Re: Riefenstahl

[Alex Lubet <lubet001...>]

She's not only a liar, she's a Nazi, and that's the subject of the films 
for which she's famous.  I suppose she was skillful, but I'm certainly not 
"objective" enough to filter her ideology out of my assessment of her 
work.  I hope I never will be.

Shabbat Shalom,




At 02:22 PM 1/18/2002 -0500, you wrote:
>--- lipkowitz (at) aa(dot)edu wrote:
> > Riefenstahl is a liar.  She knew exactly what Nazism
> > was about and what it
> > was up to.
>
>So if she's a liar, then it's not art?  Or is this
>only the case when applied to Nazism?  (if there
>really wasn't a little bird sent from God who dictated
>melodies to Pope Gregory on his shoulder, does that
>invalidate all of Gregorian Chant?)
>
> > Music is different.
> > Music (free of words) does
> > not lend itself as easily to ideological
> > interpretation.
>
>(Lots of music does have words!) Untexted music is
>different, I agree, but I think it's because it lends
>itself even MORE to ideological interpretation, after
>all, there are no words stapling it down.  This is no
>banal thing; many have died based on someone else's
>interpretation of their music (see socialist realism
>and again, nazism).
>
>Think of how much of the classical music we celebrate
>today from the former Soviet Union (Shostakovich and
>others) has only survived because Stalin thought of it
>as ideal socialist music--upholding socialist ideals,
>appealing to the masses, etc.  Can't we call this
>music--to use your words--"high quality" communist
>"propaganda?"  And if so, then is it any less valuable
>as art?  (and isn't any kind of religious music
>propaganda to some degree?)
>
>Just questions!
>Jordan
>
>
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Alex Lubet, Ph. D.
Morse Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professor of Music
Adjunct Professor of American and Jewish Studies
University of Minnesota
100 Ferguson Hall
Minneapolis, MN 55455
612 624-7840 (o)
612 699-1097 (h)
612 624-8001  ATTN:  Alex Lubet (FAX)

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