User Reviews

The Sandra Maischberger interview of Leni Riefenstahl – was the worst interview I've ever seen. In fact – it was more of an interrogation than an interview.

To put Ms. Maischberger's interview into perspective – the Pope interviewing Martin Luther fifty years after the Protestant Reformation would have conducted his interview in a more compassionate and impartial manner than Ms. Maischberger.

As case-in-point and standing in stark contrast to Ms. Maischberger's interview technique is Larry King. I love Larry King as an interviewer – whose Golden Rule is: "Listen." Ms. Maischberger failed to listen or to build upon Ms. Riefenstahl's responses but chose instead to fire a series of disjointed questions at the then 100 year Leni Riefenstahl – attempting to crucify her for her alleged affiliation with Hitler and the Nazi party rather than having delved into the genius who was a pioneer in early German film making - - and who has influenced the movie making style of such greats as George Lucas.

For example – a piece of information I gleaned from this video – which unfortunately was not a part of Ms. Maischberger's interview - was the fact that Ms. Riefenstahl always lighted her male and female actors' faces differently. What other fascinating tidbits of information might we have mined from Ms. Riefenstahl's genius had Ms. Maischberger chosen to not waste this fabulous opportunity? As a parallel – we don't all have to agree with Richard Wagner's politics in order to enjoy his music - - and we all don't have to agree with Ms. Riefenstahl's (alleged) politics in order to enjoy her cinematic genius.

In summary – this was a wasted opportunity of a grand scale.

Speaking as a long-time scholar of Leni Riefenstahl, I must admit, this interview --- was one of the best I have yet to see. Maischberger treats Riefenstahl with the respect she deserves, asking interesting and thought-provoking questions. Despite the many inconsistencies in her stories (she even contradicted herself throughout the interview; lies 'til the end!), Frau Riefenstahl holds her own against the more difficult questions. For example, in response to a question about Riefenstahl's impression of Hitler, she first states that she was part of a large crowd of people who were all captive under his spell. After this, she refers only to this "large group of people", thus removing herself from the picture so as not to self-incriminate. She is crafty!

Art is an expression of the artist. This is especially true in the case of Leni Riefenstahl, as her driving inner force was to create art and capture beauty. Thus, as active viewers we have not only the right, but the responsibility to know certain things about the artist whose work we are viewing.

Leni Riefenstahl was responsible for the greatest propaganda film ever created. It was created for the Nazis, who murdered 11 million people. She answered directly to Adolf Hitler, with whom she was quite close for many years. That relationship, and Riefenstahl's involvement in the successful glorification of both Hitler and the Nazi party, must be questioned. Furthermore, the fact that Riefenstahl has blatantly lied IN THE FACE OF HARD EVIDENCE should lend her to more rigorous questioning.

Maischberger was as successful as she could have been given Riefenstahl's history of violent outbursts in response to things she does not want to discuss. (For instance, her temper-tantrum after Ray Muller, in his film The Wonderful Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl, showed her the copies of Joseph Geobbel's private diary entries that directly contradicted what she had just told Muller. I would posit that a rigid, intelligent, high-ranking Nazi officer would not lie in his own diary about the comparatively trivial things Riefenstahl claims are false.)

A surprisingly uncritical Sandra Maischberger lends a sympathetic (adoring?) ear to Leni Riefenstahl, who half a century later still things she did nothing wrong as an outstanding film director of Hitlers achievements during the war. If you want to remember what happened, listen to the horrible words that comes out of her mouth. What ever happened to Maischbergers journalistic background? Unfortunately, it doesn't show here.

The film shows in detail how an enormous talent was misused to show the supposedly superiority of the white race. Although LR in the last years of her life started taking photos in Africa, her views on racial separation remains apparent. Only her underwater photos lets you forget for a few moments, that her reputation remains that of Hitlers campaign maker.

Got this interview as part of one of Leni's - of whom I am a great admirer - film DVD's "White Hell of Pitz Palu". There is no doubt Leni Riefenstahl has been treated badly and unfairly but Sandra's interview seemed a good one that brought the truth (that Leni was no politician or a 'Susan Sontagg 'Fascist' (everyone who was not a collectivist was a "Fascist" to Susan)).

Got the impression Ms Riefenstahl enjoyed the interview.

How I wish we who admire her had a chance to tell her we understood what unspeakable crap her defamers spake and how obvious their motives.

I sometimes think good Jewish men and women have to work doubly hard to overcome the base acts of Zionism.

HBH