Olympia: Part One – Festival of the Nations (1938)
April 21, 1938
Documentary
2h 7m
Commissioned to make a propaganda film about the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany, director Leni Riefenstahl created a celebration of the human form. This first half of her two-part film opens with a renowned introduction that compares modern Olympians to classical Greek heroes, then goes on to provide thrilling in-the-moment coverage of some of the games' most celebrated moments, including African-American athlete Jesse Owens winning a then-unprecedented four gold medals.
Cast & Crew
- Director
- Leni Riefenstahl
Self - High Jump, USA (uncredited) David Albritton
Self - Carries British Flag (uncredited) Jack Beresford
Self - IOC, Stands with Hitler, with Hurdlers (uncredited) Henri de Baillet-Latour
Self - 800 Metres, Canada (uncredited) Philip Edwards
Self - 110m Hurdles, Great Britain (uncredited) Donald Finlay
Self - Spectator (uncredited) Joseph Goebbels
Self - Spectator (uncredited) Hermann Göring
Self - Stands with Hitler (uncredited) Rudolf Hess
Recommendations
Keywords
- nazi
- sports
- olympic games
- national socialism
- national socialist party
- beauty
- xenophobia
- woman director
- nsdap (nazi party)
- professional athlete
- poetic documentary