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Leni Riefenstahl, 'Five Lives' - my latest aquisition - a few comments

Karim Ghantous , Aug 02, 2004; 07:12 a.m.

I was given this book today. I haven't really looked at it carefully yet but here are some observations and thoughts.

It's a big, heavy book, approx. 27cm wide by 34cm high when closed. It's about 3.5cm thick.

The book consists mostly of photos by and of Riefenstahl and stills from her films. Most of it is b&w while there's a colour section at the end with pics from her work with the Nuba tribe and her very nice underwater pics.

What strikes me the most in terms of production values is that the b&w reproductions are done on uncoated (that is, not glossy) paper while the colour stuff is all glossy.

This is not a bad thing I suppose. The images seem to be reproduced faithfully enough as far as I can tell. However the tonal values in some images seem lacking in range. A book of this calibre should not fall short in this department.

However the paper is nice and it's stitched. And overall the book has a nice feel to it while it's being carried. Its appearance is nice, too.

Layout is classy while not trying too hard to be 'hip'. The editor collaborated with Riefenstahl on the book. The bulk of the book consists of images: there is introductory text at the beginning and there are brief notes to each image at the back. Also included is a list of her films with a summary of their plots.

Don't expect anything close to a detailed biography here. It's a photo book - pages are not numbered and images are not captioned.

It's a tri-lingual book but the notes in the back are all English (for the edition I bought anyway).

'Five Lives' worth having but it depends on what you're willing to pay and how much you appreciate Leni Riefenstahl.

Large photo attachment:
( -- 1102 x 511 photo)

Responses


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Helen Bach , Aug 02, 2004; 07:39 a.m.

"However the paper is nice and it's stitched. And overall the book has a nice feel to it while it's being carried. Its appearance is nice, too."

Hitler would be so proud, so glad that people still appreciate Leni Riefenstahl's work, such as Triumph of the Will.

You don't have any problems with the fact that she created Nazi propaganda? That Triumph of the Will, which you select for iconic inclusion, was Nazi propaganda?

Best, Helen

Per-Christian Nilssen , Aug 02, 2004; 07:51 a.m.

Please don't let us start another Nazi/Riefenstahl debate now. This has been debated on several threads earlier.

Paul Neuthaler , Aug 02, 2004; 08:22 a.m.

Karim, do you think you're ready to quit your day job & become a book reviewer?

Another Bob , Aug 02, 2004; 09:51 a.m.

Helen, a work of art can be appreciated on many different levels. For instance, the Deerhunter is a pack of lies and slanders about the Vietnamese, probably one of the most dishonest films ever made, and yet it is still a masterpiece that never fails to move me deeply whenever I watch it. Art works beyond its merely political dimensions, although I would be the last to say that it is apolitical. That said, I haven't seen Triumph of the Will, so I don't know whether I'd appreciate it or not.

Another Bob , Aug 02, 2004; 09:51 a.m.

Helen, a work of art can be appreciated on many different levels. For instance, the Deerhunter is a pack of lies and slanders about the Vietnamese, probably one of the most dishonest films ever made, and yet it is still a masterpiece that never fails to move me deeply whenever I watch it. Art works beyond its merely political dimensions, although I would be the last to say that it is apolitical. That said, I haven't seen Triumph of the Will, so I don't know whether I'd appreciate it or not.

Joel Matherson , Aug 02, 2004; 10:31 a.m.

"However the tonal values in some images seem lacking in range"

I find this a bizare critisism due to the fact of the age of her work and the fim emulsions and paper available at that time, unless you want them doctored and not a real representation of her work.

Vic . , Aug 02, 2004; 10:34 a.m.

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0078CL

Frank Mechelhoff , Aug 02, 2004; 10:39 a.m.

Great book.. I gave it away to a good friend, and considered instantly to buy a 2nd..

Alas, politics... Remember photographer Helmut Newton, who has to immigrate from Nazi-Germany as a jew, was a good friend of Leni Riefenstahl...

We appreciate her art since she was a great actress, movie maker, photograph, not as a political person. The allied denazification tribune found out that Riefenstahl wasn't member of *any* political group or Nazi-organisation. Because she did that propaganda-film for Hitler she was famed as a Nazi in post-war Germany for 50 years, didn't get any engagement yet (in opposite to others) because of this one terrible film at a time 4 years before the war when 95% of all Germans were pro-Hitler. It took half a century for the people here to understand that 80 years of an artist was more then "Triumph of the will", which is after all a brillant made film appealing two issues: peace and work, which turned out totally wrong afterwards. This film shows what people (42.7% in Jan.1933) moved to vote for Hitler. History shows how they were mislead. The last one responsible for that crime and tragedy are artists.

just my 2c, Frank (Germany)

Thats a great book.

David Fink , Aug 02, 2004; 10:41 a.m.

As has been exhaustively discussed over the years, "Triumph of the Will" is a visual masterpiece, despite its sinister political context. Interesting, too, how its emotional impact remains undiminished, though transformed from "triumphant" to "chilling".

Perhaps inevitably, Riefenstahl's post-war reputation as a still photographer has suffered greatly from her Nazi-connected past. Some of her African work is outstanding, and deserves to be considered on its own merits.


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