The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl
A searching documentary portrait of Leni Riefenstahl, confronting the dazzling craft and enduring moral stain of a filmmaker bound to Nazi propaganda.
Overview
A deep dive into the life of a controversial filmmaker whose work shaped Nazi propaganda.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- fascinating
- contentious
- morally unsettled
- film history study
- documentary deep dive
What critics said
Critics broadly find the documentary fascinating and significant as both an extraordinary-life portrait and an examination of artistic achievement entangled with ideological controversy, while some fault its dependence on Riefenstahl’s self-presentation.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Riefenstahl’s celebrated visual innovations are presented alongside her role as the leading film director of Nazi Germany.
Riefenstahl participates as herself, and the film was made at her instigation with reported control over interviewees.
The documentary traces Riefenstahl from dancer and actor through Nazi propaganda filmmaking and her post-1945 life.
The later chapters explore Riefenstahl’s disgrace after Germany’s defeat and her active life into her nineties.
Films like The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl, and why
The Sorrow and the Pity
biographical documentary examination of an artist whose career is inseparable from political power and moral controversy
The Last Days
archival documentary portrait of a major cultural figure shaped by authoritarian history and contested memory
Shoah
intellectually probing documentary about artistic achievement, ideological complicity, and historical responsibility
The Mystery of Picasso
complex artist biography balancing technical accomplishment against disturbing political legacy
Movie Details
- Director
- Ray Müller
- Release Date
- 1993-09-11
- Runtime
- 188 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (34)
Cast
- Leni Riefenstahl
- Walter Frentz
- Horst Kettner
- Ray Müller
- Luis Trenker
- Guzzi Lantschner
Common questions
- What is The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl about?
- A searching documentary portrait of Leni Riefenstahl, confronting the dazzling craft and enduring moral stain of a filmmaker bound to Nazi propaganda.
- What is The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl.
- What did critics think of The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl?
- Critics broadly find the documentary fascinating and significant as both an extraordinary-life portrait and an examination of artistic achievement entangled with ideological controversy, while some fault its dependence on Riefenstahl’s self-presentation.
- Which films are like The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl?
- Films with a similar feel include The Sorrow and the Pity, The Last Days, Shoah, and The Mystery of Picasso.
- How long is The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl?
- The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl runs 188 minutes.
