The Summer Olympics which were held in Berlin in 1936 are the subject of two documentaries by Leni Riefenstahl--"Olympia Part One" and "Olympia Part Two". The camera-work and composition of the two films are beyond compare--brilliant and artistic triumphs. In addition, although Riefenstahl is today notorious because of her film "Triumph of the Will" (which is a slobbery tribute to Hitler), the "Olympia" films are really rather apolitical and are not obvious propaganda. Aside from showing a few shots of Hitler (who was in attendance for some of the events) and Germans in uniforms, the films are very even-handed and fair representations of the games. But, because Riefenstahl was such a brilliant perfectionist, the movies took two years to make it to theaters--long after the Olympics.
In contrast, "Youth of the World" is a very, very different film. Even though it's also about the 1936 Olympics in Germany and is a German-produced film, its style is VERY different--plus it's about the Winter Olympics which were held at Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany. Instead of artistry, "Youth of the World" is a much more obvious piece of propaganda. While there are some nice shots of scenery at the beginning, none of the terrific camera-work is seen of the events themselves. Instead, the film seems to place greater emphasis on the German performance at these Olympics. There are also many more shots of Nazi soldiers and Hitler. As a result, the film is less timeless than "Olympia" but it also made it to the theaters the same year these games were held.
The nice thing is that this MUCH shorter film (36 minutes instead of nearly three hours for "Olympia Parts One and Two") is included on the DVDs for "Olympia" so you can see them and compare them yourself. Overall, "Youth of the World" is a pretty ordinary film.
By the way, if you do watch this film, pay attention to the downhill skiing portion. Instead of sending the participants down one-by-one, it seems that they sent them all at the same time or only slightly staggered--which seems insanely dangerous!!
In contrast, "Youth of the World" is a very, very different film. Even though it's also about the 1936 Olympics in Germany and is a German-produced film, its style is VERY different--plus it's about the Winter Olympics which were held at Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany. Instead of artistry, "Youth of the World" is a much more obvious piece of propaganda. While there are some nice shots of scenery at the beginning, none of the terrific camera-work is seen of the events themselves. Instead, the film seems to place greater emphasis on the German performance at these Olympics. There are also many more shots of Nazi soldiers and Hitler. As a result, the film is less timeless than "Olympia" but it also made it to the theaters the same year these games were held.
The nice thing is that this MUCH shorter film (36 minutes instead of nearly three hours for "Olympia Parts One and Two") is included on the DVDs for "Olympia" so you can see them and compare them yourself. Overall, "Youth of the World" is a pretty ordinary film.
By the way, if you do watch this film, pay attention to the downhill skiing portion. Instead of sending the participants down one-by-one, it seems that they sent them all at the same time or only slightly staggered--which seems insanely dangerous!!
