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Four years after her death, two new biographies of groundbreaking documentary filmmaker and Nazi propagandist Leni Riefenstahl have sparked some interesting coverage.

The New York Review of Books has a good article by Ian Buruma built around reviews the two new books. Buruma begins, “That Leni Riefenstahl was rather a monster is not really in dispute. And if it ever was, two new biographies provide enough information to nail her.”

Steven Bach, the author of one of those books, Leni: The Life and Work of Leni Riefenstahl, discusses his well-received biography in this audio interview on the NPR show Fresh Air. The tag for the interview says, “Bach details Riefenstahl’s ruthless, opportunistic ambition, analyzes her ’self-righteous entitlement,’ and explores her relationships with Hitler, Goebbels and Albert Speer.”

A couple relevant films:

Triumph of The Will, Riefenstahl’s beautiful, innovative, and frightening propaganda film documenting the 1934 Third Reich Nuremberg Rally can be found at Amazon and Netflix.

The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl, Ray Muller’s 1993 great documentary where Riefenstahl defends her work and denies knowledge of what was going on around her is available on DVD through Amazon, Netflix, and elsewhere. You can watch the trailer here on the New York Times website (registration required, I think).

You can get some more background info (from one point of view) at the Leni Riefenstahl website.