Identifying Techniques of Persuasion in Riefenstahl's "Triumph of the Will"

Identifying Techniques of Persuasion in "Triumph of the Will" 

I was totally unprepared for what I was about to view...I expected another documentary on the Nazi regime, but was surprised to find a marketing/PR-type film...propaganda footage, no doubt used to persuade people to join and/or support the efforts of the Nazi regime. I found myself jotting what could only be described as streams of consciousness (notes and questions)...

The images of Hitler as a rock star type leader...a demi god...pharaoh...savior...reminiscent in some ways of footage used to show the impact of entertainers (Elvis, the Beatles, Michael Jackson), but more recently, the negative slant thrown towards Obama as a "rock star" typeWhat makes people so enthralled by politicians, military leaders and organizers? What makes a follower become a zealot?A side issue - Were Mercedes Benz sales affected by German occupation/Nazi regime following WWII? Did Nazis get revenue from car sales that were used during the war?Are there any similarities between Nazi training and gang intitiations?


The recruitment and initiation of child soldiers in Africa? The mafia?What is the correlation between the symbolism of the eagle for Nazis vs. its meaning in America? Which US leaders or citizens were members of the Nazi Party?What is being said in the speeches - Goebbels and Hitler in particular are of interest to me?What is the pledge being recited in the scene where some soldiers are holding shovels? Why are they holding shovels as if they were weapons of war?Why was it okay for their flags to touch the ground?What is happening in the night time scenes?It's interesting that one of the only times Hitler is shown smiling is at the youth rally. What does he say in his address to the youth?How did the Nazi salute originate? 


Connections to Media Literacy
http://www.medialit.org/pdf/mlk/02_5KQ_ClassroomGuide.pdf 


My streams of consciousness led me to make some connections to Center for Media Literacy materials I'd used in my Critical Media course at Young Women's Leadership Charter School. In viewing the film, I began to look for Techniques of Persuasion, subliminal advertising and other tricks of the media industry that often go unnoticed by the average person. There was definitely an intentional selection of the songs for the soundtrack and an obvious focus on images that highlighted family, machismo, nature, celebrity and friendship - 5 of the 10 strategies in the "techniques of persuasion." Also at the forefront of my mind were the 5 core concepts that CML operates with:

1. All media messages are ‘constructed.’
2. Media messages are constructed using a creative language with its own rules.
3. Different people experience the same media message differently.
4. Media have embedded values and points of view.
5. Most media messages are organized to gain profit and/or power.

(originally written in August 2008)