Posted on 04/22/2011 8:03:14 AM PDT by Olympiad Fisherman
Robert von Dassanowsky, the director of Film Studies at the University of Colorado, acutely noticed back in 2001 that James Cameron's epic movie Titanic is based on the German mountain films that Riefenstahl starred in. Although largely ignoring Riefenstahl's compromised relationship with the Nazis, von Dassanowsky makes a compelling case that Cameron's Titanic is a German mountain film set upon the sea ice of the North Atlantic.
Von Dassanowsky even went so far to strongly suggest that the heroine in the Titanic, Rose, is actually based on Riefenstahl's personal character. He then intimates that Cameron may have indeed directed the Titanic to show how Riefenstahl's untamed feminism eventually overcame her compromised relationship with the chauvinism of the Nazis, represented by her dictatorial fiancé on the ship, whom she never married. In the end, Riefenstahl, like Rose, redeemed herself from the dictatorial Nazi regime.
Even more startling, Cameron also borrowed from Nazi Germany's own version of the Titanic made in 1943. In the Nazi version, the hero of the story is a German officer who ...
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
The article (link inside the article) that Von Dassanowsky writes is quite an extensive article and is very compelling indeed as the author says.
You would have a much harder time substantiating that claim than the one presented in the article.
Please see post 59 - thanks!
I think Cameron has a political obsession with this broad tradition. In addition, as a well-rounded film maker, he doubtlessly has deep knowledge of Riefenstahl's work.
Maybe I miss the point, but I think it's saying too much to specifically say that Cameron is obsessed with Riefenstahl. They have some things in common. That doesn't mean he's obsessed with her.
“Riefenstahl was an amazingly influential director. The entire direction of cinema was influenced greatly by her, as it was Georges Méliès or KKK-sympathetic D.W. Griffith.”
Or Eisenstein for that matter. This may be a little off subject, but I’ve always found it curious how Riefenstahl and Griffith walk around in our memories with the mark of Cain for their propaganda in support of Nazis and clansmen, respectively, whereas Eisenstein gets off scott free for doing the same for commies. I realize leftist or at least marginally liberal academics and journalists control what gets thrown down the memory hole. But it seems like something more’s at play; I don’t know what.
Yes, but these other movies you mention were not laden with strong environmental themes. It is one thing to borrow advanced techniques, quite another to be in full agreement philosophically, spiritually.
The author is not breaking Godwin’s law because he is not making an analogy. You may disagree with his conclusions, but the author spends a lot of time talking about history with many links that would take a long time for people to sort through, read, and think about (and chew some cud). By the way, hippies certainly loved the VW van in their day, didn’t they?
So, a director recognizes and is influenced by Leni Riefenstahl. He won’t be the first and certainly not the last. She was tremendously inventive and influential in cinematography.
This plays a large role in the continuing fascination with the Nazi era. They were masters of propaganda, and recognized that compelling visual beauty furthered their objectives. From graphic design to fashion design to industrial design to photography, music and movies, they utilized it all and did so with masters of their craft.
That it remains compelling to view is part of the horror, knowing what all the beauty was selling, the putrescent monster lying just beneath the surface. That does not negate the readily apparent skill and the ability of those individuals responsible, however.
This includes Leni Riefenstahl.
“We got to the moon because of a ‘Nazi.’”
Or did we? Actually, the so-called “moon landing” was faked by a 14 year-old James Cameron on a specially designed studio lot in the middle of the Nevada desert. Young Steven Spielberg and George Lucas helped.
The point of the article is not that Cameron borrows ideas from others per se. Everyone does and there is nothing wrong with that, and there is no question that Cameron is a film genius. The problem is that his belief system is caught up in an international environmental fascism which many viewers are consuming in his movies without thinking about what this is really all about. His movies are propaganda tools - not merely entertainment. His genius is that he has managed to do both at the same time - much like Riefensthal herself.
Very well said!
Excuse me while I slink off and hide.
Maybe true, but due to my inexcusable gaff upthread, I really need to just hide for a while...
Don’t worry - I know the argument is a hard sell, but I believe the connections are deep.
Every musical/opera Andrew Lloyd-Webber has written steals liberally from Puccini.
The only thing I have expressed a disagreement about on this thread is the statement from the poster that said that Leni Riefenstahl had no influence on Titanic because of the reason that Titanic was nothing like Triumph of the Will.
That is apples and oranges. As I pointed out, it was Riefenstahl's bergfilmes that were compared to Titanic.
As far as Hitler is concerned, I pointed out that it is impossible for an imperfect human to be 100% evil, 100% of the time, even if he specifically tried to accomplish such a task. Eventually, the imperfect human makes a mistake, as all humans do, and produces something good. Godwin’s Law is funny but it has no bearing to the real world.
Thanks for the clarification. Yes, you are right that Van Dassanowsky talks about the Berg film apart from the Nazis, but the point of this article is that they are by no means so neatly seperated. It is doubtful that he knows very much at all about the green connections to the Nazi movement, and if even he did, he would not have mentioned it anyway because this would guarantee that his review would be either ignored or condemned.
Thanks!
No, that’s an excerpt of a remake of Forrest Gump, called Forrest Colin Powell.
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