the heavens. Our sense of perspective and reality becomes that of the townspeople, aided by the music and steady flow of the plane, so that we are not awaiting the arrival of a mere mortal but a God. The film’s editing is tied to the rhythm in German anthems, with Wagnerian music playing as the plane carrying Hitler comes to earth. The music and bands reinforcing the glory of Nuremberg are backed up with countless choreographed images of men in uniform, marching into and out of abstract shapes and patterns due to Riefenstahl’s various camera angles. The marching men are reduced to geometrical designs, while the shots of ecstatic crowds with their arms outstretched to greet Hitler demonstrates Nazi passion and obsession at its height. The Wagnerian score builds to a frenzied climax as Hitler takes the stand among the hysterical crowd. Purposeful composition and editing intensify this event.
The deliberate manipulation of emotion in Triumph of the Will is what lifts the film from documentary of reality and crosses the line to propaganda. Propaganda is a systematic attempt to manipulate the attitudes, beliefs, and actions of people through the use of symbols such as the phrases, gestures, slogans, flags, and uniforms viewed in Triumph of the Will. Since Aristotle wrote Rhetoric, the principles of persuasion have been a significant aspect of human history. Propaganda, however, is a fairly recent concept that arose as a result of the ideological struggles of the twentieth century. The advent of film provided a new and powerful means of making propagandas. Both the Axis and Allied forces of WWII relied heavily on propaganda to generate support for their respective causes. Sometimes these attempts were overt, like Triumph of the Will, and other times they were more subtle. Words, posters, and films were used to win the battle for the hearts and minds of millions of people around the globe. Persuading the public became a f...