Until recently I stayed far away from the films of Leni Riefenstahl, because of her intimate bonds with the Nazi regime. For whatever reason the fact that someone has made Nazi propaganda is a bigger hurdle to take than the fact that a Russian director has made propaganda movies for Stalin.
With the exception of "Triumph des Willens" (1935), which for me is still a "no go" area, I have decided to take the hurdle. The reason is that the filmic qualities of Riefenstahl can not be denied.
Riefenstahl made two films about the Olympic games of 1936 in Berlin. The first part (which is reviewed here) is called "Festival of Nations", the second part is called "Festival of beauty". Although it can't be denied that the Olympic games of 1936 in Berlin were (mis)used for propaganda purposes, it is not the pure political propaganda of "Triumph des Willens".
"Olympia part 1, Festival of Nations" starts rather daringly. We see images of ancient Greek Gods (Greece being the cradle of the Olympic games) which evolve in aesthetic images of the (often nude) human body.
After a while the film becomes a more conventional documentary, showing the Olympic disciplines one after another. Even in this more conventional part of the movie there are a few things to be amazed about. We see a couple of non German medalwinners bringing the Nazi salute whem their National Anthem is played. In the high jump discipline the athletes jump according to a technique no longer in use.
Apart from that the film becomes more conventional, but not completely conventional. In this part of the film Riefenstahl is still innovative regarding camera angle (aimed to cover the exertion of the athlete to the utmost) and use of slow motion ("Raging bull" (1980, Martin Scorsese) avant la lettre).
With the exception of "Triumph des Willens" (1935), which for me is still a "no go" area, I have decided to take the hurdle. The reason is that the filmic qualities of Riefenstahl can not be denied.
Riefenstahl made two films about the Olympic games of 1936 in Berlin. The first part (which is reviewed here) is called "Festival of Nations", the second part is called "Festival of beauty". Although it can't be denied that the Olympic games of 1936 in Berlin were (mis)used for propaganda purposes, it is not the pure political propaganda of "Triumph des Willens".
"Olympia part 1, Festival of Nations" starts rather daringly. We see images of ancient Greek Gods (Greece being the cradle of the Olympic games) which evolve in aesthetic images of the (often nude) human body.
After a while the film becomes a more conventional documentary, showing the Olympic disciplines one after another. Even in this more conventional part of the movie there are a few things to be amazed about. We see a couple of non German medalwinners bringing the Nazi salute whem their National Anthem is played. In the high jump discipline the athletes jump according to a technique no longer in use.
Apart from that the film becomes more conventional, but not completely conventional. In this part of the film Riefenstahl is still innovative regarding camera angle (aimed to cover the exertion of the athlete to the utmost) and use of slow motion ("Raging bull" (1980, Martin Scorsese) avant la lettre).