Movies

Leni Riefenstahls Triumph of the Will, is not only a good example of a propaganda film but also provide insights on how the use of psychology can enhance the impact of a film. Riefenstahl, personally commissioned by Adolf Hitler to document the 1934 Nazi Party Congress in Nuremberg, films speeches given by the National Socialist German Workers Party, better known as the Nazi Party, leaders and highlights its role in the restoration of Germany as an international power. Riefenstahl present the Nazis as a reincarnation of the German military power and leadership and characterizes Hitler as the True German Leader. Released in 1935 in London and Berlin, though the film was readily recognized as a propaganda material it was still able to achieve world acclaim particularly for its technical and cinematic value. It has since been considered as one of the earliest indications of the Nazi Partys political and military objective of world dominance.

Context of Film
Germany at this time had very significant economic problems. The cost of World War I and the lack of economic opportunities because of sanctions limited the opportunity for recovery. At the same time, morale was very low. There was a stigma of being a defeated nation. This was something that the Germans were not familiar with since it had previously been able to maintain its position as a power in continental Europe. Moreover, the political conflict among its leaders was seen to be another indication of the failure government. It suggested that political leaders who were kept in power by traditional politics were not responsive to the concerns for ordinary people. Thus, Germans were desperate for stronger leadership and a more effective government so that urgent social and political concerns could be addressed.

In another film, Blitzkrieg The Rise  Fall of the Third Reich, Germany was shown to be a country suffering significant decline even before the First World War. Its subsequent defeat and the intervening years to World War II gave rise to the  Nazi Party. Through very effective political maneuverings, the Nazis were able to accumulate significant power and representation in the German parliamentary by utilizing the German publics deep sense of disenfranchisement and negative perception of traditional and institutional politics. The Nazi ideology pointed out that the prevailing ideologies of the time have all failed the German public because they have not been effective in preventing abuse and misuse of power (Columbia River Entertainment). Essentially, it sought to position itself in an almost messianic light, Hitler being the personification of its ideology.

Psychological Dimensions
In Reifenstahls film, the Nazi Party is presented as highly organized, ideologically unified and had already garnered significant public support. The reality is that it was not yet able to achieve such  a level of organization or power. For non-Germans, this seemed to imply that the country was developing a more solid leadership that could restore the country as a leading political power in Europe. However, for Germans, it had more profound implications. Based from the psychological analyses developed by Mnsterberg and Langdale, the Germans, whose military defeat was closely associated with its political mechanisms, interpreted the film as an indication of the potential of recovering martial power and expansionism (37-38). This shows that a difference in psychological context can develop varying interpretations of the film. Because the film was watched in assemblies, often sponsored by the party itself, viewers were also affected by group think. It is said the Nazi Party would motivate the crowd with the film which reinforced its presentation of the Party.

Some have also suggested that if the German people did feel so marginalized in Europe, the Nazis would have not been able to generate the appeal that it had on the countrys middle and lower social economic levels which represented majority of the countrys people. It is easy enough to imagine the having been feeling so powerless for so long, the suggestion that they can be able to be more socially and politically recognized is really tempting. It meant that people could regain not only their sense of nationhood again but also their sense of self-worth. At the same time, because it was presented in film, there was a suggestion of legitimacy and technical innovation, something that also contributed to the regard for the Nazi Party (188-189). In another sense, because the films were also considered as form of entertainment, it could be distributed more freely. More, even if one criticized it, the criticism would not be directed against the Nazi Party and may be limited to the film. This gives the Nazis a protection against its detractors while it continuously enjoys the benefits of mass media which further enhances the potential for psychological impact of the film.

Films engage the imagination, allowing viewers to transcend their individual realities that can be very oppressive or highly limiting. At the same time, when people feel powerless, the idea of gaining power even if it only by association can becomes a powerful motivator. For many of the Germans before World War II, the Nazi Party that was presented in Triumph of the Will represented a hope that the country will be able again gain its prestige. In reflections of some Germans on how they became attracted to support the Nazi Party, they said that it seemed to them that the Party was the answer to Germans lack of nationhood and prestige after years of economic, social and political decline in Europe. They also said that even when they realized that the Party was not at all what it promised itself to be and they themselves became victim to it, there was still a sense that it was the only means by which Germany could again be a world power (Columbia River Entertainment). These reflections show just how much psychological impact films can have when they are able to get empathy from viewers by echoing individual concerns, feelings and hopes. Thus, though we now know that many of the imagery in Triumph of Will were not exactly true, it still has  a great emotional and psychological impact. Something that has been even greater because we know that the film gave the Nazis the power to start World War II.