Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations
1938 · Movie · NR · 127 min · ★ 6.9 · 82% critics
This documentary opens with a lyrical prelude linking the modern Olympics to ancient Greece, then follows a wide range of competitions from the 1936 Summer Games in Germany. It celebrates athletic performance and endurance across twenty-one events, building toward the marathon.
Based on 1936 Summer Olympics
Also known as Olympia: The Film of the XI. Olympic Games Berlin, 1936 · The Olympiad
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Details
- Original title
- Olympia - Fest der Völker
- Years
- 1938
- Release date
- 1938-04-21
- Language
- German
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 127 min
- Critic score
- 82/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.9/10 (123 votes)
About
You may like this if you’re curious about Olympic history and documentaries shaped by their era, especially if Triumph of the Will interests you as historical context; Not for you if propaganda framing or older presentation styles put you off.
Pros: remarkable historical record; strong athletic focus; stirring opening | Cons: clear propaganda context; rushed event coverage; uneven audio quality
Themes
- nazi
- sports
- olympic games
- national socialism
- national socialist party
- beauty
- xenophobia
- woman director
- nsdap (nazi party)
- professional athlete
- poetic documentary
Cast & crew
David Albritton
as Self - High Jump, USA (uncredited)
- AA
Arvo Askola
as Self - 10000 Metres, Finland (uncredited)
Jack Beresford
as Self - Carries British Flag (uncredited)
- EB
Erwin Blask
as Self - Hammer Throw, Germany (uncredited)
- SB
Sulo Bärlund
as Self - Shot Put, Finland (uncredited)
- IC
Ibolya Csák
as Self - High Jump, Hungary (uncredited)
- GC
Glenn Cunningham
as Self (uncredited)
Henri de Baillet-Latour
as Self - IOC, Stands with Hitler, with Hurdlers (uncredited)
Philip Edwards
as Self - 800 Metres, Canada (uncredited)
Donald Finlay
as Self - 110m Hurdles, Great Britain (uncredited)
Directed by Leni Riefenstahl