**** (4 stars)
Olympia 1. Teil - Fest der Volker (1938) [Festival of Peoples]
Olympia 2. Teil - Fest der Schonheit (1938) [Festival of Beauty]
Genre: Documentary/Sport
201 minutes - Unrated
Director: Leni Riefenstahl
Outline: Olympia is the depiction by famed female German film director Leni Riefenstahl of the 1936 Olympic games in Berlin just prior to World War II. They were the first Olympic games to be filmed.
Best Audience: The film is very long but very artful. There is limited audio. There is also some tasteful nudity that is not obscene in any way. Still it is a film probably only appreciated by older audiences or lovers of documentary film.
My Review: Olympia is one of the greatest works by Riefenstahl. It was groundbreaking in film technique and left a lasting mark on documentary film, and film in general. The simplicity, beautiful score, and artistic shots of the athletes in motion are quite beautiful, in particular some of the diving scenes in the second part of the documentary. Perhaps the most memorable and famous content in the film, however, is Jesse Owens winning four gold medals and the look on the face of Adolf Hitler (who was in attendance). A masterpiece of early documentary film.
(Riefenstahl - pictured)
**** (4 stars)
Triumph des Willens (1935) [Triumph of the Will]
Genre: Documentary/Propaganda
110 minutes - Unrated
Director: Leni Riefenstahl
Outline: In 1934 Adolf Hitler commissioned film director Leni Riefenstahl to create a propaganda piece for the Third Reich. The film covered the events of the famous sixth Nuremberg Party Congress. Hitler served as an executive producer of the project, which was a commercial success as well as spreading propaganda.
Best Audience: WWII buffs, history channel watchers, even educators will find this film extraordinary. It is not extremely exciting as much as it is interesting and the film work is absolutely superb. Not objectionable for young teens.
My Review: Triumph of the Will is easily the most famous piece of film propaganda of all time. It's creation prompted an American propaganda series as a response during World War II overseen by Frank Capra and entitled Why We Fight. Riefenstahl, who won many awards for her work, did an unmatched job at capturing the Nuremberg rally and creating a beautifully one-sided look at the Third Reich. The film reeks of themes of power, unity, national pride, and grandeur, but as Nazi power is over, it is not so much distasteful as it is interesting. If you watch the History Channel you have seen clips from this movie, almost guaranteed. It is a famous piece of cinema and arguably Riefenstahl's crowning achievement. Along with Olympia these films do not have high entertainment value, but they are groundbreaking documentary classics and well-crafted art.
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