Biopolitica e corpo nel cinema nazista. Il trionfo dell'an-estetizzazione

From a logocentric to a visual culture (B. Balazs), cinema has evolved into a powerful and emancipated art form, even through totalitarian strategies that employed it for mass control, fostering an "aestheticization of politics" (W Benjamin). This paper examines the impact of Nazi totalitarian power on the human body, focusing on Leni Riefenstahl's German film "Triumph of the Will". On one hand, we delve into the concept of the microphysics of power (M. Foucault) and the implications of body techniques (M. Mauss) to understand the workings and circulation of bio-power. On the other hand, we explore how watching a film can activate mirror neurons in our brain (V. Gallese, M. Guerra), triggering mimetic desire and social mimicry.