The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl

One of the side-benefits of this biography is that it's also an illuminating tutorial on film-making --this isn't one of those documentaries that could just as easily have been a book or magazine article.

A fascinating and thought provoking three hours.

Very interesting.

This is how a documentary should be. Its epic running time not only sketches an almost complete image of Riefenstahl's extraordinary life, but also asks some interesting questions whether she should be redeemed as 'the great female director in the history of cinema', instead of a propaganda-making nazi-supporter. Riefenstahl lies quite often, but the juxtaposing of images to achieve intellectual ideas countering these lies, make it the perfect entry-point in the debate.

kinda dispiriting part where she *SO BUS-TED* herself when she gets mad and then evasive upon buddy's more probing questions about her knowlwedge of the full scope of what she was involved in. Highly entertaining.

One aspect shown by this documentary is that talent and ethics do not always stand together. Another disturbing fact is, that even after half a century, we are not able to evaluate the monstrosities of the WW2 clearly.

An individual is shaped by the world in which (s)he grew up. So what to say about Riefenstahl? She is still a fascist in the ways she thinks, although she says she is not. Her work with the Nubu people is, at best, fascistic with its obsession with body and movement. She is still a fiery and dominant lady in her 90s. In a hypothetic post-WW2 Nazi-dominated world, she would be a goddess. Ray Müller's movie is a gem because it brings us as close as possible to how it feels like to be Leni.

An amazing film maker and a strong willed, talented woman -such a pity she honed her craft in the circumstances that she did.

This is a very long film, and although her post-war interest in photographing African tribesman and filming underwater are interesting, the film arguably spends too much time on these side issues. The real core of this film is to what degree people should be held culpable for who they befriend in order to gain personal advantage. It's instructive that Riefenstahl will not apologize or admit having made mistakes, and I'm left ultimately thinking that this alone should have cost her a career.

Great documentary on a fascinating woman. Her life story is very interesting, and the film is chock full of archival material. The fact that Riefenstahl herself is present in this film as a very old lady, and also tries to control everything that happens (& fights with the director) really adds an extra dimension to this documentary.