Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations (1938)

The document of the 1936 Olympics at Berlin.

Director:

Leni Riefenstahl

Writer:

Leni Riefenstahl

Stars:

David Albritton, Arvo Askola, Jack Beresford

2 wins.

Cast

Uncredited cast:
David Albritton	...	Himself - High Jump, USA (uncredited)
Arvo Askola	...	Himself - 10000 Metres, FIN (uncredited)
Jack Beresford	...	Himself - Carries British Flag (uncredited)
Erwin Blask	...	Himself - Hammer Throw, German (uncredited)
Sulo Bärlund	...	Himself - Shot Put, Finland (uncredited)
Ibolya Csák	...	Herself - High Jump, Hungary (uncredited)
Glenn Cunningham	...	Himself (uncredited)
Henri de Baillet-Latour	...	Himself - IOC, Stands with Hitler, with Hurdlers (uncredited)
Philip Edwards	...	Himself - 800 Metres, Canada (uncredited)
Donald Finlay	...	Himself - 110m Hurdles, GB (uncredited)
Tilly Fleischer	...	Herself - Javelin Throw, Germany (uncredited)
Wilhelm Frick	...	Himself - Spectator (uncredited)
Joseph Goebbels	...	Himself - Spectator (uncredited)
Hermann Göring	...	Himself - Spectator (uncredited)
Ernest Harper	...	Himself - Marathon, GB (uncredited)

Storyline

After being commissioned by the 1936 Olympic Committee to create a feature film of the Berlin Olympics, Riefenstahl shot a documentary that celebrates the human body by combining the poetry of bodies in motion with close-ups of athletes in the heat of competition. Includes the marathon, men's diving, and American track star Jesse Owen's sprint races at the 1936 Olympic games. The production tends to glorify the young male body and, some say, expresses the Nazi attitude toward athletic prowess. Includes the lighting of the torch at the stadium and Adolf Hitler looking on in amazement as Jesse Owens wins an unprecedented four Gold Medals.

---

Plot Keywords:

olympic stadium berlin | athlete | olympics | berlin olympics | nazi germany | 

---

Genres:

Documentary | Sport

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Germany

Language:

German English Italian French Japanese Portuguese

Release Date:

8 March 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Olympiad

Filming Locations:

Acropolis, Athens, Greece

Company Credits

Production Co:

Olympia Film GmbH, International Olympic Committee, Tobis Filmkunst

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono (Tobis-Klangfilm)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

After signing the contract to make the film in 1935, Riefenstahl was under pressure from Goebbels to deliver her work as quickly as possible so it could be exploited for propaganda purposes, so he tried to limit the amount of money and time she would have.Riefenstahl turned to Hitler for support, and he allowed her the opportunity to have several years to complete what would become a two part epic.

---

Connections

Featured in Rammstein: Lichtspielhaus (2003)

---

Soundtracks

Olympische Hymnne
Richard Strauss

User Reviews

A master of film and 60 years later still a masterpiece

I first viewed this film at the Museum of Modern Art 35 years ago;I now own it and the years have only added to my astonishment of what a genius Leni is. She took film to a new and higher art form. The Nazi noise does get in the way, but the epic scope and feel of the finished product make it worth viewing. And yes, part one is far superior, but part two is certainly a work of art also. It is a masterpiece. Would that she had done more. She is a most fascinating artist.