History Creator / LeniRiefenstahl

* DroitDuSeigneur: In ''Tiefland'' (an adaptation of a 1903 opera of the same name): Don Sebastian, marquis de Roccabruna and a landowner, is set to marry a rich woman but does not want to let go of his mistress, the dancer Martha. He contrives to arrange a marriage between Martha and Pedro, one of his shepherds, and set Pedro up as a miller in a mill close to the castle, calculating that Pedro will not dare to resist him having Martha as his mistress because Pedro is dependent on Don Sebastian. On Pedro's and Martha's wedding night, Don Sebastian turns up at the mill in order to force himself on Martha, who however has come to loathe Don Sebastian. Pedro, who now understands Don Sebastian's true intentions, comes to her aid and in the ensuing struggle eventually strangles Don Sebastian.

* ''Der Sieg des Glaubens'' (''The Victory of the Faith'', 1933), documentary about a Nazi party rally following their taking of power in 1933.

* She's played by Creator/CariceVanHouten in ''Race'' (2016), which is about the story of Jesse Owens during the Berlin Olympic Games.

Her most well known directorial efforts were documentaries counting among the most visually striking and influential {{propaganda|machine}} pieces ever filmed. How influential? Ask Creator/GeorgeLucas, who took some cues from her when filming ''[[Film/ANewHope Star Wars]]''.

Her most well known directorial efforts were documentaries counting among the most visually striking and influential {{propaganda|machine}} pieces ever filmed. How influential? Ask Creator/GeorgeLucas. No, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB7kxCJwVAc seriously]].

* ''Der Sieg des Glaubens'' (''The Victory of Faith'', 1933), documentary about a Nazi party rally following their taking of power in 1933.

* [[index]]''[[Film/TriumphOfTheWill Triumph des Willens]]''[[/index]] (''Triumph of the Will'',1935), documentary about the 1934 Nazi Party congress in Nuremberg

* [[index]]''Film/{{Olympia}}''[[/index]] (1938), documentary about the 1936 UsefulNotes/OlympicGames of Berlin.

* ''[[Film/TriumphOfTheWill Triumph des Willens]]'' (''Triumph of the Will'',1935), documentary about the 1934 Nazi Party congress in Nuremberg

* ''Film/{{Olympia}}'' (1938), documentary about the 1936 UsefulNotes/OlympicGames of Berlin.

* DirectedByCastMember: She had acting parts in ''Das blaue Licht'' and ''Tiefland''.

* ''Impressionen unter Wasser'' (''Impressions under Water'', 2002), documentary about [[NatureDocumentary seabed life]].

She was arrested by the Allies at the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, but classified as "fellow traveler" / "Nazi sympathiser" only and was not associated with the regime's war crimes and crimes against humanity. She was nonetheless prohibited from directing again and focused on photography instead. She had a particular interest in [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuba_peoples the Nuba peoples]] of UsefulNotes/{{Sudan}} and underwater photography (she started underwater diving in her 70s and practiced it well into her 90s, no less). She passed away a few days after her 101st birthday in 2003.

* ''Das blaue Licht'' (''The Blue Light'', 1932)

* ''Tag der Freiheit: Unsere Wehrmacht'' (''Day of Freedom: Our Wehrmacht'', about the [[UsefulNotes/NazisWithGnarlyWeapons German army]].

* DirectedByCastMember: She had acting parts in ''Das blaue Licht'' and ''Tiefland''.

Her most (in)famous directorial efforts were ''Film/TriumphOfTheWill'' (''Triumph des Willens'', about Nazi party rallies in Nuremberg, 1935), ''Film/{{Olympia}}'' (about the 1936 UsefulNotes/OlympicGames of Berlin) and ''Tag der Freiheit: Unsere Wehrmacht'' (''Day of Freedom: Our Armed Forces'', about the [[UsefulNotes/NazisWithGnarlyWeapons German army]], 1935), documentaries counting among the most visually striking and influential {{propaganda|machine}} pieces ever filmed. How influential? Ask Creator/GeorgeLucas. No, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB7kxCJwVAc seriously]].

* Helene Winter, from the video game ''VideoGame/WolfensteinIITheNewColossus'' (2017), is [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed pretty obviously based on her]]. She's a prominent film director in the [[GodwinsLawOfTimeTravel Nazi-controlled world]] of the game's AlternateTimeline, making propaganda movies such as ''America: The New Order''. She also serves as Hitler's favorite film instructor and [[BeleagueredAssistant reluctant caretaker]].

* Helene Winter, from the video game ''VideoGame/WolfensteinIITheNewColossus'' (2017), is pretty obviously based on her. She's a prominent film director in the [[GodwinsLawOfTimeTravel Nazi-controlled world]] of the game's AlternateTimeline, making propaganda movies such as ''America: The New Order''. She also serves as Hitler's favorite film instructor and [[BeleagueredAssistant reluctant caretaker]].

* BannedInChina: Aside from the obvious ban on her Nazi propaganda works in modern Germany outside of educational purposes on the dangers of the ideology, her very first film of that kind, ''Sieg des Glaubens'' (''Victory of the Faith'') was banned in 1934 by the Nazi leadership itself. The reason for this was the prominent role the SA [[note]]the infamous "Brown Shirts", paramilitary units of the Nazi party during its political ascent[[/note]] had in it. The SA was purged of its leadership during the Night of the Long Knives in June 1934 and the organization's role was considerably reduced, so works showing them prominently (and their leader Ernst Röhm [[note]]who was executed during the purge[[/note]] especially) were not welcome anymore. All copies were believed to have been destroyed but one survived.

Her most (in)famous directorial efforts were ''Film/TriumphOfTheWill'' (''Triumph des Willens'', about Nazi party rallies in Nuremberg, 1935), ''Olympia'' (about the 1936 UsefulNotes/OlympicGames of Berlin) and ''Tag der Freiheit: Unsere Wehrmacht'' (''Day of Freedom: Our Armed Forces'', about the [[UsefulNotes/NazisWithGnarlyWeapons German army]], 1935), documentaries counting among the most visually striking and influential {{propaganda|machine}} pieces ever filmed. How influential? Ask Creator/GeorgeLucas. No, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB7kxCJwVAc seriously]].

* Her film merits are discussed between characters in ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'' (2009). And, again, a film she played in, ''The White Hell of Pitz Palu'' (''Die weisse Hölle vom Piz Palü''), is mentioned a lot and [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/inglouriousbasterds/images/b/bf/The_white_hell_of_Piz_Palu_Le_Gamaar_poster.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130919204215 the poster on which she appears]] can be seen.

* BannedInChina: Aside from the obvious ban on her Nazi propaganda works in modern Germany outside of educational purposes on the dangers of the ideology, her very first film of that kind, ''Sieg des Glaubens'' (''Victory of the Faith'') was banned in 1934 by the Nazi leadership itself. The reason for this was the prominent role the SA [[note]]the infamous "Brown Shirts", paramilitary units of the Nazi party during its political ascent[[/note]] had in it. The SA was purged of its leadership during the Night of the Long Knives in June 1934 and the organization's role was considerably reduced, so works showing them prominently (and their leader Ernst Röhm [[note]]who was executed during the purge[[/note]] especially) were not welcome anymore. All copies were believed to have been destroyed but one survived.

* HitlerCam: One of the {{Trope Maker}}s.

* Her film merits are discussed between characters in ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'' (2009). And, again, a film she played in, ''The White Hell of Pitz Palu'' (''Die weisse Hölle vom Piz Palü''), is mentioned a lot.

* BannedInChina: Aside from the obvious ban on her Nazi propaganda works in modern Germany outside of educational purposes on the dangers of the ideology, her very first film of that kind, ''Sieg des Glaubens'' (''Victory of the Faith'') was banned in 1934 by the Nazi leadership itself. The reason for this was the prominent role the SA [[note]]the infamous "Brown Shirts", paramilitary units of the Nazi party during its political ascent[[/note]] had in it. The SA was purged of its leadership during the Night of the Long Knives in June 1934 and the organization's role was considerably reduced, so a work showing them prominently (and their leader Ernst Röhm [[note]]who was executed during the purge[[/note]] especially) was not welcome anymore. All copies were believed to have been destroyed but one survived.

* Helene Winter, from the video game ''VideoGame/WolfensteinIITheNewColossus'' (2017), is pretty obviously based on her. She's a prominent film director in the [[GodwinsLawOfTimeTravel Nazi-controlled world]] of the game's AlternateTimeline, making propaganda movies such as ''America: The New Order''. She also serves as Hitler's favorite film instructor, and [[BeleagueredAssistant reluctant caretaker]].

* Her film merits are discussed between characters in ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'' (2009).

Leni's life and relationship with the Nazi regime, with UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler in particular, remain subject of controversy up to this day, controversial enough for people like Creator/JodieFoster and Creator/StevenSoderbergh to back down on biopic projects about her.