Olympia 1. Teil - Fest der Völker (1938)

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Director:

Leni Riefenstahl

Writer:

Leni Riefenstahl (writer)

Release Date:

8 March 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Sport

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Female Nudity | Ancient Greece | Nude Dance | Multinational | Nudity

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

David Albritton	...	Himself (high jump, USA) (uncredited)
Jack Beresford	...	Himself (carries British flag) (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)
Wilhelm Frick	...	Himself (spectator) (uncredited)
Josef Goebbels	...	Himself (spectator) (uncredited)
Hermann Göring	...	Himself (spectator) (uncredited)
Ernest Harper	...	Himself (marathon, GB) (uncredited)
Rudolf Hess	...	Himself (stands with Hitler) (uncredited)
Adolf Hitler	...	Himself (declares Games open) (uncredited)
Cornelius Johnson	...	Himself (high jump, USA) (uncredited)
King Umberto II	...	Himself (stands with Hitler, salutes Italian team) (uncredited)
Theodor Lewald	...	Himself (German Olympic Committee, stands with Hitler) (uncredited)
Luz Long	...	Himself (long jump, Germany) (uncredited)
Spiridon Louis	...	Himself (walks behind Greek flag, in Greek costume) (uncredited)
John Lovelock	...	Himself (1500 metres, NZ) (uncredited)
Ralph Metcalfe	...	Himself (sprinter, USA) (uncredited)
Seung-yong Nam	...	Himself (marathon, Japan) (uncredited)
Henri Nannen	...	Announcer (uncredited)
Dorothy Odam	...	Herself (high jump, GB) (uncredited)
Martinus Osendarp	...	Himself (100 metres, Holland) (uncredited)
Jesse Owens	...	Himself (sprinter, USA) (uncredited)
Leni Riefenstahl	...	Nude dancer (prologue) (uncredited)
Mack Robinson	...	Himself (second, after Owens) (uncredited)
Julius Schaub	...	Himself (spectator, with glasses, behind Hitler) (uncredited)
Kee-chung Sohn	...	Himself (marathon, Japan) (uncredited)
Julius Streicher	...	Himself (spectator) (uncredited)
Forrest Towns	...	Himself (110m hurdles, USA) (uncredited)
Werner von Blomberg	...	Himself (spectator) (uncredited)
August von Mackensen	...	Himself (spectator) (uncredited)
Hans von Tschammer und Osten	...	Himself (spectator, in white suit) (uncredited) (unconfirmed)

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)
Josef Dietze		(uncredited)
E. Epkins		(uncredited)
Hans Ertl		(uncredited)
Walter Frentz		(uncredited)
Hans Karl Gottschalk		(uncredited)
Richard Groschopp		(uncredited)
Willy Hameister		(uncredited)
Hasso Hartnagel		(uncredited)
Wolf Hart		(uncredited)
Walter Hege		(uncredited)
Albert Höcht		(uncredited)
Paul Holzki		(uncredited)
Werner Hundhausen		(uncredited)
Carl Junghans		(uncredited)
Herbert Kebelmann		(uncredited)
Sepp Ketterer		(uncredited)
Albert Kling		(uncredited)
Ernst Kunstmann		(uncredited)
Leo de Laforgue		(uncredited)
Lagorio		(uncredited)
E. Lambertini		(uncredited)
Guzzi Lantschner		(uncredited)
Otto Lantschner		(uncredited)
Waldemar Lembke		(uncredited)
Georg Lemke		(uncredited)
C.A. Linke		(uncredited)
Kurt Neubert		(uncredited)
Erich Nitzschmann		(uncredited)
Albert Schattmann		(uncredited)
Hans Scheib		(uncredited)
Wilhelm Schmidt		(uncredited)
Hugo O. Schulze		(uncredited)
Leo Schwedler		(uncredited)
Alfred Siegert		(uncredited)
W. Siehm		(uncredited)
Ernst Sorge		(uncredited)
Károly Vass		(uncredited)
Andor von Barsy		(uncredited)
Eberhard von der Heyden		(uncredited)
Franz von Friedl		(uncredited)
Heinz von Jaworsky		(uncredited)
Hugo von Kaweczynski		(uncredited)
Alexander von Lagorio		(uncredited)
H. von Stwolinski		(uncredited)
Willy Zielke		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Leni Riefenstahl

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

Camera and Electrical Department
Luggi Waldleitner	....	assistant camera
Georg Fleischmann	....	camera operator (uncredited)

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

Thanks
Pierre de Coubertin	....	dedicatee (as Baron Pierre de Coubertin)

Production Companies

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

Distributors

• Belle & Blade Studios (video)
• Criterion Collection, The (1997) (USA) (laserdisc)
• Excelsior Pictures (1940) (USA) (dubbed)
• Happinet Pictures (1998) (Japan) (DVD)
• I.V.C. (1993) (Japan) (VHS)
• I.V.C. (1998) (Japan) (VHS)
• I.V.C. (2001) (Japan) (DVD)
• I.V.C. (2003) (Japan) (DVD)
• I.V.C. (2005) (Japan) (DVD)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1972) (USA) (TV) (network premiere)

Also Known As:

Olympia - Fest der Völker - Erster Film von den olympischen Spielen Berlin 1936 (Germany) (poster title)
Olympia 1. Teil - Götter des Stadions
Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations (International: English title) (literal title)
Olympia: The Film of the XI. Olympic Games Berlin, 1936 (UK)
The Olympiad (USA)

Runtime:

Sweden:121 min | USA:111 min

Country:

Germany

Language:

German | English | Italian | French | Japanese | Portuguese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Acropolis, Athens, Greece

Company:

International Olympic Committee

Trivia:

The production company Olympia-Film-GmbH, owned by Leni Riefenstahl and her brother Heinz, was only a front to preserve the film's political independence in front of the International Olympic Committee. It was in fact entirely funded by the III Reich. The recently-found original contract stipulates that Olympia-Film-GmbH would be dissolved once production completed and the copyrights would be the sole property of the Reich. The dissolution only took place years later, on 9th January 1942, with Riefenstahl being awarded 20% of the film total earnings and naming the State as the only lawful copyright owner.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World (1966) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Olympische Hymnne

Is beauty propaganda?

I've read that this film, which portrays human beauty and athletic success, serves to justify euthanasia of the weak and infirm. If so, does not Da Vinci's David do the same?

My belief is that without the historical context, there would not be a single viewer who would suggest that this is propaganda fostered to support the atrocities of the Nazi Regime. As another reviewer suggests: this is no better than an NFL highlight film.

Actually, this is better than an NFL highlight film. Highlight films focus only on isolated moments of peak action. Do most of us prefer to just see the winning basket or the last touchdown? It's the game, the show, the story which gives us pleasure - not just the ending or spectacular feat.

The beauty of this film and its companion lies in its crafting. The lighting, the camera angles, the sequencing, the pace - everything is blended to produce a thing of beauty. It's like the chef who creates a feast with the same ingredients we manage to render a barely palatable meal. Leni produces a feast - a beautiful feast!