Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/08/23

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Subject: [Leica] Riefenstahl ...apolitical alternate view
From: mlpowell at sbcglobal.net (Matthew Powell)
Date: Mon Aug 23 23:28:41 2004
References: <20040823234207.EXAJ1635.simmts5-srv.bellnexxia.net@straylight>

On Aug 23, 2004, at 6:43 PM, Greg Locke wrote:
> Would we not all jump at the chance of such an opportunity?

If my government wanted an honest, even critical work, yes.

If my government wanted an adoring portrait of its actions - the 
internment of Arab-Americans or HUAC hearings or aiding Latin American 
death squads, no.

If my government wanted a loving portrayal of the Aryan people and our 
Fuehrer, hell no.

My loyalty to democracy and freedom and humanity itself trumps any 
notion of country.

> Remember, liberals, socialist, conservatives and neo-Nazis all love 
> their
> country equally ...they just don't agree on how it should be run.
>
> Riefenstahl was a brilliant artist wrapped up in the German 
> nationalism and
> cultural change of the 30's who took advantage of an opportunity to 
> make a
> film about the country she loved.

Triumph of the Will and the Olympiad weren't about Germany. These 
weren't filmic versions of August Sander's work, they were propaganda 
specifically created to proselytize Nazi ideology and praise Hitler 
himself.

If Riefenstahl had shown any hesitation, any opposition to the Nazi 
regime, but was forced to go along with it simply to continue to 
survive, that would be one thing. She never did.

> ....no different than Michael Moore's left of centre (by American 
> standards)
> film about his country and whoever the right of centre film makers 
> (which
> seem to be Fox TV and CNN I'm told) are doing.
>
> Different time, different place, same story.

This requires us to equate Michael Moore's left-liberalism or Bill 
O'Reilly's quasi-libertarian conservatism with Nazism. That's precisely 
where it's different. There's a chasm the size of the Grand Canyon 
between promoting an ideology that espouses hatred, racism, warped 
nationalism and ultimately wholesale slaughter - and praising or 
condemning the Bush Administration.

> Greg Locke
> St. John's, Newfoundland
> http://blog.greglocke.com


In reply to: Message from locke at straylight.ca (Greg Locke) ([Leica] Riefenstahl ...apolitical alternate view)