Leni Riefenstahl directed, produced, edited and co-wrote Triumph of the Will (German: Triumph des Willens), the infamous Nazi propaganda film.
Adolf Hitler commissioned the film and served as unofficial executive producer; his name appears in the opening titles.
It chronicles the 1934 Nazi Party Congress in Nuremberg, which was attended by more than 700,000 Nazi supporters.
The film contains speeches by Nazi leaders at the Congress, including Hitler, Rudolf Hess and Julius Streicher, interspersed with footage of massed Sturmabteilung (SA) and Schutzstaffel (SS) troops.
The overriding theme is the return of Germany as a great power, with Hitler as its extraordinary leader.
The film was produced after the “Night of the Long Knives,” and so formerly prominent SA members are absent.
Released in March 1935, it became an example of film used as propaganda. Riefenstahl’s style—moving cameras, aerial photography, long-focus lenses to create distorted perspective, and the use of music and cinematography—has made Triumph of the Will one of the greatest propaganda films in history.
During World War II, Frank Capra’s seven-film series Why We Fight was inspired by Triumph of the Will and the US response to it.
In present-day Germany, the film is not censored but the courts classify it as Nazi propaganda, which requires educational context for public screenings.
The film begins with a prologue establishing the date as September 5, 1934 and the elapsed time since World War I, the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler’s appointment as chancellor, climaxing in his visit to Nuremberg on that day.
It is the only commentary in the entire film.
Day 1:
The film opens with shots of the clouds, before floating above the assembling masses below. The cruciform shadow of Hitler’s plane is visible as it passes over the tiny figures marching below, accompanied by an orchestral arrangement of the Horst-Wessel-Lied.
Upon arriving at the Nuremberg airport, Hitler and Nazi leaders emerge from his plane to thunderous applause and a cheering crowd. He is then driven into Nuremberg, through equally enthusiastic people, to his hotel where a night rally is later held.
Day 2:
The second day begins with images of Nuremberg at dawn, accompanied by an extract from the Act III Prelude (Wach Auf!) of Richard Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.
A montage of the attendees preparing for the opening of the Reich Party Congress, and footage of top Nazi officials arriving at the Luitpold Arena.
The film then cuts to the opening ceremony, where Rudolf Hess announces the start of the Congress. The camera then introduces the Nazi hierarchy and covers their speeches, including Joseph Goebbels, Alfred Rosenberg, Hans Frank, Fritz Todt, Robert Ley and Julius Streicher.
The film cuts to an outdoor rally for the Reichsarbeitsdienst (Labor Service), a series of quasi-military drills by men carrying spades.
Hitler gives his first speech on the merits of the Labour Service, praising them for their work in rebuilding Germany.
The day ends with torchlight SA parade and fireworks display in which Viktor Lutze speaks to the crowds.
Day 3:
The third day starts with Hitler Youth rally. The camera covers the Nazi dignitaries arriving and the introduction of Hitler by Baldur von Schirach. Hitler addresses the Youth, describing in militaristic terms how they must harden themselves and prepare for sacrifice. All present, including General Werner von Blomberg, assemble for a military pass and review, featuring Wehrmacht cavalry and armored vehicles.
That night Hitler delivers a speech to low-ranking party officials by torchlight, marking the first year since the Nazis took power and declaring that the party and state are one entity.
Day 4:
The fourth day is the film’s climax, containing the most memorable images. Hitler, flanked by Heinrich Himmler and Viktor Lutze, walks through a long wide expanse with over 150,000 SA and SS troops at attention, to lay a wreath at First World War memorial.
Hitler then reviews the parading SA and SS men, and then he and Lutze deliver a speech about the Night of the Long Knives purge of the SA. Lutze reaffirms the SA’s loyalty to the regime, and Hitler absolves the SA of any crimes committed by Ernst Röhm.
New party flags are consecrated by letting them touch the Blutfahne and, after final parade in front of the Nuremberg Frauenkirche, Hitler delivers his closing speech. He reaffirms the primacy of the Nazi Party: “All loyal Germans will become National Socialists. Only the best National Socialists are party comrades!”
Hess then leads the crowd in a final Sieg Heil salute for Hitler, marking the close of the congress. The crowd sings the Horst-Wessel-Lied as the camera focuses on the giant Swastika banner. The image fades into silhouetted men in Nazi party uniforms, marching in formation, singing the lyrics “Comrades shot by the Red Front and the Reactionaries march in spirit together in our columns.”
