19th Hole: The Readers Take Over

RIEFENSTAHL
Sir:
For years I had wondered about the enigmatic Leni Riefenstahl. I need wonder no more. Frank Deford's The Ghost Of Berlin (Aug. 4) caught the essence of the Riefenstahl controversy and portrayed the agonies of a talented film director with perception and compassion.

What a treasure a man of Deford's talents is to SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, and how fortunate we readers are to have his brilliant essays and biographical sketches as steady fare.
BRUCE BERG
Jamestown, N. Dak.

Sir:
Frank Deford's portrayal of Leni Riefenstahl is gripping, moving and objective. He takes us through her film work and personal trials with a sense of respect and sympathy for the unfortunate circumstances that for 50 years have plagued this proud, strong woman.

Many writers would be afraid to tackle such a sensitive subject, but not Deford, for he is a man of skill, integrity and humility, and this shines through his work. He presents his story as she would her films and gives us an ending that puts a smile on our faces and a rush in our hearts. Danke, Mr. Deford.
FRANK D'ELIA
Carlstadt, N.J.

Sir:
Deford's piece raised one disturbing question about the artistic sincerity of the film community: Why can't Reifenstahl's Olympia be judged on its merits as a documentary? Deford suggests the film be viewed dispassionately, and I am quite certain Riefenstahl would be content for a chance to have her work viewed at all. The pain and torment of the Third Reich will never cease, but to suppress art may be a tragedy of a lesser sort.
LYNN FAIRBANKS
Ontario, Calif.

Sir:
I was offended by the article. Leni Riefenstahl is a pathetic, cold creature who could see nothing but what suited her purposes. Walter Frentz, "one of her favorite cameramen," said, "...she was so wrapped up in her work that she perhaps neglected to observe her duties as a human being." That is an understatement. Like many Germans who were not Nazis, she ignored what was pretty difficult to miss. As early as January 1933, Hitler began his persecution of the Jews, then expanded it to other "non-Aryans" later in the year.

Many people can live a lie so well that by doing it for a long time they can even convince themselves. A telling point about this woman is her short stint as a war correspondent. When she saw dead bodies for the first time, she was so revulsed that she "almost immediately retreated back into her fantasy world." She could not live in reality because it meant she would have to admit the truth—that she had no humanity, that in effect she had sold her soul for her so-called art.
NEAL ROBINSON
Wilmette, Ill.

Sir:
Leni Riefenstahl was and is a talented artist. However, her protestation that "I didn't know what was happening" is difficult to believe. Hitler never made any secret of his plans for the Jews, the Gypsies, the homosexuals—the "non-Aryans." Could Leni actually have been "fascinated by Hitler" and not have read any of Mein Kampf, whose every page bristles with hatred? Did she not listen to his speeches and those of Goebbels, Streicher and the rest? Did she sleep through Kristallnacht? Did she not notice that the Jews of Germany, Poland and the occupied countries were disappearing from the streets? Even the most humble German could have learned of the holocaust by looking and listening. It is unbelievable that Riefenstahl, who knew Hitler. Goebbels and Göring as well, was so unobservant.

For the past 50 years this woman has led a life of comfort and freedom. Her great disappointment is in not being allowed to make more movies. This seems like small penance for her great guilt in making Triumph of the Will.
RICHARD FANNAN
Los Angeles

Sir:
When Leni Riefenstahl accepted the task of filming for Hitler, she made a clear choice, one she must live with. She may have been an extraordinary filmmaker, but as the director of a Nazi propaganda film she helped inspire a terrible sequel, a horror show to end all horror shows.
MARK MANDEL
Lexington, Va.