Olympia Part Two: Festival of Beauty (1938) Olympia 2. Teil - Fest der Schönheit (original title)

Director:

Leni Riefenstahl

Writer:

Leni Riefenstahl (writer)

Release Date:

29 March 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Sport

Plot:

The document of the 1936 Olympics at Berlin, orchestrated as Nazi propaganda.

Plot Keywords:

Olympics | Nazi | Athlete | Gymnastics | Equestrian

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Sheigo Arai	...	Himself - Swimmer, Japan
Jack Beresford	...	Himself - Rower, Britain
Ralf Berzsenyi	...	Himself - Small-Bore Rifle, Hungary
Ferenc Csík	...	Himself - Swimmer, Hungary
Richard Degener	...	Himself - Springboard Diver, USA
Willemijntje den Ouden	...	Herself - Swimmer, Holland
Charles des Jammonières	...	Himself - Free Pistol, France
Velma Dunn	...	Herself - Platfom Diver, USA
Konrad Frey	...	Himself - Gymnastics, Germany
Marjorie Gestring	...	Herself - Springboard Diver, USA
Albert Greene	...	Himself - Springboard Diver, USA
Tetsuo Hamuro	...	Himself - 1st Place: 200m Breaststroke, Japan
Josef Hasenöhrl	...	Himself - Single Sculls Rower, Austria
Heinz Hax	...	Himself - Rapid-Fire Pistol, Germany
Adolf Hitler	...	Himself
Alois Hudec	...	Himself - Gymnastics, Czechoslovakia
Cornelius Johnson	...	Himself - High Jump Winner
Adolph Kiefer	...	Himself - Swimmer, USA
Masaji Kiyokawa	...	Himself - Swimmer, Japan
Reizô Koike	...	Himself - Swimmer, Japan
Erich Krempel	...	Himself - Free Pistol, Germany
Käthe Köhler	...	Herself - Platform Diver, Germany
Eugen Mack	...	Himself - Gymnastics, Switzerland
Shôzô Makino	...	Himself - Swimmer, Japan
Rie Mastenbroek	...	Herself - Swimmer, Holland
Jack Medica	...	Himself - Swimmer, USA
Glenn Morris	...	Himself - Decathlon, USA
Dorothy Poynton	...	Herself - Diver, USA (as Dorothy Poynton Hill)
Katherine Rawls	...	Herself - Springboard Diver, USA
Michael Reusch	...	Himself - Gymnastics, Switzerland
Elbert Root	...	Himself - Platform Diver, USA
Willy Rögeberg	...	Himself - Small-Bore Rifle, Norway
Aleksanteri Saavala	...	Himself - Gymastics, Finland
Alfred Schwarzmann	...	Himself - Gymnastics, Germany
Gustav Schäfer	...	Himself - Single Sculls Rower, Germany
Johanna Selbach	...	Herself - Swimmer, Holland
Neda Senff	...	Herself - Swimmer, Holland
Erwin Sietas	...	Himself - Swimmer, Germany
Herman Stork	...	Himself - Platform Diver, USA
Leon Stukelji	...	Himself - Gymnastics, Yugoslavia
Noboru Terada	...	Himself - Swimmer, Japan
Torsten Ullman	...	Himself - Shooting Competitor, Sweden
Shunpei Utô	...	Himself - Swimmer, Japan
Albert van den Weghe	...	Himself - Swimmer, USA
Cornelius van Oyen	...	Himself - Rapid-Fire Pistol, Germany
Matthias Volz	...	Himself - Gymnastics, Germany
Conrad von Wangenheim	...	Himself - Steeplechase, Germany
Catherina Wagner	...	Herself - Swimmer, Holland
Josef Walter	...	Himself - Gymnastics, Switzerland
Marshall Wayne	...	Himself - Diver, USA
Rolf Wernicke	...	Narrator
Masanori Yusa	...	Himself - Swimmer, Japan
Albert Bachmann	...	Himself - Gymnastics, Switzerland (uncredited)
Daniel Barrow	...	Himself - Single Sculls Rower, USA (uncredited)
Wladyslaw Karas	...	Himself - Small-Bore Rifle, Poland (uncredited)
Paul Laven	...	Narrator (uncredited)
Hideko Maehata	...	Himself - Swimmer, Japan (uncredited)
Shigeo Sugiura	...	Himself - Swimmer, Japan (uncredited)
Masahari Taguchi	...	Himself - Swimmer, Japan (uncredited)

Directed by
Leni Riefenstahl

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Leni Riefenstahl		writer

Produced by
Leni Riefenstahl	....	producer

Original Music by
Herbert Windt
Walter Gronostay		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Wilfried Basse		(uncredited)
Leo De Lafrue		(uncredited)
Walter Frentz		(uncredited)
Hans Karl Gottschalk		(uncredited)
Richard Groschopp		(uncredited)
Willy Hameister		(uncredited)
Walter Hege		(uncredited)
Werner Hundhausen		(uncredited)
Albert Kling		(uncredited)
Ernst Kunstmann		(uncredited)
Guzzi Lantschner		(uncredited)
Otto Lantschner		(uncredited)
Kurt Neubert		(uncredited)
Erich Nitzschmann		(uncredited)
Hans Scheib		(uncredited)
Hugo O. Schulze		(uncredited)
Károly Vass		(uncredited)
Andor von Barsy		(uncredited)
Fritz von Friedl		(uncredited)
Heinz von Jaworsky		(uncredited)
Hugo von Kaweczynski		(uncredited)
Alexander von Lagorio		(uncredited)
Willy Zielke		(uncredited)

Production Management
Walter Traut	....	production manager (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Hans Ertl	....	underwater cinematographer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Erna Peters	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Olympia Film GmbH
• International Olympic Committee (uncredited)
• Tobis Filmkunst (uncredited)

Distributors

• Excelsior Pictures Corp. (1940) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Arte Edition (1999) (Germany) (video)
• Arthaus Filmverleih (1999) (Germany) (video)
• Belle & Blade Studios (video)
• Criterion Collection, The (1997) (USA) (laserdisc)
• I.V.C. (2001) (Japan) (DVD)
• I.V.C. (2003) (Japan) (DVD)
• I.V.C. (2005) (Japan) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Olympia 2. Teil - Fest der Schönheit" - Germany (original title)

Runtime:

Sweden:96 min | USA:90 min

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company:

Olympia Film GmbH

Trivia:

Leni Riefenstahl visit to the United States in 1938 was mainly aimed at finding a US distributor for the film. Faced with fierce protests from many American organizations, in particular the 'Anti-Nazi League', her plan never come to fruition. The first screening in the United States was organised in Chicago in November 1938 by Avery Brundage, president of the US Olympic Committee and an ardent Nazi-sympathiser. The private reception was hosted by Mrs Claire Dux Swift, ex-wife of the German film star Hans Albers. The second screening (also private) took place on 14th December 1938 at the California Club in presence of Olympic medalists and screen Tarzans Johnny Weissmuller and Glenn Morris (Riefenstahl ex-lover), as well as Olympic diver Marjorie Gestring. For this screening, Riefenstahl submitted a copy where she had edited out almost all the scenes featuring Hitler.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Goebbels Experiment (2005)

Great

Olympia 2 (1938)

**** (out of 4)

The second part of Riefenstahl's documents of the 1936 Berlin Olympics. I enjoyed this "sequel" a little less than the first film but that's not to say this one here isn't among the greatest films out there. The brilliant cinematography and editing are still here but the focus on the sports is quite differently. The first film mainly focused on track and field but this one goes for a wider range of events including a cross country trip, which ends with the runners falling from exhaustion. Also on display are gymnastics, which contain perhaps the greatest visuals of either film and perhaps the greatest of any film. I've watched gymnastics on various sports channels including ESPN and after watching this movie all I can say is that these people really need to study what's on display here. It's rather amazing at how brilliant this stuff looks compared to today and especially all the slow-motion treats, which really capture and show how incredibly skilled these athletes are. Diving, swimming, decathlon, field hockey and shooting are also on display here. The incredible beauty of this film makes it seem like all the shots were rehearsed and even the action was staged but of course this isn't true and this here just makes the film shine even more. All the controversy that has surrounded Riefenstahl is certainly wanted but it's a shame that this takes away from her incredible gift as a director. I always say ones personal life shouldn't come between the art and here is another stunning example of that.