Dancing in the Darkness

In a room aswhite and austere as a hospital ward, in a fanciful penthouse done up like anocean liner floating halfway between Tiergartenstrasse and a pale December sky,Sally Faulkner stared at the woman across the table and began to comprehend hersituation. The reigning Queen of European Cinema, Leni Riefenstahl, wasthirty-seven years old, at the height of her creative powers, an internationalcelebrity. The Fuhrer's Filmmaker, an honorific endowing her with influence andrespect. Yet, Leni wasn't her own woman. What empowered her ensnared her. Thefilms she made were magnificent, but they weren't hers. They were the propertyof her patron. And so was she. With alarm bells ringing, Sally suddenlyrecognized that if she wanted a career in Germany and her self-respect, she'dhave to watch her step - not only with Doctor Goebbels.

Sally Faulkner (nee von Falkenhayn) was born 14 June 1918 inSankt Goar, Germany. Raised in Hollywood by emigre parents, young Sallydreamed of becoming a film director, graduated from the film school at USC, andlanded a job as script girl for George Cukor on Gone with the Wind. In1939, a job offer from Leni Riefenstahl brought Sally to Berlin, where sheworked on films under Nazi director Veit Harlan. As World War Two began, Sallyreturned to the USA to work on morale films for the Army under director FrankCapra. A chance meeting with Budd Schulberg took Sally to Nuremberg to create filmedevidence for the prosecution at the war crimes trial. In August 1948, Sally wasawarded the Distinguished Civilian Service Medal by the Department of Defensefor her Nuremberg work, the highest honor for a civilian working for the DoD.After a long and distinguished career as a documentarian and educator, Sallydied at The Motion Picture Country Home in Woodland Hills on 11 June 2019, afew days before her 101st birthday.

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