Bringing Leni Riefenstahl’s Tainted Talent Into Focus

Re “Survival, but Not Triumph,” by Carol Williams, Aug. 15: The most amazing thing about Leni Riefenstahl is her inability (I didn’t say “unwillingness”) to suppress her bountiful artistic talents. Neither a domineering father in her childhood, global politics throughout her entire adult life nor a helicopter crash in her 90s could keep her from pursuing her artistry. Dance, film, photography, acting, writing and editing--she mastered them all in her century. The fact that she accomplished this as a 20th century woman (in Germany, no less!) is even more astounding.

I’ve had the privilege of corresponding with this controversial lady, who, I believe, will still produce more artwork in her lifetime. And she has an unbeatable recipe for longevity and peace: exercise, self-expression and a love of beauty. I encourage artists and their admirers to give Riefenstahl’s body of work a subjective scrutiny. It’s breathtaking. Unlike Williams, I’d call that a “triumph.”

Nelson Aspen

Los Angeles

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Your article on Riefenstahl and her absurd denial of her past leaves out several important details about her life. Most notably, she was asked after World War II to apologize for her work for the Nazis and to submit to the process of Entnazifizierung, or “de-Nazification,” both of which she steadfastly and repeatedly refused to do. Even if she was not a Nazi, she helped the Nazis immensely; it is impossible that she could not have known this. Riefenstahl was and is terribly irresponsible, and her persistent denial reeks of paranoid selfishness and a ruthless ambition which, for a concomitant lack of humanity and humility, has ultimately and justly undermined her.

Claudio Cambon

Marina Del Rey

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In the controversy which continues to surround Riefenstahl, she is not alone. All through history, many great artists were attracted by great power and used it for personal gain, and to this day their biographies are clouded by their often childlike lack of discernment.

However, in an area of Riefenstahl’s work beyond reproach, we do not need to wait for her underwater film. One of my treasured books is her “Coral Gardens.” First published in 1978 in Germany (“Korallengaerten,” Paul List Verlag), it appeared in the same year in its English version, by Harper & Row. It is stunning in its beauty and photographic innovation and deserves to be reprinted for her 100th birthday. Every photographer and anyone who ever snorkeled would love it!

Lore Dormer

Claremont