In 1936, the Olympic Games were staged in Berlin. For Hitler, it was an irresistible opportunity to stage an unprecedented display of Nazi pageantry for all the world to see. Germany's leading film director, Leni Riefenstahl, was commissioned by the Nazis to make a permanent film record of the events. What she produced was nothing less than one of the most disturbing and powerful documentary films of all time. In one way a straightforward account of the games, Riefenstahl's brilliant film is instead of a pagan celebration of the human body and human achievement utilizing devastatingly clever camerawork and editing. Her enthusiasm for the sheer beauty and human drama of the event brought her into conflict with her Nazi masters, who were furious that she saw fit to include film of a black athlete, Jesse Owens, beating white competitors in track events. A great international success at the time, Olympia was recognized as standing head and shoulders above conventional newsreel reporting and remains one of the most important and influential documentaries ever made. This listing is for the English version of the German motion picture Olympische Spiele, first released in 1936. Read a review by Steve Rhodes that he wrote in 1995. Many companies have released this film footage, therefore you will find numerous images of the cover art for this film. See Olympia: Part Two- Festival of Beauty.
