Olympia

BFI Film Classics

by Taylor Downing

Leni Riefenstahl's Olympia is one of the most controversial films ever made. Capitalizing on the success of Triumph of the Will, her propaganda film for the Nazi Party, Riefenstahl secured Hitler's approval for her grandiose plans to film the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The result was a work as notorious for its politics as celebrated for its aesthetic power. Taylor Downing provides an indispensable guide to this major work of film documentary. He gives the full story of how Riefenstahl negotiated relative independence from the Nazi authorities by pitting Hitler against Goebbels, the propaganda minister, who wanted complete control. Downing also gives a filmmaker's insights into the logistical and technical problems thrown up by managing a production which employed nearly forty cameramen to shoot 400,000 metres of film. He concludes that though its political effect was to glorify Nazi achievements, the film undeniably set the standard for Olympic filmmaking for the next five decades.

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am probably underrating this, but it seems to me a rare misfire in this generally solid series. As someone who has filmed Olympic events, Downing offers a unique perspective and provides some interesting technical detail about lenses and film speed as well of intimate knowledge of the events and athletes. But I have to feel that an account of Leni Reifenstahl's massively influential film, even as compact as this one is, requires something more than an assessment of whether "the film fully lives up to the moment itself." The moment itself was already more than a half century in the past when Downing was writing twenty years ago, so there can be few witnesses left to disagree with him. Who comes to the film today with this as their primary concern?

The aesthetic of a film that whose influence in that half century can be felt in everything from Herbert List to Mapplethorpe to Bruce Weber and itself did not come from nowhere deserves a more thoughtful and critical consideration than trite statements like: "The Olympic Games are about striving and struggle, endurance and achievement. 'Olympia' catches this spirit in countless moments of effort and triumph. Riefenstahl makes of these moments a magnificent vision of the Games and her work adds up a unique achievement in the history of the cinema."

I know it's pointless to wish that a writer had written the book you wanted instead of the one they wrote, but I really expected more from this.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives a great explanation as to why this film was so impressive for its time. Everything from the technical advances (new types of cameras were created just for this project) to the historical context (Riefenstahl was able to have creative control due to her being respected by Hitler). It also sheds light on Riefenstahl's involvement in the Nazi party, and why this particular film shouldn't be dismissed as propaganda.

[P.D. Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent introduction to the context & content of this controversial film. New revised edition published in 2012.