Alan Riding Doubles Up

The current issue of the Economist has a piece marking the death of Hitler iconographer Leni Riefenstahl that seems to have been written originally for the New York Times.

Compare, for instance, these two grafs [all emphasis added]:

New York Times: "The film, which took almost two years to edit from 250 miles of raw footage, included such innovative techniques as moving cameras, including one on a tiny elevator attached to a flagpole behind the speaker's podium that provided sweeping panoramic views; the use of telephoto lenses to create a foreshortening effect (for example, when filming a parade of Nazi flags); frequent close-ups of wide-eyed party faithful, and heroic poses of Hitler shot from well below eye-level. The film also used 'real sound' but was not accompanied by a commentary."

Economist: "It was a moment that appealed to Ms Riefenstahl's passion for the Busby Berkeley spectacle and she turned it into a political coronation. 'Triumph of Will' opens with the Führer descending from the clouds, like Odin, in his aeroplane to celebrate the might of his troops. She used moving cameras, frequent close-ups of the wide-eyed party faithful and heroic shots of Hitler taken from ground level. Triumph of Will has no commentary, only real sound—the Führer exhorting and the crowd roaring approval."

Or these:

New York Times: "And, once again, both her filming and editing techniques broke new ground. To capture the drama of the pole vault and long-jump events, she had holes dug beside the sandpit where the athletes landed.

"In the high-diving event, which dominated the second part of the film, 'Festival of Beauty,' she used four cameras, including one underwater, to capture the movement of divers from all angles. Then, in the editing room, she turned the divers into graceful birds."

Economist: "As before, Ms Riefenstahl's filming and editing techniques both broke new ground, and many shots that now seem commonplace had never been seen before. To capture the drama of the pole vault and long jump, she placed her cameras in holes beside the sandpit where the athletes landed. She used four cameras, including one underwater, to capture the movement of high divers from all angles. Then, in the editing room, she turned them into graceful birds that you almost never see hitting the water."

Rake it in, Mr. Riding.