Starting with the shots from the plane where Hilter is in. Above the clouds, looking down on the land of Germany and its people, and then descending down onto Earth.
It's a 2-hour-plus film with the main objective is to plant in your mind that Hitler and his Third Reich is the biggest thing in the world and the saviour of the German people.
And if you are living in the 1930s without being used to cinema and the scale of it, or never even ever set eyes into motion pictures or movies in your life, the imageries will be embedded in your brain and you will have dreams of it in days.
It is not even subliminal unlike what the modern visual messages trying to achieve through symbolism.
I think Leni Reifenstahl (if she is the first one) have set the language in filming something in this scale involving some huge gatherings of people in a huge set. She is close to Hitler and he was smart enough to understand the POWER OF FILM and granted full access to Leni to do whatever she wants during filming to ensure the propaganda messages delivered.
And it does and still does. Even as a modern crowd, I was bought by the intimidating scale and visuals. Let alone if you're from the 1930s.
The challenges of the undertaking of this scale and weight is huge. Involving thousands of people and the head of the people. Leni basically had one take of everything.
You can't ask Hilter to stop and do a second take. You can't ask thousands of soldiers to turn back and march again infront of Hilter.
Leni had one take and thats I think is the major undertaking of doing documentary, especially if you are doing if for Hitler.
Similar shots being used in the film of Tunku Abdul Rahman Independence conference in London, his arrival back home and his ride on the official car, standing high above the crowd. Pak Hassan Abd Muthalib decrypted each shot in one of his talk 'NOTION OF THE NATION IN MALAYSIAN CINEMA' back in September in Ipoh last year, organised by Sharpened Word.
For those who can de-crypt films like that, I think you will need more to sell propaganda to them. Cheap bs stunt wont work.
Personally I think, film is the necessary tool for nation building and shaping of the minds of the people. Sadly it is under-utilised by those in power in this country, even after the government change last year.
