Much like the passage by Walter Benjamin, Triumph of the Will seeks to fetishize ideology through aesthetics. This is where Triumph of the Will differs from Night and Fog, because regardless of the content, Triumph dictates to the audience a consistently optimistic message. While Night and Fog on the other hand brings together various elements and leaves those open to interpretation, even if the agenda behind the combination of those elements (music and footage juxtaposition, subtle humor, etc.) may appear obvious. This freedom to interpret, no matter how limited it may be, suggests a sense of truth seeking to the audience, providing a deeper understanding of the subject matter than merely a gallery display of fantastic achievements.
It is true however that propaganda can also implement these techniques to gather greater depth, but Triumph of the Will had no intention of going any deeper than the surface. Ultimately it underestimated the human mind's potential to have a more developed frame of reference (although probably nobody involved had accounted for the possibility of the end of the Nazi party).
Friday, March 7, 2008
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