Rating: 
Summary: One of the Most Influential "Unseen" Movies Ever Made
Review: TRIUMPH OF THE WILL has long been viewed through a dual perspective: It is both reviled by many for its glorification of Hitler, and at the same time praised for the masterful work of its director, the legendary Leni Riefenstahl (who at the time of this writing is still alive...I think she's over 100 by now). The truth is, it is all of that and more - a highly memorable, fascinating experience on several levels:1. Despite the subject matter, it must be acknowledged that this film does what it was made to do marvelously well: It is a masterpiece of the art of propaganda...somethng that is practiced every day by all governments, in advertising, and in all political campaigns - but never better than this. The film does an amazing job of tapping deep into the German psyche, with scenes of Nuremburg, youth, etc., and allusions to great Germans of the past, all designed to tug at the "volkish" national sentiment, then deftly superimposed with images of Hitler. Very crafty, but no different than what we see every day in our media-saturated world. 2. As a study of the early the Nazi era, it is invaluable. Regardless of what happened in the years that followed, TRIUMPH needs to be viewed as a statement of its own era, when none of the horrors had yet happened and many around the world still referred to the Nazi regime (which was then consolidating power and trying to reach the hearts and minds of the people) as "the German renaissance". The commentary track adds a fascinating "what happened to that Nazi?" perspective. 3. This film has become unbelievably influential (possibly because it is still required viewing in film schools); it is perhaps second only to THE BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN as the most visually quoted film in hstory. Just a few examples: The closing scene in STAR WARS, "Be Prepared" from THE LION KING, and especially the entrance of Commodus into Rome from GLADIATOR are all lifted directly from visuals in TRIUMPH. Even more common is the visual "homage" that directors sometimes subtly insert, such as the woman being tossed in the air from THE BIG LEBOWSKI (remember the kid at the beginning of TRIUMPH)? The list goes on and on. One certainly does not need to sympathize with the Nazis to appreciate this film. In fact, it is precisely because of what became of them that makes this early look so fascinating. Still, I would not call this "entertainment"; rather, this is a piece to study and analyze. Recommended for any student of history, sociology, mass media, or film.
Rating:
Summary: This is a must buy for everyone, needs to be in every school
Review: This DVD (and I say DVD because I mean this specific DVD version) is priceless. The narration is super, and this is coming from someone who has studied Nazism for many years. In addition, the ability to watch it with subtitles and without the naration in order get the closest feel to watching it as a German would have, cannot be replaced. So, the commentary is excellent, the options are also excellent, the DVD is top notch. The film itself needs no introdution or description, it is what it is: amazing in its own right, even more so as a piece of history. This DVD needs to be shown to every school across America. Edit: I do have one criticism about the commentary While I liked it, it does have problems. For real students of Nazism you won't learn much from the commentary, but it is good to hear a relatively unbaised straight forward accessment of what was going on in the movie. The commentary definately ads value even for students of Nazism IMO. For people who are not in depth students of Nazism, or who have many of the common misconceptions about Nazism, his comments don't go into detial enough, and in fact he really glosses over many of the more important points, just mentioning them as assides. He goes over less important points many times(like the fact that all the people in uniforms were non-military), but there are several important points that if you "blink" you may miss, and he goes into no further detial, which could leave many people slightly confused, or drawing wrong conclusions. Overall though its still very good, and he treated the subject matter with the right degree of detachment in almost all cases, though I object to a few minor points, such as calling people "evil", which IMO has no place in any scientific or hisorical analysis, but those things were minor. This is still a great DVD for everyone, but for non-students of Nazism it really needs more detail. If using this video in a classroom setting students should be given a deeper background on Nazism first. This isn't a piece for "first time exposure" to Nazism, as a means of a learning tool. But, it (the DVD) is what it is, I don't think it was meant to be the definative history of Nazism in the first place, so for what it is, its great.
Rating: 
Summary: Do we need a 'special edition'
Review: Do we really need a special edition of this film that glorifies fascism and hate? Perhaps for the neo-nazi we do, but certainly the general public doesn't need this, the original edition is the same and will do. Its upsetting to see how much people spend to revive things like this, almost as if they dream that the 1000 Year reich will return. A chilling film, very real, a document of the nazi years. Seth J. Frantzman
Rating: 
Summary: 2 hours of stock footage
Review: I sat down to watch this movie completly objectivly. I don't let personal disagreements get in the way of appreciating good music and movies, but this was just a boring movie. It's just another propaganda film made by a beginning director. I almost turned it off after the first 15 minutes, but i decided i would give it the benefit of the doubt and sit through the entire 2 hours which ended up just being a waste of my time. I could have just watched the music video for depeche mode's 'people are people' 22 times, but then again, i would have missed out on the pudgy housewives throwing gang signs and the homoerotic scenes with Hitler's youth.
I consider myself to be a film snob, but i just don't understand this one.
Rating:
Summary: An Influential Masterpiece of Cinematic Propaganda
Review: Riefenstahl's documentary made for Adolf Hitler and the NAZI party in the early 1930's. The documentary primarily covers the Nuremburg rallies and the activities that surrounded these events. Again, this is a propaganda film and was designed to stir popular sentiment and political empathy for the infamous political party. If one understands the socio-political climate of Germany in the late 1920s and early 1930s, one can clearly see what sentiments the film seeks to evoke and hence recognize its significance and brilliant execution. For example, Germany was in a state of shambles because of the global economic depression and many Germans feared an inevitable collapse to anarchy or Bolshevism. The opening scene starts with a Wagnerian piece and shows Hitler in a plane peering down from high above the clouds as he arrives for the rally. The scene sought to reassure a worried public that The Fuhrer was omnipotent, omniscient, and was coming down from the heavens to save a troubled nation in a godlike fashion. When he arrives at the stadium, Hitler is shown walking with his SA escort out of the crowd and towards the podium instead from behind the podium to look down at the crowd; this was to instill the notion that Hitler wasn't just another Berlin bureaucrat from the old failed Weimar Republic coming to talk down to a broken people; it was done to evoke the sense that he was a man of the people for the peole: selflessly arising out of a worried crowd of fellow Germans to lead them to a better and safer future. This particular scene was so influential in film that George Lucas adapted it (and many other scenes) for the closing scene to the original Star Wars when Luke, Han, and Chewy are decorated by Lea. Other scenes of happy German blonde and blue-eyed youths or common laborers performing paramilitary/social tasks were intended to evoke a proud sense of unity, purpose, and safety amongst all true German "volk" in these troubled times. In the background, the narrative voice recites how all German women should should bear many children for the Fatherland; how men should unite for the Fatherland and not Godless Bolshevism; how youths should work to better their nation; etc., etc. The mass communication techniques of Riefenstahl and Goebbels are still used today by virtually every modern government and media firm. This film is important not only as a histiorical tool in understanding the rise of Nazism and the dynamics of facism, it is a very important landmark in the development of film, mass entertainment and mass communication in general. I strongly believe that every person who seeks to better understand their world and media see this film at least once and study it.
Rating:
Summary: An Awesome Spectacle
Review: "Triumph of the Will", shot by a woman way ahead of her time- Reifenstahl- is actual footage of Adolf Hitler and his masses of orderly followers as they put on displays of power. There is also footage of Hitler giving speeches, in which we ascertain the immediacy and contagiousness of his leadership, as well as his slight femininity (watch how he pushes his hair away from his forehead). More than a historical relic of invaluable worth, this film also captures the pure propaganda tools Hitler employed- massive banners, uniforms, swastikas, huge lines of orderly troops (most of them just out of their teens), great processions and the stern face of the demagogue himself. If you pay close attention you will notice than in a few scenes Hitler's army are marching with shovels instead of rifles. This is because Germany was still abiding by an allied ban enforced against them carrying tools of war- but how interesting that even without them, they carried forth in full formation. Of course when they did again obtain real weapons, they marched on to many victories before their ultimate military defeats. This film is truly an eye-opener of the power and charisma of Hitler and of the early reign of his Nazi forces. You don't have to like the man to see the genious and art in his propaganda and in Reifenstahls' film style.
Rating:
Summary: A Breath of Fresh Air - Absolutely Wonderful!
Review: Of all the DVD's and books I've purchased from Amazon.com, this is the only item for which I feel I must write a review. This DVD is superb! It shows how good life really was in Nazi Germany - a strong, unified, hopeful, decent society! Where the race is good, so is the place - and this film shows it. These people were not under the spell of an evil monster - they were happy with themselves, their country, and their leader who had done so much for them. Too bad Hitler isn't the leader of this once-decent-but-fast-becoming-a-filthy-multicultural-slum country! Hitler: Come back and clean up this mess!!! My only complaint about the DVD is that it does not have German subtitles.
Rating:
Summary: An Awesome Spectacle
Review: "Triumph of the Will", shot by a woman way ahead of her time- Reifenstahl- is actual footage of Adolf Hitler and his masses of orderly followers as they put on displays of power. There is also footage of Hitler giving speeches, in which we ascertain the immediacy and contagiousness of his leadership, as well as his slight femininity (watch how he pushes his hair away from his forehead). More than a historical relic of invaluable worth, this film also captures the pure propaganda tools Hitler employed- massive banners, uniforms, swastikas, huge lines of orderly troops (most of them just out of their teens), great processions and the stern face of the demagogue himself. If you pay close attention you will notice than in a few scenes Hitler's army are marching with shovels instead of rifles. This is because Germany was still abiding by an allied ban enforced against them carrying tools of war- but how interesting that even without them, they carried forth in full formation. Of course when they did again obtain real weapons, they marched on to many victories before their ultimate military defeats. This film is truly an eye-opener of the power and charisma of Hitler and of the early reign of his Nazi forces. You don't have to like the man to see the genious and art in his propaganda and in Reifenstahls' film style.
Rating:
Summary: This Special Edition is good as it gets.
Review: The Synapse DVD Special Edition surpassed all expectations. I had Triumph of the Will on video prior to obtaining this DVD and the video's visual and audio quality was poor. By contrast, this DVD is visually very crisp and sharp and the audio quality is fine The DVD appears to be produced from an excellent original film print. I've seen another DVD of TOTW produced by different company, and its quality was the same as the video version :substandard. Make sure you get the Synapse version. This Special Edition is good as it gets.
Rating:
Summary: A GREAT LOOK AT WHAT MODERN USA HAS BECOME
Review: THIS FILM GIVES A GREAT INSIDE LOOK AT HOW THE NOW MODERN USA OPERATES IN ITS POLITICS UNDER GEORGE W BUSH. WHO IS ALOMOST A CLONE OF HITLER. I RECCOMEND THIS FILM TO ANY BUSH SUPPORTER JUST FOR THEM TO SEE HOW ALIKE BUSH AND HITLER REALLY ARE.
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