——It
is not easy to watch a documentary, especially for me, especially watching such a documentary full of consciousness penetration and political leaning, especially on such a bad Sunday. But I still spent a day reading "The Triumph of the Will" (hereinafter referred to as "The Will") three times. I was really moved by myself, haha.
As far as I am concerned, "Yi" is not a movie that can attract me. It is a nearly two-hour movie, and there are only four key words I have extracted: various parades, various speeches, various applause, and various close-ups. . As a documentary, it is not a very qualified documentary, and the obvious tendency makes the documentary lose its authenticity. But there is nothing wrong with Lenny Riefenstahl's statement that he is a great director. Documentaries made decades ago can achieve this effect. I think it should be the highest level at that time. Let me tell you my thoughts below.
First is the plot. I would like to say that the plot of this movie is not very good. For the past two hours, it has been repeating several similar but different scenes, as I mentioned earlier. At the beginning of the film, Hitler got off the plane, and the vehicle drove through the warmly welcoming crowd on both sides. Cries of "Long live Hitler" came and went, and for the first time the rising admiration for the figure climaxed. Countless times since then, whether it is military parades or parades, are to express people's respect for Hitler. Raising his arms and chanting "Long Live Hitler", unified and neat iconic gestures, full of anticipation and laughter, everything seems so logical, but it seems a little awkward. Countless speeches by the Führer, each time it inspires and empowers people, but there are too many long and uninteresting speeches. I don't know what they are talking about without a translator, but I can feel the emotional sublimation brought by their speeches. Maybe, this is why they are convinced by people. The sound of cheers and excited applause of "Long Live Hitler" is the most heard throughout the film from beginning to end. It's hard to imagine a documentary without commentary, but "Yi" did it. There is no explanation, just through simple and repetitive plots and people's expressions and actions to feel the hearts of the masses to Hitler and the Nazis, this is the ability. Have to admire Riefenstahl.
The second is the method. Lenny likes to use close-ups, both close-up and long-range. There are innocent little girls who refuse to be happy, there are boys who climb the stairs and look forward to it, there are children who stick out between the guards, and there are young people who are intoxicated by the corners of their mouths. These shots seem simple and ordinary, but Riefenstahl cleverly cut them and Hitler's shots together, allowing viewers to instantly feel people's love and admiration for the Führer. Take a look at the windows of every house, which are filled with Nazi flags. Every time a speech is held, there are huge crowds of people and there are also upright flags all over the place. No matter how long and boring people's speeches are, no matter who is on stage, the soldiers in the audience are always full of enthusiasm, and they are immediately quiet as the speaker speaks. Not to mention what Hitler and the others are talking about, that is, those passionate and vital expressions and movements, which are enough to make people dance with them. I think that's one of the reasons why Hitler's army was feared by the Allies back then. They were well-trained, they were heartfelt with Hitler, and they had their own most lofty beliefs, even though we don't like that belief today. But I want to say, it's better to have faith than nothing, at least that's what I think. Because of faith, there is motivation to move forward.
I don't have the capacity to comment on things like movie long takes. But looking at the movie from a layman. Although there are not so many paving and gorgeous decoration, but even such a bland record, you can feel the feelings of people at that time. It may be regarded as a kind of deformed worship, but it is an expression from the heart, which is much better than the inconsistent response of many people today. I have to say, Lenny Riefenstahl is a wizard, I don't know what she thought at the time, but I can be sure that because she also has this belief and reverence for Hitler, she can shoot such a thing. Apart from political things, it's just a movie, "Yi" has brought us a lot of inspiration.
Although Hitler is not accepted by everyone now, but he was able to have such a great influence at that time, I think it is impossible to succeed only by bewitching. To be able to do this, he is also a genius.
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