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The film relies heavily on visual images to further demonstrate Hitler’s ability to transform the minds of the German masses. I know from previous history classes that Hitler was a transforming character whose charm and persona played a key factor in his ability to get so many followers. What I did not know was that people worshipped him like a rock star. The constant “Heil Hitler” hand motions of the film reminded me of a cult signal, which further emphasizes that point that Riefenstahl was trying to convey. Hitler was a brainwasher. The images of the swastikas and Nazi nearly hypnotize the viewer so one can only imagine what the effect must have been like for Germans in reality. In truth I had a difficult time getting concrete ideas of what was actually said in the film, instead I left with abstract notions in my head about the powerful nationalistic views that Hitler had on Germany. It was clear from the film that Hitler was more than successful at getting support from the people. When the country is not doing well, people look for a certain figure who can pinpoint the problem of why they are unhappy and tell them exactly what he is going to do to fix it. The blame, the intensity of passion for Germany and the ability to give a motivating speech is why Hitler was able to succeed with his Nazi party. After getting over the initial nausea, sickness and outrage of the images, I began to look critically at the film and thoroughly listened to the words of Hitler’s speech to try to understand what made him such a powerful and convincing leader. The aesthetic aspect of Hitler’s final speech is an entirely black background. When Hitler is talking, the camera zooms in on his face so that the audience can capture each facial expression and hand gesture to emphasize how strongly Hitler believes in the Nazi party. After making a motivational statement that caused the crowd to go wild, he talks about “expunging what is bad”, which is the crux of his speech. First of all, it is clear in all of Hitler’s speech his intense adoration and pride for Germany and makes that known in all of his speeches. Dignity, honor and respect seem to be key ideas in Hitler rhetoric, which further motivate and inspire the people to listen and feel not only better but proud to be Germans. He says it is not enough to believe in the power of Germany, but to have the will to “fight”. Fighting is a powerful idea because it includes the everyday citizen in Hitler’s goals and allows them to become a part of his plan to make Germany the strongest nation.

The Mass Ornament

In defining the components of "the mass ornament," Kracauer describes the social phenomena of a group of people or community acting collectively in a manner that erases any sense of individualism among each of its members. Thus, the act (the mass ornament) assumes a single identity, void of its once individual members. Kracauer describes this process using the Tiller Girls, a group of female dancers. In any other scenario at the time, a single girl in a somewhat revealing outfit that was able to preform various dance routines flawlessly would garner attention. But when combined with dozens of other girls of relatively the same physical appearence and skill level, the same girl's individualism is lost and just becomes a part of the larger group- the mass ornament.

The same concept happened in The Triumph of the Will. Throughout each rally in the "documentary," each soldier marched in the same fashion, wore the same uniform, and displayed the same sense of national pride. Much like the Tiller Girls, the Nazi "soldiers" would appear significant individually, but when grouped with dozens or hundreds of others identical soldiers, the sense of individualism was lost for the sake of the mass ornament. However, I believe The Triumph of the Will takes this concept a bit further. As a "documentary," the audience in the streets is just as much a part of the mass ornament as the soldiers are. Often shown out of focus, but with the same sense of admiration for Hitler and his soldiers, the individuality of the German people is lost as a part of the spectacle; because of the scripted nature/purpose of this documentary, the spectators are just as much of the mass ornament as the marching soldiers were. I would even claim that despite Riefenstahl's attempts to single out Hitler, he is also a part of the mass ornament according to Kracauer. A primary goal of The Triumph of the Will was to make Hitler stand out as a grand singularity above the masses, but because he is as much of a scripted part of the documentary as any other person that appears in The Triumph of the Will, he is another cog of the mass ornament.

Kracauer Response

Kracauer’s overall argument is that there is much meaning to be found within the surface level expressions of a society, expressions that generally are disregarded as unimportant and trivial. From this perspective, he looks at the popularity of dancers like the Tiller Girls. The girls look so alike in their matching scanty outfits, that they become one mass, rather than a group of individuals. He argues that it is the current trend in society to become a part of the mass, in which traits that would ordinarily stand out, like the girls immodestly cut clothing, do not. He calls this phenomenon the mass ornament.

Although the entire Kracauer reading was rather unusual and thought provoking, this quote in particular stood out to me. He says that, “The mass ornament is the aesthetic reflex of the rationality to which the prevailing economic system aspires.” Kracauer suggests that the mass ornament, in this case the dancing of the Tiller Girls, is a visual representation of the economic order, which is in itself one of the deepest reflections of society. The Tiller Girls represent capitalism, and he compares their synchronized legs dancing to the gears and levers of a factory machine working. For me this is a fascinating way of looking at modern (and historical) economic systems. As a student of economics, I realize that the function of an economy cannot be understood only in terms of money. It is also a product of the social philosophy and the politics of the time.

Response

I believe Kracauer defines this "mass ornament" as any situation within society which reduces the individual to a indistinct piece of a larger, and in some cases more aesthetically pleasing, entity. He likens this term to synchronized dancing where women's legs and bodies move to create a larger moving body. Kracauer sees this entity, this "mass ornament," as a dangerous creation. While, it might be more immediately impressive then a singular individual it reduces man's capability for reason. When man is not a whole organism in itself, but rather a minor piece of a larger one, man can no longer comprehend himself. His ability to reason becomes progressively duller, and he is destined to return to an earlier state of natural mystified abstraction. To me, it appears Kracauer has developed a rough timeline of mans developmental progression. Man's first attempts at understanding his world gave way to Mysticism, cult like celebrations, paganism, and various other religious worship. This was how man at that time could best attempt to comprehend the unexplained. Over time man developed an understanding of truth, a precursor to reason. Kracauer sees this in cautionary fairy tales, which are an amalgamation of both reason and mysticism. Finally, via the enlightenment, reason took hold and man developed a much more concrete understanding of his place in the natural world. Man was no longer entirely controlled by the abstractness of nature, but could rather navigate his way through it. However, Kracauer sees the capitalist system, which downplays individuality, as synonymous with "Mass Ornamentation". When man enters into this "mass ornamentation" where he is reduced to a minor role, and is unable to explore in a reasonable way, he becomes numb and "ambivalent". Thus, to Kracauer "mass ornamentation" is the desecration of the individual and thus of reason, and is a backward step in mans development. Ultimately, man is thrust back into abstractness and cult-like mysticism. This time rather than "praying" to obscure godly forces rather man is beholden to obscure market forces, knowing only that he must produce (just as man knew only that it must pray to gods) without being able to understand why. He stresses that unless the Mass Ornamentation of the Capitalist system is reversed man is doomed to lose his ability to reason.

September 1-3: Kracauer

What does Siegfried Kracauer mean by "mass ornament"?