Leni Riefenstahl

A Life

Jurgen Trimborn

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English

North Point Press
15 February 2008

Individual film directors, film-makers; Biography; Biography: arts & entertainment

Dancer, actress, mountaineer, and director Leni Riefenstahl's uncompromising will and audacious talent for self-promotion appeared unmatched--until 1932, when she introduced herself to her future protector and patron: Adolf Hitler. Known internationally for two of the films she made for him, Triumph of the Will and Olympia, Riefenstahl's demanding and obsessive style introduced unusual angles, new approaches to tracking shots, and highly symbolic montages. Despite her lifelong claim to be an apolitical artist, Riefenstahl's monumental and nationalistic vision of Germany's traditions and landscape served to idealize the cause of one of the world's most violent and racist regimes.

Riefenstahl ardently cast herself as a passionate young director who caved to the pressure to serve an all-powerful Führer, so focused on reinventing the cinema that she didn't recognize the goals of the Third Reich until too late. Jürgen Trimborn's revelatory biography celebrates this charismatic and adventurous woman who lived to 101, while also taking on the myths surrounding her. With refreshing distance and detailed research, Trimborn presents the story of a stubborn and intimidating filmmaker who refused to be held accountable for her role in the Holocaust but continued to inspire countless photographers and filmmakers with her artistry.

By: Jurgen Trimborn
Imprint: North Point Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 210mm, Width: 140mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 513g
ISBN: 9780865479760
ISBN 10: 0865479763
Pages: 368
Publication Date: 15 February 2008
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Jurgen Trimborn, born in 1971, is a professor of film, theater, and art history at the University of Cologne and serves as a consultant on films of the Third Reich for the German and American film industry. He lives and writes in Cologne and east Belgium.

Reviews for Leni Riefenstahl: A Life

Attacked by Susan Sontag but extolled by Andy Warhol, the world's most controversial filmmaker continues to be the subject of critical analysis. David Luhrssen, Shepherd Express