Since the 1936 Olympics was pretty much one big propaganda event for Hitler-Germany, this documentary about it can also be seen as a piece of propaganda. You could say that it's just a recording of the event and it doesn't glorify Hitler and Nazism. It show a bit too much of Hitler and his friends than really necessary and it glorifies the German athletes more with its images than with most other athletes is the case. The 1936 were used as a medium to show the supremacy of the Aryan race and show the German athletes as Übermenschen.Besides being known as the Nazi-propaganda Olympics, the 1936 Olympics are of course also known as the Olympics of Jesse Owens. The black American who won 4 golden medals. A clear booing and whistling can also been heard during the first running that he won and during some of his other wins and attempts, while all other athletes got cheered at, no matter were they were from. This didn't only happened to Jesse Owens though, since he of course wasn't the only black athlete at the Olympics who won a medal.They didn't used only footage from the actual Olympics but some of the images were obviously added later into it. I'm not just talking about the movie its intro but also of the actual sporting events. This can be the drop of a spear or discuss and things like that. It's obvious that it's all added later and that the movie is edited in such a way that it's obvious that at times the crowd reactions and all don't really go with the images but for artistic reason it obviously works out well for the movie. It often gives the movie some diversity and more pace as well.The documentary shows the most important attempts and athletes and of course the wins of all events. It often uses multiple camera-angels for this and some slow-motion as well.There is no denying in it that Leni Riefenstahl was a very talented documentary maker though it of course it remains a shame that she mostly used her talent for making Nazi propaganda pieces, despite always having denied she was a Nazi sympathizer herself. It gives her documentaries a bit of a bitter taste, no matter how technical well made and revolutionary they all are. She gets very much appreciated and recognized as a pioneer in documentary making but she also gets hated at the same time. It doesn't really make her documentaries any less great to watch though. It's always something beautiful, renewing and just unforgettable.8/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Olympia 1 (1938) **** (out of 4) German documentary of the 1936 Olympics, which were held in Germany, which was under the rule of Adolph Hitler. Whenever one speaks of director Riefenstahl you must also bring up the fact that she was Hitler's girlfriend, which means her films are always going to draw controversy whether it is deserved or not. For me, I'm going to put her personal life on the back burner and talk about her talent. Her film Triumph of the Will is held as a masterpiece because of the technical beauty, which to me, is the only thing the film has going for it. I found that film extremely hard to get through because you can only listen to Hitler scream and shout for so many minutes even through the beautiful technical qualities. This film here, I had heard, featured more Nazi propaganda but I found that to be an outright lie because this film is clearly a celebration of the sports and the athletes. The Nazi side of things are not on display in this first part and this thing even shows Hitler in a way I had never seen. I was rather shocked that Riefenstahl actually shows all the athletes pretty much the same way. Yes, the German's are highlighted and have a special light shined on them but, to me, this is because this is a German film. This type of thing would happen anywhere depending on which country was shooting the news piece. What also surprised me is how much respect the black athletes, including Jesse Owens, is given and we also hear the American's Nation Anthem at least four times. As for the Hitler scenes, I'm not an expert on the man outside knowing how evil he was so it was somewhat scary seeing him here smiling, cheering and actually talking to people around him where he seems to be having a good time just like any other fan. In a bit of ironic sadness, there is a scene where French soldiers are "heiling" him and of course we know what happened in the future. As for the technical side of things, this film is just downright beautiful and this beauty is what's so captivating. I really couldn't take my eyes off the screen as Riefenstahl captures so much magic and the angles she shoots out are certainly groundbreaking. The editing is also brilliantly done and adds a lot of suspense to the sport events and this technique has certainly been copied by all the sports films that would follow. All the footage with Jesse Owens is probably my favorite as we really get to see what type of excellent athlete he was. The director is certainly going to capture controversy every time one of her films are brought up but I found this movie to be innocent of any crimes and it really is one of the most beautiful ever made.

One of my fondest hopes is that the present-day cinema community has, perhaps, finally become more enlightened by moving beyond its past need to so ignorantly and personally denigrate Ms. Riefenstahl for her "past political sins". For those who have made this important step in maturity, her film "Olympia" may be viewed on its ARTISTIC merit - the finest example of both direction and cinematography ever seen in a documentary. Her pace of action, camera angles, use of scan/sweep, etc. set the standards for modern excellence using the crude technological tools of 1936. Even the most hardened and indifferent sports "fan" cannot fail to be impressed by her consummate skills. For those of a more political bent, I must agree that the film makes a most definite propaganda statement by glorifying a particular ethnicity. However, this glorification is NOT of the German Nazi party, but of the American BLACK ATHLETE. Jesse Owens, Ralph Metcalfe, Mack Robinson, Archie Williams, John Woodruff, Cornelius Johnson, and David Albritton are the unquestionable "stars of the show" as they make literal mincemeat of all their so-called Arian competition. The most touching scene is, after the completion of the long jump competition, when Jesse Owens (American Gold Medalist) and Luz Long (German Silver Medalist) walk arm-in-arm as they begin what later turned into a 24-carat friendship. However, for those of you who continue to "never let the data interfere with your theory" - you have my condolences.

Even though this film is pretty much a propaganda piece, it is still one of the great sports documentaries of all time. Leni Reifenstahl perfectly captures a moment in time when the worlds of sports and politics collide. Hitler was trying to use these games to push his ideology of Aryan superiority, but because of Jesse Owens that idea went down the tubes. But, this film also succeeds because it captures all the great moments of these games. This film is definitely a must see not only for sports fan but for students of history as well.