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There is no other filmmaker remotely like Leni Riefenstahl, which is probably a good thing. The prodigiously gifted Riefenstahl, at Hitler's behest, transformed the 1934 Nuremberg rally into the stunning, terrifying documentary
Triumph of the Will. Her next challenge was the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, a task she undertook with technical innovations and an unfailing aesthetic eye. The games are of historical interest; Berlin was where the black American runner Jesse Owens dominated his sport, much to Hitler's chagrin. But Riefenstahl's long film (it's often shown in two parts) is more than just a document.
Olympia is also a delirious paean to movement, competition, and the human body. The diving meet becomes less a battle for medals and more a dreamlike series of shapes in mesmerizing motion. While
Olympia has often been described as Riefenstahl's hymn to beauty, it is also her hymn to the possibilities of cinema, of the sheer magic of camera angle and rhythm and light. After two years of exhausting editing, the film premiered on April 20, 1938--Hitler's birthday. If only Riefenstahl had turned her back on her Führer, she might be remembered as one of the mightiest directors in film history, instead of the most notorious. As it is, Pauline Kael once described Riefenstahl's
Triumph and
Olympia as "the two greatest films ever directed by a woman."
--Robert Horton
Product Description
Controversial director Leni Riefenstahl, whose
Triumph of the Willchronicled the infamous Nuremberg Rally, was commissioned by the Olympic Committee to document the 1936 Berlin Olympiad. Released in April, 1938, after 18 months of editing, Riefenstahl's impressive two-part record of the event was instantly recognized as a masterpiece of photography and sound. Nevertheless,
Olympia was shunned by Hollywood--many considered it a hymn to Hitler's beliefs. Undimmed by the passing years,
Olympia survives as a majestic celebration of the grandeur of the human body and spirit.
Olympia I: Festival of the Nation includes the lighting of the torch at the stadium, track and field events, and the marathon. Adolf Hitler looks on in amazement as American sprint star Jesse Owens wins an unprecedented four Gold Medals.
