This 1993 documentary covers the life of Leni Riefenstahl, detailing not only her involvement in the propaganda of WWII, but also attempts to understand her as an artist without the bias of history. It is in a combination of German and English – my copy does not attempt to dub over the German interviews, but does not allow me to turn off the English subtitles or play the narration in German.
It is likely true that Leni Riefenstahl is most known today for directing Triumph des Willens, a well known propaganda film. She gave several interviews throughout the rest of her life trying to disassociate from the Nazi party and the projects she did on Hitler’s behalf. It is beyond likely that these projects stunted her artistic career for decades. Before the war, she was also a talented actress, learning new skills for her roles which often broke gender stereotypes.
This film would be fitting in a history course/unit as well as one on film history. Riefenstahl often discusses the art of her camera angles, which would be particularly interesting for students interested in the art of film.
The beginning of part two shows a seemingly-nude man (he may be partially covered) carrying the Olympic torch. It is prefaced by a close up of the man holding the torch. The nudity is not visible until he begins running and it is a very brief scene, but the man later does track and field nearly nude as well. About an hour later, there are images of bodies at the concentration camps. There is some nudity not long after, associated with her travels to Africa. Some of this tribal nudity is very focused upon and the context is sexualized.