Rating: 
Summary: Like peeling away the layers of an onion
Review: Leni Riefenstahl was 90 years old when this documentary was made and she was more active than your average 60 year-old. It begins with her scuba diving and shooting a film about the underseas. The documentary mostly takes the middle ground and Leni tells the interviewers that she was never political and shot her Nazi films because she was an artist that Germany was her country. She admits being friendly with Hitler but becomes incensed when the interviewers ask her about Goebbels. She refuses to acknowledge any kind of relationship except to say that he came on to her and she rejected him. The interviewers then read from Goebbel's diary that suggests a good friendship between the two. It's an interesting moment in the film because you realize that no matter how sharp Riefenstahl is she cannot hide the whole truth. Her best moment is when she compares her life to the lives of communist artists like Eisenstein who made pro-Soviet films. That this contradiction isn't explored more in the documentary is a shame. Riefenstahl it could be argued helped strengthen the Nazi cause which probably led to more deaths, but the same could also be said for Eisenstein who has all but escaped such scrutiny. You realize that the anger against her is less about the people who died because of her actions and more about the selective enforcement of morality in such circumstances. We're supposed to hate Hitler because of the death camps, but we don't have to hate Stalin for the death camps. Eisenstein was an idealist, but Riefenstahl was a cynic. There are some great moments from her days as an actress and director, but even more interesting is the interspersed footage of the documentarians working to make this film and getting flak from Riefenstahl the whole way. Like a typical Nazi she was trying to take over the production, complaining about how she should be shot and where. You can enjoy this film as a document of history, politics or even film heritage. If you like of those choices, you should see it.
Rating:
Summary: Like peeling away the layers of an onion
Review: Leni Riefenstahl was 90 years old when this documentary was made and she was more active than your average 60 year-old. It begins with her scuba diving and shooting a film about the underseas. The documentary mostly takes the middle ground and Leni tells the interviewers that she was never political and shot her Nazi films because she was an artist that Germany was her country. She admits being friendly with Hitler but becomes incensed when the interviewers ask her about Goebbels. She refuses to acknowledge any kind of relationship except to say that he came on to her and she rejected him. The interviewers then read from Goebbel's diary that suggests a good friendship between the two. It's an interesting moment in the film because you realize that no matter how sharp Riefenstahl is she cannot hide the whole truth. Her best moment is when she compares her life to the lives of communist artists like Eisenstein who made pro-Soviet films. That this contradiction isn't explored more in the documentary is a shame. Riefenstahl it could be argued helped strengthen the Nazi cause which probably led to more deaths, but the same could also be said for Eisenstein who has all but escaped such scrutiny. You realize that the anger against her is less about the people who died because of her actions and more about the selective enforcement of morality in such circumstances. We're supposed to hate Hitler because of the death camps, but we don't have to hate Stalin for the death camps. Eisenstein was an idealist, but Riefenstahl was a cynic. There are some great moments from her days as an actress and director, but even more interesting is the interspersed footage of the documentarians working to make this film and getting flak from Riefenstahl the whole way. Like a typical Nazi she was trying to take over the production, complaining about how she should be shot and where. You can enjoy this film as a document of history, politics or even film heritage. If you like of those choices, you should see it.
Rating: 
Summary: GET READY WORLD - HERE SHE COMES AGAIN!
Review: Leni Riefenstahl, arguably the greatest film-maker yet to fully embrace the potential of medium, suffers through moronic interviews and offers us a glimpse into the mind and development of an artistic genius. One need only view "Triumph of the Will" and "Olympia" in totality to recognize that this lady set the standard for what film can be, but rarely ever is, yet she only thought herself to be a mere craftsman. Hitchcock, Kubrick and Welles should be such craftsmen and perhaps were, but this woman was the first genius of film. To see her sit at age 91 in front of a primitive editing machine and show us how she worked is worth the price of this DVD alone. It is as if we could watch Picasso show us how he painted or Mozart show us how he composed. Forget the revisionist history about her "Nazi sympathizing"; the world fawned over her films when they initially premiered in 1935 and 1936.The French and English gave both films their highest honor and the American critics tripped over themselves in lavishing rare and incredible praise, using such adjectives as "brilliant" and "genius". It was only after Hitler's descent into evil that we accused Reisenstahl of collaboration. We conviently forgot that in the years she made those films, we, too, were applauding the great German economic recovery. What a life! A dancer in her teens, a film star in her twenties, the greatest film-maker of that or any time, a pariah to ease the guilt of the world which praised her, a chronicler of Nubian granduer in Africa and a brilliant underwater photographer in her nineties - Leni Reifenstahl lived a life that fiction couldn't create. The short-comings of the interviewer aside, this is a rare oppurtunity to observe and listen to one of the two most influential women of the 20th century, the other being Lou-Andreas Salome. (Salome was the poet Rilke's lover, she jilted the philosopher Nietzche, took pyschoanalysis under Freud and became the first female pyschoanalyst.) There is a movie being made about Leni. It will no doubt depict her a being misguided and possibly depict her as a nazi sympathizer. However, how will the movie tackle the issue of all the awards the world gave her films? Will the French, the English and the Americans who called her a genius back then also be called nazi sympathizers? And will they also be accused of not knowing better? This is a mesmirizing film about a true genius who came along at the wrong time in the wrong place. It is as simple as that.
Rating: 
Summary: Some people are just credible...
Review: Molly Ivans was asked why Donald Rumsfeld seems like such a decent, reasonable fella--even when he's discussing collateral damage or heck, just plain lying. She said "Some people are just plain credible". And so it is with Leni, to read these reviews. To her credit, Leni does not resort to the "there's enough blame to go around" strategy so popular with the current crop of business men and politicians. This is not the place to try her. At her age, she has beaten the game and then some. Her work is beautiful; her talent beyond question but what impresses me most is her arrogance. Its like having a BMW driver on your rear bumper. May I suggest, after you watch this, cap off your evening with one of the new color documentaries on WWII to see what Leni and her pals caused.
Rating:
Summary: "Nazi" film legend Riefenstahl reveals her true personality!
Review: Mueller's 1993 quasi-documentary of German film legend Leni Riefenstahl sheds new light on her controversial work and life. Having entered the film world as a young, determined actress, Riefenstahl caught the eye of Hitler after _Das Blau Licht_, a film she wrote and directed, won awards all across the European continent. It is at this point that film scholars and afficionados begin to differ, some claiming her work presents the highest of film aesthetics, while others charge her with crimes against humanity for creating Nazi propaganda. Mueller has done his homework well, presenting a balanced view of both arguments in the form of authetic film footage and documents, and interviews with the director's contemporaries. Yet Mueller succeeds in uncovering the "real" Riefenstahl through one-on-one interviews with the filmmaker, some of which end with Riefenstahl cursing at the top of her lungs in German, denying in her own special way claims that she was Hitler's mistress or that she supported the Jewish Holocaust. Any other filmmaker might have quit at this point, but Mueller charges forward into Riefenstahl's later film and photographic work, detailing her adventures with the primitive Nuba tribes of Africa in the 1960s and her dynamic underwater photography. Short of three hours, Mueller's film, _The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl_, serves not only as a permanent record of one of the world's greatest film artists, but provides entertaining access to the lively person responsible for the visual and aesthetic air of superiority surrounding the most powerful fascist dictator of all time. END
Rating:
Summary: Some people are just credible...
Review: Since Leni Riefenstahl has just turned 100, I thought it would be well worth taking a second look at her remarkable life. Undoubtably a lot of people will be doing the same with the release of her new film (her first in nearly six decades) and the recent lawsuit filed against her by gypsy holocaust survivors. Leni Riefenstahl was born in Berlin, Germany in 1902. She started off her career as a dancer, and later as an actress in silent films. She gained attention acting in mountain-adventure-type films. The ever ambitious Riefenstahl then moved into directing. When Hitler came to power, unlike many other people, Riefenstahl decided to stay in Germany and "cosy up" to Hitler and the Nazis. Although she was never a Nazi party member herself, her work was hardly apolitical as she would like us to believe. Riefenstahl made the infamous documentary/propaganda film "Triumph of the Will". This film was a record of the Nazi Nuremberg rallies of 1934. Thanks to Riefenstahl's stunning direction and camera angles, Riefenstahl managed to transform a regime of murderous fascists into benign saviors of Depression ravaged Germany. To date, this film is considered to be the greatest propaganda film ever made, its techniques having influenced countless other films. Riefenstahl followed her work with "Olympia", another stunning film, this time a record of the 1936 Berlin Olympics. This film depicted the German athletes as a superior Aryan race which Riefenstahl compares to the ancient Greeks. After World War II, Riefenstahl found herself blacklisted by the West German government and condemned by the world. Despite loudly complaining that she was no Nazi pawn, Riefenstahl found herself, until recently, unable to direct another film. Undaunted, she took up photography. She also took up waterdiving where she photographs underwater marine life. I found it fascinating and quite disturbing to listen to her account of her work for Hitler under the Third Reich. When it comes to accusations of complicity with the Nazis, her response seems to be deny, deny, deny. She claims that she knew about the Nazis' treatment of the Jews, but stayed in Germany to fight anti-semitism (which she never did). She claims that because her films have no anti-semitism in them, they are not propoganda. To me, this sounds like a pretty weak protest considering her films that glorify Nazis. Riefenstahl also claims that she was not pro-Nazi because she was not a Nazi party member. Another weak excuse. I notice too that although Riefenstahl claims to be sorry that she made her films, she then immediatly demands to know what it is she has done. The very fact that she cannot answer that question is disturbing. I found it interesting how she responds when the director, Ray Muller, catches her in a lie. She claims she was not close to Hitler and Goebbels. Then, when Ray Muller presents her with evidence to the contrary (Goebbels' diary), she goes beserk. Riefenstahl also denies using Gypsies from a local concentration camp in one of her films. This despite the fact that the evidence is indisputable. I'll be very interested in seeing how this lawsuit turns out. I was also fascinated to see how she behaves when she thinks she is off-camera. In one scene, she practically takes over directing in one shot of her in the mountains in order to assure quality. In another scene, she criticizes her colleague for not holding the camera steady while filming underwater. Riefenstahl displays a great deal of passion and, (dare I say it?), ruthlessness towards her craft. Muller doesn't forget to include her post-war career as a photographer in Africa. In this field she also excels, taking pictures of an isolated African community during a dancing ritual. Her photographs are eerily similar to some of the shots in her films. Her work in underwater photography is dazzling. I'd be very interested in seeing her new film, "Underwater Impressions" to see how that holds up with the rest of her work. Riefenstahl is undeniably a very talented artist and filmmaker. Her place in history is secure. However, her role during the Third Reich will haunt her to her grave. Those hoping to see a glorified account of Riefenstahl's life will be disappointed, but those expecting to see a detailed unbiased look at Riefenstahl could do no better than to watch this film.
Rating:
Summary: Leni Riefenstal; Filmmaker, Artist, Nazi Collaborator
Review: Since Leni Riefenstahl has just turned 100, I thought it would be well worth taking a second look at her remarkable life. Undoubtably a lot of people will be doing the same with the release of her new film (her first in nearly six decades) and the recent lawsuit filed against her by gypsy holocaust survivors. Leni Riefenstahl was born in Berlin, Germany in 1902. She started off her career as a dancer, and later as an actress in silent films. She gained attention acting in mountain-adventure-type films. The ever ambitious Riefenstahl then moved into directing. When Hitler came to power, unlike many other people, Riefenstahl decided to stay in Germany and "cosy up" to Hitler and the Nazis. Although she was never a Nazi party member herself, her work was hardly apolitical as she would like us to believe. Riefenstahl made the infamous documentary/propaganda film "Triumph of the Will". This film was a record of the Nazi Nuremberg rallies of 1934. Thanks to Riefenstahl's stunning direction and camera angles, Riefenstahl managed to transform a regime of murderous fascists into benign saviors of Depression ravaged Germany. To date, this film is considered to be the greatest propaganda film ever made, its techniques having influenced countless other films. Riefenstahl followed her work with "Olympia", another stunning film, this time a record of the 1936 Berlin Olympics. This film depicted the German athletes as a superior Aryan race which Riefenstahl compares to the ancient Greeks. After World War II, Riefenstahl found herself blacklisted by the West German government and condemned by the world. Despite loudly complaining that she was no Nazi pawn, Riefenstahl found herself, until recently, unable to direct another film. Undaunted, she took up photography. She also took up waterdiving where she photographs underwater marine life. I found it fascinating and quite disturbing to listen to her account of her work for Hitler under the Third Reich. When it comes to accusations of complicity with the Nazis, her response seems to be deny, deny, deny. She claims that she knew about the Nazis' treatment of the Jews, but stayed in Germany to fight anti-semitism (which she never did). She claims that because her films have no anti-semitism in them, they are not propoganda. To me, this sounds like a pretty weak protest considering her films that glorify Nazis. Riefenstahl also claims that she was not pro-Nazi because she was not a Nazi party member. Another weak excuse. I notice too that although Riefenstahl claims to be sorry that she made her films, she then immediatly demands to know what it is she has done. The very fact that she cannot answer that question is disturbing. I found it interesting how she responds when the director, Ray Muller, catches her in a lie. She claims she was not close to Hitler and Goebbels. Then, when Ray Muller presents her with evidence to the contrary (Goebbels' diary), she goes beserk. Riefenstahl also denies using Gypsies from a local concentration camp in one of her films. This despite the fact that the evidence is indisputable. I'll be very interested in seeing how this lawsuit turns out. I was also fascinated to see how she behaves when she thinks she is off-camera. In one scene, she practically takes over directing in one shot of her in the mountains in order to assure quality. In another scene, she criticizes her colleague for not holding the camera steady while filming underwater. Riefenstahl displays a great deal of passion and, (dare I say it?), ruthlessness towards her craft. Muller doesn't forget to include her post-war career as a photographer in Africa. In this field she also excels, taking pictures of an isolated African community during a dancing ritual. Her photographs are eerily similar to some of the shots in her films. Her work in underwater photography is dazzling. I'd be very interested in seeing her new film, "Underwater Impressions" to see how that holds up with the rest of her work. Riefenstahl is undeniably a very talented artist and filmmaker. Her place in history is secure. However, her role during the Third Reich will haunt her to her grave. Those hoping to see a glorified account of Riefenstahl's life will be disappointed, but those expecting to see a detailed unbiased look at Riefenstahl could do no better than to watch this film.
Rating:
Summary: A biographical tour de force.
Review: The film is a tour de force because it presents Leni Riefenstahl from many perspectives: actress, director, sociologist, rugged individualist, with a complete profile of each facet of her personality. It might help to have read her autobiography before seeing the film, because many questions that other reviewers appear to have had are answered. With regard to her alleged complicity in the Nazi propagand machine, it seems to this writer that she was simply a product of her times and environment. She did not question, she participated, but only as an artist can participate, never questioning the validity or morality of her deeds, only their relevancy to the story of the moment which she was dedicated to telling as professionally and as dramatically as possible. With regard to her apparent indifference to the deeper issues, I feel that in this respect she (as a German) was no different from the millions of Americans today who placidly witness some of the more routine elements of national missile diplomacy on their TVs or in their newspapers and then, uncritically, change the channel or turn the page, never reflecting on the ruthless brutality or moral bankruptcy of such policies or the inevitable retaliatory consequences which will visit our own nation at a much later date.
Rating:
Summary: Satan's Mistress
Review: This film is a perfect introduction to the controversial life and work of a master filmmaker. What will strike the viewer most is the elusiveness of Riefenstahl herself. Was she Hitler's lover? Perhaps not. But there are few easy answers here. And that's the point. How can one not admire her talent, her devotion to her craft, and her ability to revolutionize the industry. Still, the ugly aspects of her life, particularly her support of Hitler that lasted until the end of WWII, cannot be ignored. Muller's engrossing film leaves the viewer asking themselves "What would I have done in her place?" "Wonderful Horrible" gets under your skin. A must buy for WWII buffs and anyone who is interested in the power of media and the conscience of an artist.
Rating:
Summary: wonderful horrrible woman
Review: This film is an incredible testament to the life and artistry of an early feminist filmmaker, Leni Riefenstahl. What is remarkable about this film, is Riefenstahl's description of the PROCESS of her filmmaking creativity: how she edits, how she discovered certain principles of filmmaking, etc. Her denial of her complicity in the Nazi regime is disturbing. Research has shown that she DID use concentration camp inmates as extras in her films. She denies this in the film, but the evidence is incontrovertible. In any case, this is a fascinating film that tells as much about Riefenstahl as it does about the filmmaker. Highly recommended to anyone interested in ethnographic film, documentary film, German filmmaking and German history.
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