| There is a truth that she misrepresented her involvement, as she is mentioned in Goebbel's diaries (which were meticulous), as an ally. But I would like to know the exact-quotes, and go with my own judgements. Surely, she made public-statements supporting the Nazis--as did millions. As a director, she probably should have just left Germany, but it's well-known that to be an artist under the Nazis was to be a captive, and hostages will frequently tell their captors whatever they want to hear. Jurgen Trimborn's new book is said to end the case, though I doubt it. Still, I'd like to read it. None of this changes the cinematic achiements of Tiefland, Olympiad, or Triumph of the Will, they are jaw-dropping in their futurism. It's funny, Riefenstahl thought Foster wasn't attractive enough to play her. She wanted Sharon Stone. Perhaps opening her personal archives could help? The German government might have documents that could truly end the debate, I wager. It's still questionable how much of a fellow traveller she was, though I don't think she was entirely innocent. It's all like the debate over D.W. Griffith--no real honest assessments of the merits of the work, but fortunately most film studies professors will tell you the truth. |