Early on in Andres Veiel’s documentary “Riefenstahl,” Leni Riefenstahl says that she believes the opposite of politics is art. “If you feel things intensely as an artist … you live your life so ardently, so intensely, so passionately, that there’s no room for interest in real world issues,” she says. The interviewer, to his credit, pushes back on this notion, asking her if – after everything – she still believes that art and politics have no effect on each other.
We never see the direct answer to this question. Instead, over the course of roughly two hours, we come to know a woman who is desperate to separate her art and herself from the political context in which she worked. Riefenstahl was a 1930s German filmmaker who became renowned for her prowess behind the camera, creating images of great cinematic beauty. She also is best known for making multiple Nazi propaganda films during that time period, exalting supposed Aryan physical beauty and superiority.
The film is a treasure trove of effects from Riefenstahl’s estate, things like archival footage, letters, documents, drafts of her memoirs, recordings, photographs, and so much more – all carefully maintained in order to paint a picture of the woman she wanted to be remembered as. After the war, Riefenstahl attempted to distance herself from the Third Reich, claiming to be apolitical, or that she had no idea of the horrors the Nazis committed until it was too late. Veiel’s documentary does not necessarily try to understand Riefenstahl the woman, but rather tries to understand the creation of her public persona, particularly as it relates how the message of her work and life lives on today.
Read Sammie’s full review on Rough Draft
