Vanishing Africa
Encyclopedia
Vanishing Africa is the title of the 1982 English-language translation of German film director Leni Riefenstahl
's 'Mein Afrika', an illustrations book published in the same year in Germany. It was published by Harmony Books
in the United States
.
In his book The Green Hills of Africa, Ernest Hemingway
wrote, 'All I wanted now, was to get back to Africa. I had not left it yet, but when I awake at night I was lying and listening full of homesick for it.'
Therefore, these pictures may be the last attempt to catch something of Africa's soul before it will lose its innocence to the technical age.
and The People of Kau
in the 2002 book, Africa by Leni Riefentstahl. As a result the collection garnered fresh professional reviews that were generally positive;
"A big, black Mercedez-Benz of a book.... Ideology aside, the pictures are hard to resist, combining all the voyeuristic pleasures of National Geographic-style anthropology with an unequivocal appreciation of the innate grace and symmetry of the human form... Riefenstahl`s photographs preserve a mythic vision of this Eden before the fall, a romantic lost world, captured in images as powerfully seductive as the artist herself." V Magazine
"A magnificent collection and a fitting celebration of this formidable artist's 100th birthday."
The Times Higher Education Supplement
"an imposing collection". Newsweek
. For the first time, Riefenstahl's extensive moving footage of the Nuba was also shown to the public for the first time in the film.
Leni Riefenstahl
Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl was a German film director, actress and dancer widely noted for her aesthetics and innovations as a filmmaker. Her most famous film was Triumph des Willens , a propaganda film made at the 1934 Nuremberg congress of the Nazi Party...
's 'Mein Afrika', an illustrations book published in the same year in Germany. It was published by Harmony Books
Harmony Books
Harmony Books is an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, itself part of publisher Random House. It focusses on topics such as religion, the occult, the paranormal and other pseudoscientific material...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Synopsis
The pictures are an evidence of the passion for Africa.In his book The Green Hills of Africa, Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
wrote, 'All I wanted now, was to get back to Africa. I had not left it yet, but when I awake at night I was lying and listening full of homesick for it.'
Therefore, these pictures may be the last attempt to catch something of Africa's soul before it will lose its innocence to the technical age.
Reception
The photographs were recently republished along with those of The Last of the NubaThe Last of the Nuba
The Last of the Nuba is the English-language title of German film director Leni Riefenstahl's 1973 Die Nuba, an illustrations book published a year later in the United States...
and The People of Kau
The People of Kau
The People of Kau is the title of the 1976 English-language translation of German film director Leni Riefenstahl's Die Nuba von Kau , an illustrations book published in the same year in Germany...
in the 2002 book, Africa by Leni Riefentstahl. As a result the collection garnered fresh professional reviews that were generally positive;
"A big, black Mercedez-Benz of a book.... Ideology aside, the pictures are hard to resist, combining all the voyeuristic pleasures of National Geographic-style anthropology with an unequivocal appreciation of the innate grace and symmetry of the human form... Riefenstahl`s photographs preserve a mythic vision of this Eden before the fall, a romantic lost world, captured in images as powerfully seductive as the artist herself." V Magazine
V (American magazine)
V magazine is an American fashion magazine published since 1999. The magazine is printed seasonally and highlights trends in fashion, film music and art. A men's fashion quarterly entitled VMAN started as an offshoot in 2003.-History:...
"A magnificent collection and a fitting celebration of this formidable artist's 100th birthday."
The Times Higher Education Supplement
The Times Higher Education Supplement
The Times Higher Education , formerly Times Higher Education Supplement , is a weekly British magazine based in London reporting specifically on news and other issues related to higher education...
"an imposing collection". Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
Documentary
Together with her other published photographs of the Nuba, several photographs from the book were showcased in the 1993 documentary, The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni RiefenstahlThe Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl
The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl is a 1993 German documentary film about the life of German film director Leni Riefenstahl, directed by Ray Müller.-Production background:...
. For the first time, Riefenstahl's extensive moving footage of the Nuba was also shown to the public for the first time in the film.