(Review originally written at 19 March 2005)
No matter what Leni Riefenstahl claims, this movie is just pure propaganda for the NSDAP. Seriously, if it wasn't supposed to be propaganda, the movie would had been edited in a totally different way. Everyone with common sense sees this is pure propaganda. Horrible yet beautiful propaganda.
The movie is historically important and for the WW II buffs among us because of that simply a must see. It's about the Sixth Nuremburg Party Congress, 4 years before the real beginning of WW II. What we get to see is a display of power and race supremacy. It's really impressive to see literally hundreds of thousands of different SS and SA soldiers all marching perfectly in columns while holding flags and a military march is playing. The precision and perfection is scary to see, just as it is scary to see how thousands of civilians young and old all hail Hitler. Most young girls even scream like it were actually The Beatles that were visiting. Seeing and hearing all those 'normal' hundreds of people raising their right hands greeting Hitler and his officers and soldiers was chilling to see and sends shivers down my spine. It was horrible to watch...
Yet the movie is also in a way 'beautiful' to watch. In an artistic way the movie is just simply wonderful. The camera-work but especially the editing was impressive. Only thing is that some moments drag on for too long. For instance the marches just seem to go on forever (Also proof for that this movie is purely propaganda.). Also it was nice to see some of the 'old' Germany. Of course most of it got bombed down later during WW II.
I'm sure and hope that most people these days don't agree with him but you have to admit that Hitler was one powerful political public speaker. His speeches in this movie are both impressive as terrifying to look at and listen to. He seriously puts all the other speakers to shame like Hess, Darré, Todt and Dietrich. And although he doesn't smile or show any other emotion you can tell that Hitler was enjoying every minute of it, you can tell it by his eyes.
Horrible propaganda, yet beautiful and historical important as a movie. And lets hope none of this will ever happen again.
9/10
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