Compare Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will with Humphrey Jennings' Essay

Compare Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will with Humphrey Jennings' Listen to Britain' in their function as propaganda fi - Essay Example A scrutiny of these phenomena shows that most of them have resorted to propaganda to manipulate their constituencies into believing that their rules were the best for the people and the country. In the early 20th centuries, with two wars closely following each other, both the Allied and Axis Powers resorted to propaganda to persuade the world and their constituencies to their positions. The ubiquitous use of propaganda was closely associated with Hitler and the Nazi Party, but Great Britain was not excepted as it also dabbled in propaganda produced by a film outfit attached to one of its agencies to help in the war efforts. Two brilliant examples of wartime propaganda are Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph of Will, which was released a little before WWII, and Humphrey Jenning’s Listen to Britain. These two documentaries can be differentiated by their artistic approaches and perspectives: one presented a stunningly visual, technically revolutionary film with intense and graphica lly powerful scenes whilst the other projected a laidback style with sequences that lingered more on leisurely activities rather than the frenzy that usually accompany war. Propaganda: Definition Propaganda, which comes from the Latin word ‘propaganda,’ literally means ‘to sow’. ... Jowett et al defines it as â€Å"the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behaviour to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist.†1 As a powerful tool to shape public perception, propaganda had been used in the various periods of history to persuade the public to support politicians and governments, change faith, initiate and sustain wars, campaigns and revolutions, restructure societies and justify expansionism. In ancient of Athens, propaganda was employed by Pisistrasus, who feigned victimisation to gain the support of the public, and subsequent rulers as well as philosophers. During the Middle Ages to the Age of the Enlightenment, monarchical power was advanced through favourably written history, wandering minstrels, pilgrims and legal philosophers. Propaganda became prevalent and took a modern form during the French Revolution where committees were established by the revolutionaries to handle the different aspects of propaganda. French revolutionists employed the strategy naming of official enemies of the people to consolidate public perception, encourage revenge and compensate inadequacies. This technique was later adopted by Hitler with the Jews and Lenin against the Kulaks.2 A Comparative Analysis: Triumph of the Will by Leni Riefenstahl and Listen to Britain by Humphrey Jennings Triumph of the Will by Leni Riefenstahl and Listen to Britain by Humphrey Jennings are two documentary films that have each earned a reputation as well-crafted propaganda for their respective countries. The first was released in 1934 in Germany prior to World War II at the time the Nazi Party was gaining popularity and was used to portray a