Show Notes
Leni Riefenstahl was one of the most important directors of the 20th century. She pioneered several filmmaking techniques and forever influenced how sports and action are filmed on camera. But she was also a Nazi. Or was she? After the war, Riefenstahl spent the rest of her very long life defending her work and denying any involvement with the Nazi Party...sometimes in the face of very real evidence to refute her claims. So what's the truth? Listen to this episode to hear the full story.
Warning: this episode talks about the Holocaust, bigotry, and stigmatization of mental illness.
This episode was re-recorded for this release. The original version aired on Grab Bag Collab in May 2025. Stephanie Weber researched, wrote, recorded, and edited the episode. Brock Alter did all of the artwork. Follow us on social media to see clips and stills from the films discussed in this episode.
SOURCES:
Connolly, Kate. Gypsies’ Fate Haunts Film Muse of Hitler. August 18, 2002. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/aug/18/artsandhumanities.germany
Connolly, Kate. “Film suggests Nazis’ lead propagandist had role in 1939 massacre.” The Guardian. August 28, 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2024/aug/28/film-suggests-nazis-propagandist-leni-riefenstahl-had-role-in-1939-massacre
“Just What Did Leni Riefenstahl’s Lens See?” New York Times. March 13, 1994. Accessed via https://writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/Holocaust/maslin.html on May 1, 2025.
Indiana, Gary. “Leni Riefenstahl.” Art Forum. https://www.artforum.com/columns/leni-riefenstahl-168029/
Muller, Ray. The Wonderful Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl. (1993)
Prose, Francine. “Leni Riefenstahl: On a Nazi Filmmaker”. The Yale Review. October 1, 2018. https://yalereview.org/article/leni-riefenstahl
Riefenstahl, Leni. “The Blue Light”. (1932).
Riefenstahl, Leni. “Olympia Part One: The Festival of Nationals” (1938).
Riefenstahl, Leni. “Olympia Part Two: Festival of Beauty” (1938).
Veiel, Andres. Riefenstahl. (2024)
Zajc, Melita. A cruel game by Hitler’s Favourite Filmmaker Exposed. Modern Times Review. February 20, 2022. https://www.moderntimes.review/a-cruel-game-by-hitlers-favourite-filmmaker-exposed/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Directora
Why are there so many pregnancy horror films? And horror films where motherhood is made horrific by an evil child? I wanted to delve into domestic horror and why we've seen so many pregnancy horror films in recent years. Actress and producer Deborah Lee Smith joined me to talk about pregnancy fears - both in film and in real life - and the ways that these are reflected in movies. This was a GREAT conversation as we talked about all things pregnancy and motherhood as they relate to horror. I learned some things about reproductive healthcare that I didn't know! Listen to hear more.
For the month of October, Directora is all things women in horror - including talking to directors of cool new horror films! We talked to director Alison-Eve Hammersley about her new found footage horror film Erie. She talked about the process of making the film, what inspired it, and trends in horror that she would love to see more of. Erie is currently doing the festival circuit, so check it out if it is coming to a film festival near you!
Have you ever noticed that there are a lot of films featuring lesbian vampires? Or gay vampires in general? Where did that come from, and what films depict gay vampires best? This was a GREAT episode. There is a ten-minute history of vampires in film up top, followed by a hilarious and informative conversation with content creator and film lover Butch Noir. This is definitely one to listen to!
The 7th film for our 31-for-31 challenge this month, in which we watch a horror film directed by a woman for every day in October, is 1983's A Night to Dismember directed by Doris Wishman. It's a fascinating, low-budget, indie film for a lot of reasons: there are multiple versions, she did everything herself, and Wishman was best known for directing nudie films.
The Musical is a hilarious dark comedy in theaters now. The film stars Will Brill, Rob Lowe, and Gillian Jacobs. When middle school drama teacher Doug (Brill) gets his heart broken by fellow teacher Abigail (Jacobs), he gets petty revenge by writing and directing his students in an outrageous musical. Director Giselle Bonilla talks about the wild making of the film. This is a must-listen for any indie filmmaker out there! Bonilla's movie went through the ringer to get made, and it was well worth it. This film is hilarious! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.