OLYMPIA [Main Title]

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  • Title: OLYMPIA [Main Title]
  • Film Number: GWY 1153
  • Other titles: OLYMPIAD FESTIVAL OF THE NATIONS. BERLIN 1936 [Alternative Title] THE FILM OF THE XI OLYMPIC GAMES BERLIN 1936 [Alternative Title]
  • Summary: Artistic documentary record of the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Leni Riefenstahl.
  • Description: Film of the 1936 Olympic Games in two parts. PART ONE (Reel 1) Prologue, evoking the classical past and celebrating the power and beauty of the human body - classical ruins, the Parthenon, statues of Greek gods including a statue of a classical discus thrower the image of which is mixed with film of a live discus thrower (the German athlete Erwin Huber), images of men throwing the discus, putting the shot and throwing the javelin. The prologue continues with a montage of images of naked female dancers ending with the superimposition of a flame which is then mixed with images of the sacred flame at Olympia. (Reel 2) Prologue, continued, a sustained sequence using maps, models and superimpositions to depict the journey of the Olympic torch from Greece to Germany. Aerial shots of the Olympic Stadium mixed with shots of the Olympic Bell, followed by shots of spectators in the stand making the Nazi salute, Sieg Heil. Scenes of the Opening Ceremony (1/8/1936). The processional entry of the Olympic teams is interspersed with shots of Adolf Hitler. The last team to enter, in accordance with Olympic tradition, is the German (host nation) team. Adolf Hitler makes a short speech declaring the Eleventh Olympic Games open. Scenes of an Olympic runner carrying the Olympic flame running through Berlin, with shots of the Brandenburg Gate and streets lined with enthusiastic onlookers. Another Olympic torch-bearer, (the German athlete Fritz Schilgen), enters the stadium, climbs the steps and lights the Olympic Flame. (Reel 3) The conclusion of the Opening Ceremony. Shots of commentators speaking in six languages superimposed over images of the crowds, including film of Howard Marshall the narrator of this English version of the film. Part one continues with coverage of the track and field events beginning with the Men's Discus and the Women's Discus. (Reel 4) Women's 80 metres Hurdles, Throwing the Hammer (with brief shots of Adolf Hitler, Joseph Goebbels and Hermann Goering looking on), Men's 100 metres won by Jesse Owens of USA. (Reel 5) Women's High Jump (including slow-motion footage), Men's 400 metres won by Archie Williams of USA. (Reel 6) Putting the Weight (ie shot), with a brief shot of Hermann Goering and Adolf Hitler watching through binoculars and Adolf Hitler clapping enthusiastically for the German winner Hans Wöllke), Men's 800 metres, the Hop Step and Jump (ie Triple Jump). (Reel 7) Men's Long Jump which culminates in a competition between two athletes, Jesse Owens of USA and Lutz Long of Germany. The winner of the Long Jump was Jesse Owens. Men's 1,500 metres, (coverage of this event is in one long shot from a camera located high in the stadium). (Reel 8) Men's High Jump beginning with shots of the athletes limbering up before the competition. Men's 100 metres Hurdles. (Reel 9) Throwing the Javelin (Joseph Goebbels and Hermann Goering applaud the German winner Gerhard Stock), Men's 10,000 metres (shot of Adolf Hitler as an agitated spectator) concluding with shots of Adolf Hitler and the crowd giving the Nazi Salute, Sieg Heil, to the three Finnish flags raised for the victors (1st Ilmari Salminen, 2nd Arvo Askola, 3rd Volmari Iso-Hollo). (Reel 10) Pole Vault, (this event continued into the evening and Leni Riefenstahl was not allowed to use bright lights necessary to film in the dark conditions so unable to film the final confrontation between the five athletes, three Americans and two Japanese. All five athletes and the Olympics officials agreed to restage the event for the cameras the next day.) The Pole Vault was won by the American Earle Meadows. (Reel 11) Women's 4 x 100 (400) metres Relay with shots of Adolf Hitler as an enthusiastic spectator, Men's 4 x 100 (400) metres Relay (including Jesse Owens as part of the winning USA team), Men's 4 x 400 (1600) metres Relay. (Reel 12) Shots of the Olympic Stadium. The Marathon, coverage of the start of the race, athletes running through crowded Berlin streets, a refreshment point, Juan Carlos Zabala of Argentina leading, Kitei Son of Japan running with Ernie Harper of Great Britain, the half-way turning point (13 miles) and the return of the athletes to the stadium. (Reel 13) Conclusion of the Marathon, athletes entering the stadium and shots of winners and others crossing the finishing line (1st Kitei Son - Japan, 2nd Ernie Harper - Great Britain, 3rd Shoryu Nan - Japan ). Part One ends with a mass flag-waving display and a short montage of Olympic emblems and the Olympic Bell. PART TWO (Reel 14) Prologue, shot in an around the Olympic Village. The Prologue opens with atmospheric dawn shots around the lake - water, leaves, a spider's web, a beetle and a heron. The Prologue continues with shots of male athletes jogging beside the lake, running into the woodlands, naked male athletes running from the lake to a sauna, scenes inside the sauna and on the wooden balcony overlooking the lake. Montage of images of the individual athletes from many nations exercising and practising their skills in preparation for the Games. Brief view of the packed Olympic Stadium, followed by the processional entry of the women's and men's gymnastic teams. (Reel 15) Women's Gymnastics, exercises on the horse, beam and parallel bars Men's Gymnastics, exercises on the mat, horse, rings, parallel bars and high bar. (Reel 16) The reel begins with brief coverage of the women's gymnastics display (eurhythmics), beginning with some close-up shots of one woman and then of a small group of women moving in unison and then moving in unison swinging clubs (not filmed in the Olympic Stadium), cutting to film of wider and wider overhead shots showing the mass gymnastics display in the Olympic Stadium. Olympic Harbour (Kiel) with shots of numerous boats of different nationalities in the harbour. Coverage of three Yacht races - Olympic monotype class, International Star class and six metres class, with brief scenes of Adolf Hitler watching the races from onboard ship. (Reel 17) The (Modern) Pentathlon - film of three of the five events only, cross-country riding, pistol shooting and the cross-country running. (Reel 18) Men's Hockey, Polo and the Association Football (soccer) final between Italy and Austria (before the kick-off both teams line up and give the Nazi Salute, Sieg Heil). (Reel 19) Three Day Riding (ie Eventing) - coverage of the steeple chase and the cross-country race (with extensive footage taken at two jumps). No footage of the dressage. The German team won the team event and the German rider Ludwig Stubbendorf won the individual event on Nurmi. (Reel 20) Cycling 100 kilometres Road Race, (which took place around Potsdam, to the east of Berlin). Rowing, (which took place at Grünau, to the south-east of Berlin), coverage of the Double Sculls, Coxswainless (ie coxless) Fours and the Eights. (The sequence covering the final of the Eights includes footage shot by Heinz von Jaworsky inside the boats before the race.) (Reel 21) Views of the crowded Olympic Stadium. Shot of English commentator Howard Marshall. The Decathlon, film of the first day's events, 100 metres, Long Jump, Putting the Weight (ie shot), High Jump, and 400 metres. Film of the second day of the Decathalon, 110 metres Hurdles, Discus and Pole Vault. (Reel 22) Decathalon continued, Pole Vault, Javelin and 1500 metres (the 1500 metres race was run in the evening without sufficient natural light for filming. Leni Riefenstahl restaged the final lap with the co-operation of Glenn Morris of the USA, Erwin Huber of Germany and other competitors.) The Decathalon sequence ends with a shot of the American flag superimposed over film of the winner Glenn Morris. Women's Springboard Diving, sequence covering the diving competition with some slow-motion and underwater shots. (Some of the shots used were taken before and after the actual competition.). The winner, 16 year old Marjorie Gestring of USA is seen signing autographs at the poolside. Swimming - Men's 200 metres Breast Stroke (including some competitors using butterfly stoke), concluding with close-up shots of the winner Tetsuo Hamoru of Japan in the water as he is told he has won. (Reel 23) Swimming - Men's 100 metres Freestyle and Women's 100 metres Freestyle. Men's Springboard Diving - a particularly impressive sequence with the imaginative use of slow-motion, underwater filming, unusual angles, fine editing, reverse shots, music and no commentary. This impressionistic sequence is not a record of the actual competition but a tribute to the beauty and athleticism of the divers. (Many of the shots included were filmed after the competition.) (Reel 24) Depiction Closing Ceremony (16/8/1936) shot in a studio using model shots and simulation of the effect of the searchlights' colonnade of light. Film ends with a montage of flags and the Olympic Flame.
  • Alternative Title: OLYMPIAD FESTIVAL OF THE NATIONS. BERLIN 1936 [Alternative Title] THE FILM OF THE XI OLYMPIC GAMES BERLIN 1936 [Alternative Title]
  • Colour: B&W
  • Digitised:
  • Object_Number: GWY 1153
  • Sound: Sound
  • Access Conditions: NON-IWM
  • Featured Period: 1919-1938
  • Production Date: 1938
  • Production Country: Germany
  • Production Details: Olympiade Film GmbH (Production company) Riefenstahl, Leni1902-08-222003-09-08 (Production individual) Riefenstahl, Leni1902-08-222003-09-08 (Production individual) Riefenstahl, Leni1902-08-222003-09-08 (Production individual) Traut, Walter (Production individual) Groskopf, Walter (Production individual) Kiekebusch, Arthur (Production individual) Fichtner, Rudolph (Production individual) Boenisch, Konstantin (Production individual) Zielke, Willy (Production individual) Ertl, Hans (Production individual) Frentz, Walter (Production individual) Lantschner, Gustav "Guzzi" (Production individual) von Jaworsky, Heinz (Production individual) Neubert, Kurt (Production individual) Scheib, Hans (Production individual) von Barsy, Andor (Production individual) Basse, Wilfred (Production individual) Dietze, Josef (Production individual) Epkens, Edmund (Production individual) von Friedl, Fritz (Production individual) Gottschalk, Hans (Production individual) Groschopp, Richard (Production individual) Hameister, Wilhelm (Production individual) Hart, Wolf (Production individual) Hartnagel, Hasso (Production individual) Hege, Walter (Production individual) von der Heyden, Eberhard (Production individual) Höcht, Albert (Production individual) Holzki, Paul (Production individual) Hundhausen, Werner (Production individual) von Kaweczynski, Hugo (Production individual) Kebelmann, Herbert (Production individual) Ketterer, Sepp (Production individual) Kiepenheuer, Wolfgang (Production individual) Kling, Albery (Production individual) Kunstmann (Production individual) de Laforgue, Leo (Production individual) von Lagorio, Alexander (Production individual) Lamberti, Eduardo (Production individual) Lantschner, Otto (Production individual) Lemke, Waldemar (Production individual) Lemki, Georg (Production individual) Linke, C A (Production individual) Nitzschmann, Erich (Production individual) Schattmann, Albert (Production individual) Schmidt, Wilhelm (Production individual) Schulze, Hugo (Production individual) Schwedler, Leo (Production individual) Siegert, Alfred (Production individual) Siehm, Wilhelm Georg (Production individual) Sorge, Ernst (Production individual) von Stovlinski, Helmuth (Production individual) Vass, Karl (Production individual) Windt, Herbert (Production individual) Windt, Herbert (Production individual) Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Production individual) Michel, Max (Production individual) Lüdke, Johannes (Production individual) Heyne, Arnfried (Production individual) Brüning, Wolfgang (Production individual) Lantschner, Otto (Production individual) Peters, Erna (Production individual) Herlth, Robert (Production individual) Schulze, Siegfried (Production individual) Storr, Hermann (Production individual) Marshall, Howard Percival1900-08-221973-10-27 (Production cast)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations:
  • Keywords: recreation, international civilian - sport : Olympics (1936) (event)
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W Sound format: Sound Soundtrack language: English Title language: German Subtitle language: English
  • Technical Details: Format: 35mm Number of items/reels/tapes: 24 Footage: 19665 ft; Running time: 215 mins
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    GWY 1153

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