Cinema and women are among the most interesting topics nowadays. Cinema and women are the dominant subject of modern feminism within many sub-agendas such as the exploitation, career, and commercialization of women.
So, who comes to mind when it comes to women in cinema history, who faced many criticisms and censorship?
Female Director: Helene Bertha Amalie Riefenstahl
The artist, whose real name is Helene Bertha Amalie Riefenstahl, was born on August 22, 1902, in Berlin. She loved reading, painting, and dancing as a child. When she decided to become a dancer, she received comprehensive training in both traditional Russian ballet and modern dance. In 1920, she began to perform her promising dances in different countries. However, in 1924, her injury prevented her from continuing her career as she wished. Her performance in the role of a dancer girl introduced her to the cinema as an amateur actor in “Wege zu Kraft und Schönheit.” Her friendship with the famous producer and director Arnold Fanck also offered her an important turning point in her life.
Her friendship with Fanck continued with “Der Heilige Berg,” “Der Grobe Sprung,” and perhaps their most important works, “Der WeiBe vom Piz Palu” (1929). In Fanck’s films, Riefenstahl was the only woman in a team dedicated to adding the beauty and dangers of still untouched high mountains to action-packed adventure films. She not only learned to climb and ski well, but also did her best in camera usage, directing, and editing.
Riefenstahl’s first film
By 1932, Riefenstahl had envisioned a different type of mountain film – more romantic and mystical, with a female character played by herself and directed by herself. With these ideas in mind, she took the director’s chair for “Das Blaue Licht” (The Blue Light). The film was about a girl who lived in a cave and collected mountain crystals. Riefenstahl developed special cameras for the film and filmed in real interiors, creating a significant work.
The Blue Light was a turning point in Riefenstahl’s life. After Adolf Hitler praised it as the best film he had ever seen, doors were opened for her. After meeting Hitler at a meeting, Riefenstahl did not hide her admiration for him and eventually began making films for the Nazis, despite initially resisting their requests.
Triumph of the Will
As a result of frequently emphasizing that she wanted to make a film of passion rather than duty, in 1934, she completed “Triumph of the Will”. The film, which is the most concrete expression of Nazism praise, glorification of militarism, and Hitler’s deification on a cinematic ground, began to be referred to as a historical document and masterpiece with its astonishing visuals and shooting techniques. The film, which consists of images of the famous party congresses organized by the Nazis in Nuremberg in 1934, begins with Hitler’s entrance to the ceremony area surrounded by giant flags. The film details the sole ruler of the blessed authority with different and meticulously prepared camera angles, soldier portraits determined to turn the world into hell, and seemingly enchanted masses. Years later, Leni Riefenstahl defended herself in Cinéast magazine, saying, “I may regret making Triumph of the Will (…) But I never uttered anti-Semitic words. Nor have I written anything about it. I was never anti-Semitic and never a member of the Nazi Party. So, what is my fault? Tell me.”
After the collapse of Nazism
After World War II, a commission consisting of Americans, British, Soviets, and French banned the screening of Triumph of the Will in German and world cinemas, but following the success of Triumph of the Will which won the Golden Lion in the documentary category at the Venice Film Festival, the director decided to film the 1936 Berlin Olympics. No expense was spared for the new film financed by the Propaganda Ministry. Released in two parts in 1938 under the titles of “Festival of the People” and “Festival of Beauty,” Olympia was a perfect example of showcasing the ideology in a different dimension. Beyond being an Olympic film, the work turned into a tribute to the athletes symbolizing the “Superman,” representing the perfect beauty pursuit of the ancient Greeks, especially in sculpture, and standing as a summary of the fascists’ thoughts on aesthetics. (Riefenstahl claimed that she also included footage of African-American athlete Jesse Owens, saying that her intention was to reflect the athletes’ performance.)
Riefenstahl is a war criminal and on the blacklist
After the end of World War II and the collapse of Nazi rule, Riefenstahl was accused of being a war criminal and was tried, but was acquitted. Her documentaries were banned and she was blacklisted.
In the 1960s, under continued pressure and censorship, Riefenstahl went on a trip to Africa and came across the Nuba tribe, which she admired for their beauty. Her book, The Last of the Nuba, which was published immediately after she spent eight months living with the tribe and capturing her experiences in photographs, once again sparked criticism. The book was condemned by the art world for celebrating the beauty of the human body, much like the Nazis.
Riefenstahl’s response was simple: “I believe my documentaries that portray Nazi Germany, as well as my post-war photographs, are works of art. I never intended to make propaganda in my works.”
Continuous self-improvement throughout life.
After discovering underwater in the early 70s, she received a diving certificate at the age of 72 and started making underwater documentaries. Learning new editing technologies to create her own films, she brought her own perspective to the underwater world, proving that Riefenstahl’s aesthetic vision remained intact.