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.

Plot Keywords:

Olympics | Jesse Owens | Propaganda | Stadium | Olympic Games

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)

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 | UK:66 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:

Mack Robinson, who finished second behind Jesse Owens in the 200 meter race, was the older brother of baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Der Wixxer (2004)

Soundtrack:

Olympische Hymnne

A goddess of filming technique

My comment will not be anonymous... this documentary is one of the best of its kind. Leni was a good film maker and had she left Berlin after 1936 she would certainly have contributed to good cinema.

Sport is here portrayed in a very classic greek and 1930's style. It is probably the best movie made on the modern Olympics.