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Herbst 2003

Auf Wiedersehen, Leni.

Planet Deutsch bids a mournful farewell to a talented, controversial artist, the actress and filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl. Frau Riefenstahl entered Valhalla from her home south of München on Tuesday, September 9. She was 101 years old. Oddly enough, as I was reading her obituary in The New York Times, I ran across the obituary of another artist who had died the same day, a violinist from Györ, Hungary, my second home. Tibor Varga (or Varga Tibor as they say in Hungarian) died in New York City. Arnold Schoenburg praised his technique by telling Meister Varga that he (Schoenburg) wished he were younger so that he could write more pieces for Varga to play.

Guilty or Not?

Frau Riefenstahl is famous — or infamous, depending on one's point of view — for her documentaries Triumph of the Will (1934), a Nazi party film, and Olympia (1936), a film about the Berlin Olympics. She was soundly (and some say justly) criticized for her connection with Der Führer, but Ms. Riefenstahl maintained throughout her life that she was simply filming history and that she was never a Nazi party member. However, she was detained by the Allies for four years after the war for "de-Nazification." Throughout her long post-war life, she was accused of anti-semitism and denial that the Holocaust ever occurred. She retreated into self-imposed exile for 20 years, living in an apartment in Munich with her mother.

Innovation Amid Compromise.

Helene Berta Amalie Riefenstahl began her artistic career as a dancer in the Isadora Duncan style. She enjoyed considerable success in dance in Berlin, but decided to try her skills in movies when she became entranced with the "mountain" films of Arnold Franck that were so popular in the 1930s. She introduced herself to the director, who was captivated by this petite, determined, enthusiastic daredevil. She eventually produced her own mountain film, The Blue Light, which gave her the entree to meet Hitler.

Intimations of Immortality.

Sadly enough, the evening wanes and so does my concentration. Tune in later for further musings on the long life and art of a remarkable woman.

A Trio of Native Speakers.

Three German students from Bielefeld are enrolled at UCA this semester: Carolin Brand, Anette Holrick, and Kai Roth. They have already visited Irby 207 and are looking forward to meeting German-language learners at UCA. Planet Deutsch extends "ein herzliches Willkommen" to these visitors from afar.

Englisch oder Deutsch?

I ran across this vocabulary list recently. What do you think these words have in common? Bonus Points to the first person who makes the connection!
Jet
Countdown
Auto
Finger
Hit
Charter
Motor
Tradition
Kindergarten
Party
Computer
Meter
Zoo
original
modern
Snob
Toast
Name
Camping
Sand
Gold
Tip
Humor
Report
Tiger
Theater
System
Experiment
Expedition
Manager
Couch
Filter
Revolution

Learning Resources Page.

The Learning Resources Page has added more content. These pages are for all German language learners, so take the time to look at the pages.

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