Leni Riefenstahl-Five Lives: A Biography in Pictures (Photobook) [Hardcover]

Ines Walk (Author), TASCHEN (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Photobook | Publication Date: March 15, 2001

One remarkable woman, five remarkable careers: Leni Riefenstahl is the exception to the rule. From dancer to actress to film-maker to photographer to diver, she has excelled in each field and is one of the most important and controversial artists of the 20th century. Her contributions to the art and technique of film-making were vast, most notably in her epochal film "Olympia" (1938). Critically acclaimed during the 1930's for her work under the Hitler administration and harshly criticized after the war, Riefenstahl surged on, completing the famous "Tiefland" in 1954. In the 1960s and 70s she traveled to Africa and extensively photographed East Africa and the Nuba tribes in Sudan, publishing three books. Ready for yet another change, she took up deep-sea diving at the age of 71, beginning a new chapter as an underwater photographer.

Though she has attracted much attention throughout her life and has been the subject of many books, articles, and films, Leni Riefenstahl Five Lives is the first book to showcase her entire career in pictures. Produced in collaboration with Riefenstahl herself, the book includes her most famous images as well as many previously unpublished pictures from her private archives. The main body of the book features photographs (without text) spanning Riefenstahl's entire set of careers, with pictures of her on stage as a dancer and on the set as an actress and film-maker, as well as film stills and her own photographs (precise commentaries about the pictures can be found in the comprehensive appendix). The illustrated biography, international bibliography, and detailed filmography complement the illustrative section with extensive information about her personaland professional lives. Fans and critics alike will be impressed with this sweeping visual tribute.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Leni Riefenstahl: Five Lives traces the fascinating and controversial life and work of the famous German photographer-filmmaker. Riefenstahl started her creative career as an aspiring dancer in the 1920s in Germany and then became a movie actress. She starred in a number of films, taking challenging roles that were sometimes dangerous and physically rigorous, such as the ice-bound and skiing roles in Storm over Mont Blanc, The White Flame, and SOS Iceberg. These outdoor films foretold the spirit of adventure that later guided Riefenstahl's photography career.

The crux of controversy that overshadows Riefenstahl's career is her handpicked appointment by Adolf Hitler to direct the infamous Nazi party rally film Triumph of the Will. Although, according to her memoirs, Riefenstahl tried to withdraw from the film, she created a work that depicted Hitler's plane descending from the clouds as if it carried a god, and she has been accused "of having significantly increased, by means of this film, the emotional bond of the Germans to Hitler." Riefenstahl then went on to direct the German film Olympia covering the 1936 Olympics. With WWII came great change and Riefenstahl's eventual imprisonment by the French. In her later years, she continued her photography career by documenting her trips to Africa and getting her scuba license in her 70s. Her close-up underwater pictures of sea life float like a dream in vivid color. For as damning as her association with the Nazis is, Riefenstahl is a complex and talented artist. This book is full of remarkable images of her acting and directorial career as well as her still photography, and it includes a detailed biography of her life and career--complete with family and personal pictures. --J.P. Cohen

From Library Journal

Produced in collaboration with the artist, now 98, the latest in Taschen's oversized photographers' series showcases Riefenstahl's undeniably unique life here called "lives" as a dancer, actress, photographer, filmmaker, and, most recently, deep-sea diver. Mostly, it is a collection of reproductions of stills from her films and photos from her various books (Last of the Nuba and others have been reissued by St. Martin's in recent years). Although her talent is clear and the work speaks for itself in many ways, larger questions invariably arise. She is certainly one of the most controversial figures in 20th-century arts, and it is nearly inconceivable to discuss her without also examining her connection to Hitler and her years as his favorite filmmaker. Yet the contributors here either gloss over such troubling historic issues or take the artist at her word. In this regard, the book recalls Riefenstahl's dissembling 1995 memoir, though it would best be paired in library collections with the critical biographical film The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl. Still, this is a fine, affordable choice for libraries that don't already own Riefenstahl's individual photography books. Douglas McClemont, New York
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Taschen; 1st edition (March 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3822862169
• ISBN-13: 978-3822862162
• Product Dimensions: 13.1 x 10.7 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,298,287 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps I'm being down-right mean but..., March 11, 2001

By 

K. S. Sibbald (New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Leni Riefenstahl-Five Lives: A Biography in Pictures (Photobook) (Hardcover)

... Taschen in cooperation with Leni have produced a magnificent book - there's no disputing that! I especially appreciated the large stills from Leni's early movies and thought the grainy look on matt paper an appropriate way to present them. For people who are unfamiliar with Riefenstahl's work this book serves well as a visual "Sampler" - in that purpose it is ***** (5 star). Being familiar as I am with all of Leni's photo books, I would much rather a publisher like Taschen pick up the rights and re-publish "Olympia", "The People of Kau" and "Nuba" - any of these books is a far more essential purchase than "Five Lives". Also worth reading is "Sieve of Time" - Leni Riefenstahl's memoir. The photos from "Triumph of the Will" and "Olympia" -good as they are- don't (and can't) convey the power of the movies from which they came. If you haven't seen these movies, rent or buy the videos.......oh how I'd love to see restored prints of these movies on the big screen! This book is worth buying for those unfamiliar with Riefenstahl's work...and for those wanting an overview of her work in a single volume. But to really appreciate her work......seek out her out-of-print books!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Renaissance Woman of the 20th century...., April 27, 2001

By 

[e-mail] (Denmark) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Leni Riefenstahl-Five Lives: A Biography in Pictures (Photobook) (Hardcover)

First off, I must give praise to Angelika Taschen for publishing this grand, aesthetic book featuring stills of the life and work of misunderstood renaissance-woman Leni Riefenstahl... What a bold, beautiful result it has become... Personally I would have weighted the pictures of the "Triumpf des Willens"/"Olympia" period more in favour of the later Riefenstahl works, but none the less, this is a brilliant "from the cradle to the grave" document of the amazing life and art of Leni... (Although Leni actually, to the best of my knowledge, isn't dead yet...She is approaching her 100th year of existance!....) Like Ernst Jünger, who lived to be 102 year old!, Leni Riefenstahl seem to transcend both time and history....

"How could I not admire you, for you are the genius of film and have raised it to heights seldom achieved." Jean Cocteau

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hollywood couldn't invent it, June 28, 2002

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Alan Dean Foster (prescott, az) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Leni Riefenstahl-Five Lives: A Biography in Pictures (Photobook) (Hardcover)

A biography in pictures of arguably the most influential female film-maker in the history of the medium...though all too many people in the industry are afraid to admit to it. Made the greatest propaganda film in history (unfortunate choice of subject matter) and the most important and influential sports documentary of all time (Olympia). Dancer, actress, director, producer, still photographer, underwater cinematographer...an astounding list of accomplishments driven by a desire to perceive and record the world around her has compelled Leni Riefenstahl since the beginning of the twentieth century.
Oversized, handsomely produced volume (typical Taschen quality) is packed with rare photographs and fascinating commentary. Note: sparkle in eyes of 19-year old dancer and 99-year old legend is exactly the same.