Leni Riefenstahl nació en Berlín el 22 de agosto de 1902. Falleció a los 101 años, en 2003. Rompió en sus 101 años de vida infinidad de esquemas y aportó al cine multitud de experiencias innovadoras que es necesario destacarlas por su brillantez a pesar de su vinculación y colaboración durante una década con la ideología nazi y su cúpula de poder.
De muy joven inició su carrera como bailarina. Una lesión de menisco la alejó temporalmente de la escena. En 1924 se puso en contacto con el Dr. Arnold Fank, tras ver una película suya sobre los Alpes dolomitas. Con Fank, además de protagonizar varias películas, entre ellas El Monte Sagrado, colaboró durante muchos años y aprendió a manejar la cámara.
La película de Eisenstein El acorazado Potemkin, le hizo decidir su vida dedicándola al cine. Poco a poco, arriesgando su persona en escenas difíciles y su dinero en la producción de films, labró una reputación con la que estuvo a punto de llegar a Hollywood.
Pero no quiso limitarse a la subordinación de ser actriz: en 1932 dirigió su primera película, La luz azul, filme situado en los Alpes, que tras ser premiada en la Mostra Venecia, la lanzó a la fama internacional. Ella interpretaba el papel principal. Hitler, poco antes de llegar al poder, el 30 de enero de 1933, quiso conocerla y le fue presentada.
Mientras otros cineastas se expatriaban, como Fritz Lang y Robert Wiene, Leni, gracias al doctor Goebbels, se convirtió en «la cineasta número uno del nuevo régimen». Hitler causó gran impacto en la actriz y directora, que aceptó la dirección de dos documentales sobre el congreso del partido, La victoria de la fe (1933) y El triunfo de la voluntad (1936). Esta obtuvo el Premio Nacional de Cinematografía, la medalla de oro en la Bienal de Venecia, y medalla de oro también en la Exposición Universal de Paris en 1937.
Para acallar las críticas de algunos generales de Hitler por la gran confianza que el Führer tenía hacia ella, filmó un corto sobre la Wermacht. En ese tiempo viajó por España para rodar los exteriores de Tierra Baja, que acabaría aparcada por falta de financiación.
Con Olimpíada, una epopeya sobre los Juegos Olímpicos de Berlín de 1936, obtuvo no solamente el gran reconocimiento del gobierno y pueblo nazi, sino que además fue premiada con gran éxito de público y crítica con un León de Oro en el Festival de Venecia. Olimpíada se estrenó el día del cumpleaños de Hitler en sesión privada, en dos partes Fiesta de los pueblos y Fiesta de la belleza.
Leni Riefenstahl tuvo a su disposición todo tipo de recursos, tanto económicos como técnicos, en momentos en que la restricción económica afectaba al resto de los cineastas.
Mientas tanto, siguió con el rodaje de Tierra Baja, para la cual, construyó en Alemania una aldea de estilo español. La contratación como extras de un grupo de gitanos le llevó posteriormente a ser acusada de haberlos sacado de un campo de concentración y de haberlos utilizado como esclavos.
Debido a los constantes bombardeos sobre Berlín se trasladó a Kitzbühel (Austria), donde depositó todo el material de sus películas, incluida Tierra Baja de la que tan sólo faltaba el trabajo de sincronización y montaje.
Tras el final de guerra, fue detenida e interrogada por el ejército norteamericano. Le fue confiscada la casa y todas sus posesiones, ente ellas las copias de sus películas. Leni se defendió siempre de sus acusaciones de nazismo diciendo que había pecado de ingenua pero no de mala voluntad. Como tantos miles de alemanes de aquella época, negó conocer el exterminio que estaba sucediendo en su país. No obstante, nunca lo lamentó.
Tras ser liberada por los norteamericanos, una guarnición francesa en El Tirol, la volvió a detener. Más tarde se le confiscaron todos los bienes, incluyendo el material fotográfico. Vivió varios meses en la miseria y su matrimonio fracasó. Se le recluyó durante tres meses en un manicomio, en el que se le aplicó electroshock para «desnazificarla»
En varios juicios sucesivos, a instancias norteamericanas y francesas, salió con veredicto favorable, que reconocía su no-implicación ni en el partido ni en ninguna otra de sus ramificaciones y que su relación con Hitler y su partido era estrictamente profesional. Tras un última apelación la calificaron solamente como simpatizante (no perteneciente) del partido nazi.
Tras varios años de pleitos consiguió recuperar parte de sus pertenencias, sobre todo sus rollo de película. Veinte años después de haber sido empezada, terminó el montaje y estrenó Tierra Baja.
Viajó por África, donde quedó prendada por unas fotografías de los atléticos cuerpos de «Los Nuba». Se obsesionó con la idea de filmarlos, y a pesar de los peligros y los consejos en contra (tenía ya 60 años), partió para el sur de Sudán en las más adversas circunstancias.
Las fotografías y filmaciones de «Los Nuba» dieron la vuelta al mundo. Para lograrlas se integró en las costumbres de la tribu y aprendió su lengua. Con su colaborador y cámara, Horst Kettner, en 1968, se adentró en territorios desconocidos y filmó a varias tribus que nunca habían tenido contacto con el mundo de occidente.
Su culto al cuerpo en forma de imágenes fotográficas y filmadas, sirvió a sus críticos para indicar sus evocaciones de la ideología nazi. En la última etapa de su vida profesional, prefirió eliminar de sus imágenes al ser humano. Desde mediados de los años setenta comenzó a fotografiar arrecifes de coral, un tema que incluso le permitió filmar una última película, ya absolutamente vaciada de contenido, Impresiones bajo el agua, que realizó con 97 años y presentó en el 2000, ya con 100 años. Aprendió submarinismo a los 72 años y con más de 90 siguió lanzándose en paracaídas.
Falleció a los 101 años, en 2003.
Leni Riefenstahl was born in Berlin on August 22, 1902. She died at 101 years, in 2003. Broke into its 101 years of life myriad of schemes and contributed to the cinema crowd of innovative experiments that need highlighted by her brilliance despite their engagement and collaboration for a decade with the Nazi ideology and its dome of power.
From a very young age she began her career as a dancer. An injury to the meniscus temporarily left the scene. In 1924 she contacted Dr. Arnold Fank, after seeing a movie on his own the Alps dolomites. With Fank, in addition to several films starring, among them El Monte Sagrado, worked for many years and learned to handle the camera. Eisenstein's film The Battleship Potemkin, made her decide her life devoted to the cinema. Little by little, putting her in difficult scenes and money in the production of films, built up a reputation with which she was about to come to Hollywood.
But she did not want to be limited to the subordination of being an actress: in 1932 directed her first film, light blue, film located in the Alps, which after being awarded at the Venice Mostra, launched to the international fame. She played the lead role. Hitler, shortly before coming to power on January 30, 1933, and she wanted to know it was filed. While other filmmakers are expatriates, as Fritz Lang and Robert Wiene, Leni, thanks to Dr. Goebbels, became " the filmmaker number a new regime. " Hitler caused great impact on the actress and director, who accepted the leadership of two documentaries on the party congress, Victory of Faith (1933) and the triumph of the will (1936). This won the National Film Award, the gold medal at the Venice Biennale, and also gold medal at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1937.
To quell criticism from some general Hitler for the great confidence that the Führer had towards her, a short film on the Wermacht. At that time he traveled to Spain to film the outside of Low Earth, which eventually parked for lack of funding. With Olympiad, a saga about the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936, won not only the great appreciation of the Nazi government and people, but also was rewarded with great public and critical success with a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Olympiad was unveiled on the day of Hitler's birthday at a private meeting in two parts Feast of the Feast of the people and beauty.
Leni Riefenstahl had at its disposal all sorts of resources, both financial and technical, at a time when the economic restrictions affecting the rest of the filmmakers. While, therefore, continued with the shooting of Low Land, which built a village in Germany Spanish style. The hiring an extra charge of a group of Gypsies led her later to be accused of having benefited from a concentration camp and they have been used as slaves.
Due to the constant bombardment on Berlin moved to Kitzbühel (Austria), where she deposited the material of his films, including Low Earth from which only the lack of synchronization and assembly work.
In the aftermath of war, she was arrested and interrogated by the U.S. military. She was seized the house and all their possessions, among them copies of their movies. Leni was always defended their accusations of Nazism, saying that she had sinned of naive but not ill will. Like so many thousands of Germans of that time, she denied knowing the extermination was happening in her country. However, she never regretted it.
After being liberated by the Americans, a French garrison in the Tyrol, the re-arrest. She was later confiscated all property, including photographic material. She lived several months in misery and her marriage failed. She was detained for three months in a mental hospital, where she applied for electroshock " desnazificarla " In several subsequent trials, at the American and French, left with a favorable verdict, which acknowledged its non-involvement in either the party or any another of its ramifications, and that his relationship with Hitler and her party was strictly business. After a final appeal the rated only as a sympathizer (outside) of the Nazi party.
After several years of litigation to recover some of their belongings, especially your roll of film. Twenty years after it was started, ended the assembly and premiered Low Earth. He traveled to Africa, where it was turned on for a few photographs of the athletic bodies of " The Nuba. " Was obsessed with the idea of filming, and despite the dangers and against the advice (she was already 60 years), departed for southern Sudan in the most adverse circumstances. The photographs and filming of " The Nuba " gave back to world. To achieve integrated into the customs of the tribe and learned their language. With his collaborator and camera, Horst Kettner, in 1968, entered into unknown territory and filmed several tribes who had never had contact with the western world.
Her cult of the body in the form of photographs and filmed, she served her critics to show their evocations of Nazi ideology. In the last stage of her life, chose to remove their images to humans. Since the mid-seventies began photographing coral reefs, an issue which even allowed her to film a movie, and totally emptied of contents, Impressions under water, which conducted 97 years and introduced in 2000, already 100 years . She learned to scuba diving 72 years and over 90 rushing followed by parachute. She died at 101 years, in 2003.
From a very young age she began her career as a dancer. An injury to the meniscus temporarily left the scene. In 1924 she contacted Dr. Arnold Fank, after seeing a movie on his own the Alps dolomites. With Fank, in addition to several films starring, among them El Monte Sagrado, worked for many years and learned to handle the camera. Eisenstein's film The Battleship Potemkin, made her decide her life devoted to the cinema. Little by little, putting her in difficult scenes and money in the production of films, built up a reputation with which she was about to come to Hollywood.
But she did not want to be limited to the subordination of being an actress: in 1932 directed her first film, light blue, film located in the Alps, which after being awarded at the Venice Mostra, launched to the international fame. She played the lead role. Hitler, shortly before coming to power on January 30, 1933, and she wanted to know it was filed. While other filmmakers are expatriates, as Fritz Lang and Robert Wiene, Leni, thanks to Dr. Goebbels, became " the filmmaker number a new regime. " Hitler caused great impact on the actress and director, who accepted the leadership of two documentaries on the party congress, Victory of Faith (1933) and the triumph of the will (1936). This won the National Film Award, the gold medal at the Venice Biennale, and also gold medal at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1937.
To quell criticism from some general Hitler for the great confidence that the Führer had towards her, a short film on the Wermacht. At that time he traveled to Spain to film the outside of Low Earth, which eventually parked for lack of funding. With Olympiad, a saga about the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936, won not only the great appreciation of the Nazi government and people, but also was rewarded with great public and critical success with a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Olympiad was unveiled on the day of Hitler's birthday at a private meeting in two parts Feast of the Feast of the people and beauty.
Leni Riefenstahl had at its disposal all sorts of resources, both financial and technical, at a time when the economic restrictions affecting the rest of the filmmakers. While, therefore, continued with the shooting of Low Land, which built a village in Germany Spanish style. The hiring an extra charge of a group of Gypsies led her later to be accused of having benefited from a concentration camp and they have been used as slaves.
Due to the constant bombardment on Berlin moved to Kitzbühel (Austria), where she deposited the material of his films, including Low Earth from which only the lack of synchronization and assembly work.
In the aftermath of war, she was arrested and interrogated by the U.S. military. She was seized the house and all their possessions, among them copies of their movies. Leni was always defended their accusations of Nazism, saying that she had sinned of naive but not ill will. Like so many thousands of Germans of that time, she denied knowing the extermination was happening in her country. However, she never regretted it.
After being liberated by the Americans, a French garrison in the Tyrol, the re-arrest. She was later confiscated all property, including photographic material. She lived several months in misery and her marriage failed. She was detained for three months in a mental hospital, where she applied for electroshock " desnazificarla " In several subsequent trials, at the American and French, left with a favorable verdict, which acknowledged its non-involvement in either the party or any another of its ramifications, and that his relationship with Hitler and her party was strictly business. After a final appeal the rated only as a sympathizer (outside) of the Nazi party.
After several years of litigation to recover some of their belongings, especially your roll of film. Twenty years after it was started, ended the assembly and premiered Low Earth. He traveled to Africa, where it was turned on for a few photographs of the athletic bodies of " The Nuba. " Was obsessed with the idea of filming, and despite the dangers and against the advice (she was already 60 years), departed for southern Sudan in the most adverse circumstances. The photographs and filming of " The Nuba " gave back to world. To achieve integrated into the customs of the tribe and learned their language. With his collaborator and camera, Horst Kettner, in 1968, entered into unknown territory and filmed several tribes who had never had contact with the western world.
Her cult of the body in the form of photographs and filmed, she served her critics to show their evocations of Nazi ideology. In the last stage of her life, chose to remove their images to humans. Since the mid-seventies began photographing coral reefs, an issue which even allowed her to film a movie, and totally emptied of contents, Impressions under water, which conducted 97 years and introduced in 2000, already 100 years . She learned to scuba diving 72 years and over 90 rushing followed by parachute. She died at 101 years, in 2003.
