BILD
LENI RIEFENSTAHL
BIOGRAPHIE
1926 - DER HEILIGE BERG



Production: UFA
Script and Direction: Dr. Arnold Fanck
Camera: Sepp Allgeier, Albert Benitz, Helmar Lerski, Kurt Neubert, Hans Schneeberger
Music: Edmund Reisch
Actors: Leni Riefenstahl, Luis Trenker, Friedach Richard, Friedrich Schneider, Hannes Schneider
Length: 3,1OO m
First performance:
15 December 1926 (November 1926 in Austria)

Pictures on the film »DER HEILIGE BERG« you will find
here.



1927 - DER GROSSE SPRUNG



Production: UFA
Script and Direction: Dr. Arnold Fanck
Camera: Sepp Allgeier, Richard Angst, Albert Benitz, Charles Metain, Kurt Neubert, Hans Schneeberger
Music: Werner R. Heymann
Actors: Leni Riefenstahl, Luis Trenker, Hans Schneeberger, Paul Graetz
Length: 2,931 m
First performance: 20 December 1927

Pictures on the film »DER GROSSE SPRUNG« you will find here.




1928 - DAS SCHICKSAL DERER VON HABSBURG



Production: Leofilm, Essemfilm
Direction: Rudolf Raffé
Script: Max Ferner
Camera: Marius Holdt
Actors: Erna Morena, Fritz Spira, Leni Riefenstahl, Maly Debschaft, Alfons Fryland, Franz Kammauf
Length: circa 2,400 m
First performance: 16 November 1928

The only reason why Leni Riefenstahl is acting in this film is that for the first time she was offered a role. Furthermore, that year Dr. Arnold Fanck (the film was produced in 1928) did shoot at the Olympic Winter Games in St. Moritz without actors.
The film is of minor importance and is even not registered in the Lamprecht catalogue. The opening credits are from the program and partly from the director who is still alive.


Pictures on the film »DAS SCHICKSAL DERER VON HABSBURG« you will find here.



1929 - DIE WEISSE HÖLLE VOM PIZ PALÜ



Production: H. R. Sokal-Film GmbH
Script: Dr. Arnold Fanck, Ladislaus Vajda, Idea given from Fanck
Direction: Dr. Arnold Fanck, G. W. Pabst
Camera: Sepp Allgeier, Richard Angst, Hans Schneeberger
MusiC: Willy Schmidt-Gentner
Actors: Leni Riefenstahl
Length: 3,210 m
First performance: 15 November 1929

Out of the films she had not produced herself, Leni Riefenstahl appreciates that film most. A sound version had been produced of it in 1935, which is lent even today in 16 mm.


Pictures on the film »DIE WEISSE HÖLLE VOM PIZ PALÜ« you will find here.



1930 - STÜRME ÜBER DEM MONTBLANC



Production: Afa-Film AG
Script and Direction: Dr. Arnold Fanck
Camera: Sepp Allgeier, Richard Angst, Hans Schneeberger
Music: Paul Dessau
Actors: Leni Riefenstahl, Sepp Rist, Ernst Udet, Mathias Wieman, Friedrich Kayßler and others.
Length: 2,964 m
First performance: 25 December 1930

Pictures on the film »STÜRME ÜBER DEM MONTBLANC« you will find here.




1931 - DER WEISSE RAUSCH - NEUE WUNDER DES SCHNEESCHUHS



Production: Henry R. Sokal-Film GmbH Berlin ordered by AAFA-Film AG, Berlin
Script and Direction: Arnold Fanck
Camera: Richard Angst
Music: Paul Dessau (Conductor), Fritz Goldschmidt (Assistance)
Actors: Leni Riefenstahl, Hannes Schneider, Guzzi Latschner, Walter Riml, Rudi Matt, Lothar Ebersberg, Luggi Föger, Josef Gumboldt, Hans Kogler, Benno Leubner, Otto Leubner, Harald Reinl (not named)
Length: 2,565 m
First performance: 10 December 1931

Pictures on the film »DER WEISSE RAUSCH« you will find here.




1932 - DAS BLAUE LICHT Eine Legende aus dem Sarntal



Production: L.R.(=Leni Riefenstahl) - Studio-Film of Sokal-Film GmbH
Production management: Walter Traut
Script: Béla Balázs, Leni Riefenstahl
Direction: Leni Riefenstahl cooperation with Béla Balézs (not named in the trailer)
Camera: Hans Schneeberger
Music: Giuseppe Becce
Actors: Leni Riefenstahl, Mathias Wieman, Max Holzboer, Beni Führer, Martha Mair, Franz Maldacea and farmer from the Sarn valley
Length: 2,344 m
First performance: 24 March 1932

»Dr. Fanck has always made nice pictures giving the impression of a fairy tale through the backlit, the snow, the ice and the glittering and the blossoms etc., but the plot had been realistic. In addition, I felt that realistic plots required realistic pictures too. This means, that if you want to show beautiful pictures, which I liked, then you should present a plot too coming out of either a fairy-tale world or a legend or a ballad where the nice subject is a requirement. While in a usual happening where somebody rescues someone or if you are flying, I mean something realistic is happening, the sun could shine but the weather could be bad too as it might be in real life. And this feeling, that it would be good if form and content coincide, out of this wish I developed the thought that in order to be able to present such pictures I should write a ballad, a fairy tale or a legend. That was the basic idea. And that is why I wrote »Das Blaue Licht« for this legend is almost challenging to produce it in off-beat pictures.«


Pictures on the film »DAS BLAUE LICHT« you will find here.



1933 - SOS EISBERG / S.O.S. ICEBERG



Production: Deutsche Universal AG / Universal Corp. N.Y.
Script: Dr. Arnold Fanck, Fritz Loewe, Ernst Sorge, Hans Hinrich, E. Knopf, F. Wolf, Tom Reed
Direction: Dr. Arnold Fanck / Tay Garnett (G. for the American version)
Camera: Richard Angst, Hans Schneeberger, Ernst Udet, Franz Schrieck (air shots)
Music: Paul Dessau
Actors: Leni Riefenstahl, Ernst Udet, Gustav Diessl, Max Holzboer and others
Length: 2,827 m (German version)
First performance: 30 August 1933

»After the »Blauen Licht« I have worked with Dr. Fanck once more. However, this happened due to particular circumstances. Normally, I would not have done it again for »Blauen Licht« had been a great international success, and I could work now independently. In addition, after I had directed this film for I could not afford a director I have enjoyed it, and I felt that I have a certain talent for it. Therefore, I wanted to make movies if possible. I had prepared the Mademoiselle Docteur for example. The reason why I went to Greenland was that for my part, the female main part in the film SOS Eisberg, which was demanding physically a lot, Dr. Fanck did not find anybody, and the Universal wanted me. In addition, since I had to play the American version too, this had been financially interesting to me too. Then of course the chance I would not have had again to see Greenland where just a few people got to at that time. In addition, I did never ever regret it.«


Pictures on the film »SOS EISBERG« you will find here.



1933 - SIEG DES GLAUBENS

Production: Propagandaministerium, Hauptabteilung Film
Direction: Leni Riefenstahl
Production management: Arnold Raether
Technical management: R. Quaas
Camera: Sepp Allgeier, Franz Weimayr, Walter Frentz, R. Quaas, P. Tesch
Music: Herbert Windt
Length: circa 1,700 m
First performance: 01 December 1933

Documentary film about the NSDAP's 5th Reich Party Congress, which was held in Nuremberg from August 30th until September 3rd 1933.
The Propaganda Ministry through the central film hire services had lent the film. Since the end of the war, it had been impossible to get hold of a copy of it. Yet, there might be one in the archives of the former GDR or the former Soviet Union.



1935 - TRIUMPH DES WILLENS

Production: Reichsparteitagsfilm from L.R. Studio-Film
Production management: Walter Traut
Director: Leni Riefenstahl
Photographic management: Sepp Allgeier
Camera: Sepp Allgeier, Karl Altenberger, Werner Buhne, Walter Frentz, Hans Gottschalk, Werner Hundhausen, Herbert Kebelmann, Albert Kling, Franz Koch, Herbert Kutschbach, Paul Lieberenz, Richard Nickel, Walter Riml, Arthur v. Schwertfeger, Karl Vass, Franz Weimayr, Siegfried Weinmann, Karl Wellet
Special shots: Sven Noldan, Fritz Brutsch, Hans Noack
Assistants: Erna Peters, Guzzi und Otto Lantschner, Walter Prager, Wolfgang Brüning
Length: 3,109 m
First performance: 28 March 1935

Documentary film about the NSDAP's 6th Reich Party Congress in Nuremberg from September 4th until September 10th 1934





1935 - TAG DER FREIHEIT - UNSERE WEHRMACHT

Production: Reichsparteitagsfilm from L.R. Studio-Film
Direction: Leni Riefenstahl
Camera: Willi Zielke, Guzzi Lantschner and 3 more
Length: circa 800 m
First performance: December 1935

Documentary film about the Wehrmacht's manoeuvre during the NSDAP's 7th Reich Party Congress which was held in Nuremberg from September 10th till September 16th 1935.
The film had been shown in the UFA's preceding program.



1938 - OLYMPIA
Part 1: FEST DER VÖLKER




Part 2: FEST DER SCHÖNHEIT




Production: Olympia-Film GmbH
Production management: Walter Traut
Director: Leni Riefenstahl
Camera: Hans Ertl, Walter Frentz, Guzzi Lantschner, Kurt Neubert, Hans Scheib, Willi Zielke, Andor von Barsy, Wilfr. Basse, Jos. Dietze, E. Epkens, F. von Friedl, Hans Gottschalk, Richard Groschapp, W. Hameister, Wolf Hart, Hasso Hartnagel, Walter Hege, E. von der Heyden, Albert Höcht, Paul Holzki, W. Hundhausen, H. von Jaworki, H. v. Kaweczynski, H. Kebelmann, S. Ketterer, Albert Kling, Ernst Kunstmann, Leo de Laforgue, Lagorio, E. Lambertini, Otto Lantschner, Waldemar Lemke, Georg Lemki, C. A. Linke, E. Nitzschemann, Albert Schattmann, Wilhelm Schmidt, Hugo Schulze, L. Schwedler, Alfred Siegert, W. Siehm, Ernst Sorge, H. von Stwolinski, Karl Vass
Music: Herbert Winde, Walter Gronostay
Speaker of the German version: Paul Laven, Rolf Wernicke
Length: Part 1: 3,269 m
Part 2: 2,712 m
First performance: 20 April 1938

The six chief cameramen have been especially dealing with the following shots:
Ertl - underwater pictures, running competitions
Frentz - sailing regatta, marathon course (hand camera), captive balloon pictures
Lantschner - hand camera: training, travelling, gymnastics, swimming, rowing
Neubert - slow motion pictures
Scheib - mainly telephoto pictures
Zielke - prologue
The film had been produced in four versions, a German, an English, a French and an Italian one, the latter in Cinecittà.
The Federal Republic's version has been denazified and that is why it is shorter, part 1: 3,183 m, part 2: 2,710 m. It was shown in the cinemas in 1958, the 1st part under the changed title "The Gods of the stadium"; that was the name of the French version from 1938: Les Dieux du stade.



Pictures on the film »OLYMPIA I FEST DER VÖLKER« you will find here.

Pictures on the film »OLYMPIA II FEST DER SCHÖNHEIT« you will find here.



1952 - DAS BLAUE LlCHT

The new cut and sound version of the film from 1932 had been produced in Rome in 1951. Length: 1,967 m.



1954 - TIEFLAND



Production: Riefenstahl-Film GmbH
Script: Leni Riefenstahl, Harald Reinl after an opera by Eugen d'Albere
Director: Leni Riefenstahl, (not named in the trailer:) G. W. Pabst
Camera: Albert Benitz
Music: Herbert Winde
Sets: Isabella Ploberger
Actors: Leni Riefenstahl, Franz Eichberger, Bernhard Minetti, Aribert Wäscher, Maria Koppenhöfer, Luis Rainer, Frieda Richard, Karl Skramps, Max Holzboer
Length: 2,695 m
First performance: 11 February 1954

The shots for Tiefland were made with long breaks from 1940 until the end of the war. In 1953, the French confiscated the material. The sound recording and the film editing could take place first after that.

Pictures on the film »TIEFLAND« you will find here.



2002 - IMPRESSIONEN UNTER WASSER



Production: Leni Riefenstahl Produktion
Producer: Leni Riefenstahl
Length: 41 Min.
Direction: Leni Riefenstahl
Camera:
Horst Kettner
Cutter:
Leni Riefenstahl
Music:
Giorgio Moroder and Daniel Walker
World-wide distribution:
Odeon Pictures and Bavaria Film International




2003 - EIN TRAUM VON AFRIKA



Production: Odeon Pictures in co-operation with Utopia Film
Producer:
Reinhard Klooss and Ray Müller
Executive producer:
Horst Hoffmann
Production assistant:
Boris Jendreyko
Production manager:
Klaus Laudi
Archives:
Leni Riefenstahl
World-wide distribution:
Odeon Pictures and Bavaria Film International
Production time:
2000
Length: 59 Min.
Direction: Ray Müller
Camera:
Michael Teutsch, Raphael Scriba and Ulrich Jaenchen
Author:
Ray Müller
Sound:
Klaus Kolbe
Cutter:
Miroslav Perna
Music:
Wolfgang Neumann
Speaker:

Michael Brennicke







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Photos: Archives Riefenstahl

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