of an international recognition.

In 1972, it obtains an official accreditation to cover the Olympic Games of Munich as a photographer.

Always lends to raise of the challenges within the framework of its work, it learns how to make deep-sea diving (patent passed in 1974 with the Malindi) to carry out a film on the underwater universe. It publishes a book of photographs then entitled Jardins of corals ( Korallengärten ).

In 1982, the German chain WDR diffuses a report entitled the time of silence and shade ( Zeit of Schweigens und der Dunkelheit ) in which are reiterated the reproaches against Leni Riefenstahl and its collaboration with the Nazi party.

She answers all the charges by publishing her Mémoires in 1987. She contradicts there any complicity with the mode national-Socialist and affirms to be herself never attached but to the artistic aspect of her work. In spite of the great public success of this book (translated into 9 languages), he is largely abused by the critic.

In 1992, Ray Müller carries out a biographical documentary film on Leni Riefenstahl to which the director itself brings her support and her co-operation. Heading the capacity of the images ( Die Macht der Bilder ), this film is initially diffused on television German and is a great success. It will be preceded with the Emmy Awards in the United States, then will create sensation with the Museum of modern art (MOMA) of New York. This back in favor of Leni Riefenstahl is confirmed in 1996 when a version chorégraphiée of the To be able of the images is assembled to the Schauspielhaus of Cologne, then in 1997 at the time of a great retrospective of its work with Milan and Rome. Attribution by the Cincecon of a decoration for the whole of its work is greeted by salvos of applause, but also by an open rejection on behalf of some critical. In 1999, it is the Museum of the cinema of Potsdam which organizes a retrospective on the career of Leni Riefenstahl.

After having survived an accident of helicopter in 2000 (at the time of its last voyage near the Sprees with the Sudan), it dies out the September 8th 2003 with Pöcking close to Munich, at 101 years.

A film recalling its life, whose turning should begin at the end of 2008, will be carried out by Rupert Walters at the end of 2008. She will be interpreted there by Jodie Foster, which was preferred with Sharon Stone.

Films

Appendices

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