Leni: The Life and Work of Leni Riefenstahl

Steven Bach was interviewed on stage before an audience. He talked about his book Leni: The Life and Work of Leni Riefenstahl, published by Knopf. German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl is best known for her documentary films Triumph of the Will and Olympia, produced during the Nazi regime. Riefenstahl was commonly known as “Hitler’s filmmaker” and her work was used for propaganda purposes. But Leni Riefenstahl attempted to deny that she knew anything of the Holocaust during her time working with the Nazis. A short clip from Riefenstahl’s film Olympia was shown. Mr. Bach responded to questions from members of the audience.

Steven Bach teaches film studies and was formerly the head of production at United Artists. This program in the Edmund J. Safra Hall was part of the Museum’s book club, Looking Back, Facing Forward, co-sponsored by the Forward and moderated by Gabriel Sanders. close