The Nazi Propaganda Structure: The case of Leni Riefenstahl

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the Nazi propaganda structure system through its institutional and ideological point of view. The movie “Triumph of Will” (1935) of Leni Riefenstahl will be taken as source for this paper. The question that guides this text is to reflect about how the Nazi propaganda machine structured itself ideologically and institutionally. The hypothesis is that the Riefenstahl’s Magnum opus is one of the best examples of Nazi propaganda productions. This can be verified through two main arguments: the film’s aesthetics and its production structure. Therefore, we understand this movie was possible because an institutional apparat that allowed its production.