Triumph of the Will, although a chore to get through, was a very informative and thought provoking film. After watching actual Nazi propaganda, it really shows just how powerful Hitler was and the influence that this propaganda had on the German people then. More importantly, it makes you think about what propaganda we are being fed today and if we even realize the influence it has on us.
We have all been taught about the Holocaust and read about how influential Hitler was and how charismatic he was as a speaker having the ability to keep the attention of hundreds of thousands of people but this was the first time I have ever seen actual footage of him speaking. I was amazed every single time the film cut to a high angle shot of the gigantic masses of people crowding the streets and venues. An entire city came out just to hear one man speak. The masses of people were larger than my imagination had always pictured them so that was the first thing about the movie that stuck out to me.
When I left class my thoughts were about propaganda. These German people so blindly followed an evil genius on his quest to take over the world because they were so easily influenced. Are we that easily influenced? The unfortunate answer is most likely yes. We are constantly influenced by propaganda. Its what makes us buy the clothes we wear, the shampoo we use, and the food we eat. All the advertisements we are bombarded with on a daily basis are just propaganda trying to influence us to but that company's product.
Overall, the movie was rough at times and enjoyable is not the word I would use to describe watching it, but it is was a good wake up call to be aware of what influences you and to keep yourself in check.
-brad
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