Year: 1938
Director: Leni Riefenstahl
Country: Germany
Language: German
Leni Reifenstahl is a filmmaker that nobody wants to admit they like, but everybody must agree that she's an absolute genius. She is known for being a Nazi propaganda film-maker, though long after the war she denied ever partaking in Nazi politics and was spared imprisonment or death by the allies. She lived until her death at 101 years old in 2002 and left a legacy of controversial yet brilliant films. Olympia is one of them.
After being commissioned by the 1936 Olympic Committee to create a feature film of the Berlin Olympics, Riefenstahl did so by shooting a documentary that makes a monument out of the human body. It includes the marathon, men's diving, and American track star Jesse Owen's sprint races at the 1936 Olympic games.The attempts to glorify the male body may come off as homo-erotic for some, but overall this film attempts to show the passion of the human spirit.
Perhaps it's because of political and historical context, but of every documentary about the Olympics Riefenstahl's is the most interesting. The very opening of the film traces the carrying of the Olympic torch from Greece to Germany as some kind of Holy Quest, it really emphasizes the importance of these athletes and of the Olympics itself. The incredible cinematography makes this film look like a lavish spectacle. of grit and determination. Incredibly Riefenstahl doesn't just focus on German athletes, but athletes from every country which included the African-American Jesse Owens who won four gold medals at the games. This film is shocking, but not because of propaganda, it's shocking because the Nazis covered the Olympics better and more fairly than news networks do today.
Though this is not to say that Olympia was never intended to be propoganda. The film was sponsored by Hitler, who gave Reifenstahl the incredible support and funding she needed to cover the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. Despite the support, this task would prove to be quite daunting. Filming the games, supervising and post-production would take immense effort, even with modern equipment. Reifenstahl had much more primitive equipment, therefore the fact that she was able to make such a great Olympic film is a true testament to her mental stamina and creative prowess.
In conclusion, there will never be another Olympic documentary that's as engaging as Leni Reifenstahl's Olympia. I'm not an athlete and I do not care for the Olympics, but I was able to watch this film without being bored. In 1948, long after Hitler's dream had turned to dust, the Olympic Committee honored the filmmaker with a gold medal for her great film effort. Why? Because she's just that damn good. Praise it! 5/5
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