Monday, August 5, 2013

Olympia (1938) **

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There is no doubt that director/producer Leni Riefenstahl was a tool of Hitler’s Nazi regime.  Yet, that does not negate the fact that her two-part documentary of the 1936 Olympic games held in Berlin, Germany, Olympia, “Festival of the Nations” and “Festival of Beauty” (1938), is a monumental cinematic spectacle.  She employed technical elements never seen before—extreme close-ups, tracking shots, and highly inventive camera angles—which were later used by the likes of Orson Welles and Carol Reed. That said, the overall tone of the film is still hindered by Nazi propaganda and racism. 

Part One, “Festival of the Nations”, opens rather ostentatiously, with Riefenstahl directly comparing German athletes to Greek gods.  This lends itself to the idea of the superiority of the Aryan race, so this isn’t a good way to endear your movie to viewers familiar with the vile tenets of Nazism and Hitler’s Mein Kampf. And, I suspect the all-but-naked (and in some cases, really naked) human specimens were a bit racy for 1938.  Anyway, unlike the last naziMOS0902_468x196few Olympics, with their 10-hour opening ceremonies, Olympia just has a parade of nations.  Still, from a historical perspective the viewer gains keen insight into which countries were allies (or unwilling ones, too) of Hitler in 1936 by whether they give the Nazi salute or not. Thankfully, the American athletes do not.

After the mini-geopolitical lesson has commenced, we then move to the track and field games.  Again, even though it would have been much better if at least one of the 100,000 spectators in the stadium had aimed a bullet Hitler’s way and saved countless lives, the film is of historical importance because we get to see one of the olympia1greatest athletes ever, Jesse Owens, dominate every event he participated in by winning four gold medals.  Racial superiority took a slap in the face when that Ohio State Buckeye visited Berlin.  I watched the German version, so it was easy to tell when the announcer was miffed that both Germans and the entire white race kept losing to a black man. 

Anyway, all blatant bias aside, Riefenstahl and her crew of hundreds do an excellent job of capturing the athletic prowess of the track and field competitors.  Watching in slow motion bodies contort in feats of strength and speed allows one to gain an appreciation of just how much skill goes into being a top-tier athlete.  My one complaint, which really shouldn’t be one since she was doing revolutionary things, is that I can hear the ticking of the film spool/speed whenever the camera slows down.

Part Two, “Festival of Beauty” oddly enough starts with naked German men in a bath house scrubbing each other’s backs and laying back in hqdefaultecstasy as the steam washes over them. For such a homophobic nation, this seems like a less than Nazi way to begin the second part of your documentary.  That said, this section of the film focuses on gymnastics, regatta, swimming, diving, and military sport—although the Pentathlon makes its way into this, too. Why it wasn’t in the first part with the other track and field events is a mystery to me. 

While it focuses more on the aesthetic effects of sport, “Festival of Beauty” is also a showcase of athleticism.  I could have done without the Eventing section, with horses being hurtled over extremely perilous ravines and obstacles.  With each tumblr_lkyhpe36C31qzdvhio1_r5_500passing fall and unseating of uniformed rider, I became convinced that at any moment one of the officers was going to whip out a pistol and put down a horse.  However, in complete opposite of this inhumane brutality, was the diving section of the film.  This is a thing of beauty to watch, as Riefenstahl made the divers appear as though they were flying through the air.

Overall, Olympia is probably the greatest documentary about the Olympic games ever made.  It is unfortunate that there has to be an undercurrent of Nazism and racism running throughout it, though.  And while it is a visual treat, its 3+ hour runtime can be daunting to the casual sports enthusiast. 

6 comments:

  1. I found this much more palatable than Triumph of the Will. Yes, Nazism was in this one, too, but it took a back seat to the athletes. I was surprised by how much of Jesse Owens was shown, considering that he embarrassed the Nazis. I also didn't realize that all the clips I had ever seen of him competing came from this film.

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    1. I expect that since it was such a big deal how well Owens did that it would have been too gross of an oversight not to show it. And, yes, this is much more palatable that the Hitler lovefest known as Triumph of the Will.

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  2. I liked this one far better than I expected, even to the point where I was positively enjoying myself. The coverage of the sport events is sublime with so much emphasis on aestitics that in places it almost looses focus on the competition element.
    I love that Jesse Owens kicked their nazi butt. There was much satistaction to that. Somehow I have a feeling that Riefenstahl mostly covered the propaganda elements because they were her sponsors, but with that out of the way she could focus on her real objective and subject matter of the film, the athletes. I think she was not a little i love with them. There is definitely a sexual undertone in the film.

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    1. I think it's surprising to many how much they end up enjoying this--what with the Nazism and the overall length of the documentary. I don't know if she was in love with them, but she did seem to appreciate their overall beauty.

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  3. I just finished reading "The Rise & Fall of the Third Reich". While the book does not mention Riefenstahl and doesn't spend much time on the 1936 Olympics, I am now really keen to see this documentary. Thanks for the heads up!

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    1. It's long, sort of like that book you just finished, but worth watching.

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