Changes

A brilliant artist driven by fascist ideals and selfish ambition, Leni Riefenstahl was a complex woman composed of contradictions. She was a determined woman, though not a feminist; part of Hitler’s inner circle, though politically unaware; a propagandist but not a war criminal. It has been argued that Leni Riefenstahl has feigned ignorance over the years in order to defend her propagation of the National Socialist party, most notably in her film, ''Triumph of the Will''. Riefenstahl's own words in Ray Muller's 1993 documentary, ''The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl'', contradict that argument.<ref>Ray Muller, ''The Wondeful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl''DVD (1993,New York: Kino on Video, 1998)</ref> Riefenstahl never had to feign ignorance, rather she ''chose'' ignorance as a means by which to attain her goals of artistry and adulation, and to positively promote Adolph Hitler and the National Socialist Party.