~Cat Crowley
Sunday, April 10, 2011
The Hitler Image: Constructed and Captured
Reading The Hitler Myth and watching The Triumph of the Will provides a very intriguing juxtaposition when trying to understand the role of Hitler's image and the effectiveness of his propaganda. Kershaw delves into the psychological, social, and political elements that allowed Hitler's personality cult to build while Riefensthal actually captures it in action. When Kershaw describes how many followed Hitler with such devotion because he promised and at times seemed to deliver a united German front, we actually see it on film in a sea of flags, in the smiling eager faces of young people, and the unbelievable mass of crowds that gathered to watch him speak. On page 84 Kershaw discusses how the Church and moderate parties and the lower middle class became drawn to Nazism because it represented itself as a 'Movement' of 'unity and renewal'. In the film, many of Hitler's speeches reference the Movement repeatedly, stressing its importance, and the idea that German-ness is now an ideal that somehow transcends 'class' or 'caste'. How could these people listen to his fierce speeches and not have some faith in Hitler as their hope for unity and peace? Additionally the book and film address the fact that Hitler became linked to a heroic image of a political leader that had long-existed in the tradition of the German people. Kershaw states that Goebbel's exploited and, himself, believed in this image. Riefensthal shows us this view of Hitler with the clips of the medieval town of Nuremberg and the parades of people dressed in national costumes/uniforms, all while Hitler surveys and addresses them with a seeming tenderness and pride. It's so fascinating that even though Kershaw can convey the strategies and effects of Hitler's image in all its multitudes, here is a film, a piece of propaganda in itself, that highlights these aspects in motion, reminding us that they are grounded in that time, in that reality.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I feel like the image of a united front and the nationalist attitude you discuss is really the centerpiece for Hitler's popularity, at least after he comes to power. In Triumph of the Will there is not a single reference to the Jews, or the Bolshevik threat and instead one line is repeated ad nauseum about a unified Germany of good young German men and women who will bring Germany back to its former glory with and only with the leadership of the Fuhrer. That one message must have been the centerpiece of the Hitler myth as Kershaw calls it in order for it to be the only message given out in the many speeches at Nuremburg.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I noticed in the film however, was the rarity of Hitler's smile and the sharp frown, which dominated his face for a good part of the film. Of course sternness must have been seen as an important quality in a leader, but one would think that at a celebration of that turnout would give Hitler a reason to smile more.
While I agree that Kershaw's interpretation of why people were interested in and followed Hitler is not in complete agreement with the single simple message of the film, I feel that Kershaw to a great extent uses the terms unity and renewal to mean exactly what Hitler expresses in the film. of the glory and power of a strong new popular movement that embraces all of its followers and which will succeed due to their belief and love for the Fuhrer.