The Observer is reporting that after seven years of trying to get her movie about Nazi filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl (Triumph of the Will) off the ground, Jodie Foster has settled on a script by British writer Rupert Walters (Restoration) and is now searching for a director. Shooting will reportedly start by the end of next year. Riefenstahl, who died in 2003 and was the subject of the documentary
The Wonderful Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl, was lauded for her pioneering abilities as a filmmaker but became infamous for creating powerful Nazi propaganda.
Producer Gabriele Bacher told The Observer that it is Riefenstahl’s complexity that makes her a worth film subject.”
We are not going to downplay her politics…This is what is fascinating. The strongest way to understand her is to go on this ride with her.”
According to The Observer, Riefenstahl “refused to sign a contract for Foster’s project while she was still alive, mainly because Foster would not give her the right to reject any of the film that she felt was wrong. She was also thought to prefer Sharon Stone over Foster as an actress better suited to play her.”
The film will undoubtedly provoke controversy and raise questions about how making Riefenstahl the subject of a Hollywood movie (and being played by one of America’s most honored actresses) might heroize her. What do you think about Foster’s choice to make and star in the film?
