Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, March, 2006. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 215-229)

Moments before the Weimar Republic succumbed National Socialism, and their paths sharply diverged as a result, Leni Riefenstahl and Béla Balázs collaborated to make Das Blaue Licht. Within a year of their collaboration Riefenstahl was working closely with Hitler on plans for Triumph of the Will, and Balázs, a Hungarian Jew, had fled to Moscow without credit or payment for Das Blaue Licht, which he co-wrote and co-directed. This thesis explores multiple readings of Das Blaue Licht, as a modern text, a fascist text, and ultimately, one that exists in a complex gray zone.