For example, some films of the Wagners socializing with Hitler that he says he entrusted to his now-estranged sister Eva have disappeared. Gottfried makes other stinging accusations based on memory, sometimes without naming names or providing secondary sources. Whether a reliable history or merely scintillating gossip, Gottfried's book has had a dramatic impact. An exhibition celebrating the 100th anniversary of Winifred's birth was to have run concurrently with the Festival this year. Not surprisingly, the negative publicity from the book led to its cancellation.
Observers remark on the siege mentality that has taken over the Festival.
One reviewer who dared criticize the Festival was promptly banned. A bookstore that ran an interview with Gottfried in its newsletter saw a slate of Festival artists back out of book signings, as if by coincidence. If the internecine feuds were not enough, the Festival itself has fallen into creative doldrums. Critics carp that in 1997 and 1998, no new productions will be staged. But on the narrow path between nostalgia and decay, the Festival has long since lost its vision.