Adolf Hitler and  Leni Riefenstahl,

Leni Riefenstahl and propagandaminister Joseph Goebbels

Former Minister of Armaments Albert Speer and Leni Riefenstahl - 1972 Olympic Stadium in Berlin

Leni Riefenstahl was an active player both in promoting Hitler and Nazism, but also in promoting the view of humanity that underpinned the extermination of millions of Jews, Gypsies, mentally ill, dissenters - children and adults alike. That she later, just as minister Albert Speer, claimed that she knew nothing about it, because she, like Speer, was busy with her work, is just a despicable lie. Hitler did not commit all these crimes alone or in the dark and he would never have come this far without people like Leni Riefenstahl, who in addition to making her cinematic talent available was also often seen in the company of Nazi leaders such as Goebbels, Speer and Hitler and she public expressed her utter admiration for Nazism and "The Führer". By promoting and supporting the Nazis she destroyed her film career because nobody would "play" with her after the war because of her reprehensible actions before and during the war. She may not have shouted as high as Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels, but promoting the terror regime she did - And she wasn't just a passive player, she was an active one and that is her crime.