Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations (1938)

6.9/10 127 min Documentary

Overview

Starting with a long and lyrical overture, evoking the origins of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece, Riefenstahl covers twenty-one athletic events in the first half of this two-part love letter to the human body and spirit, culminating with the marathon, where Jesse Owens became the first track and field athlete to win four gold medals in a single Olympics.

Cast

David Albritton

Self - High Jump, USA (uncredited)

Jack Beresford

Self - Carries British Flag (uncredited)

Henri de Baillet-Latour

Self - IOC, Stands with Hitler, with Hurdlers (uncredited)

Philip Edwards

Self - 800 Metres, Canada (uncredited)

Donald Finlay

Self - 110m Hurdles, Great Britain (uncredited)

Joseph Goebbels

Self - Spectator (uncredited)

Hermann Göring

Self - Spectator (uncredited)

Rudolf Hess

Self - Stands with Hitler (uncredited)

Adolf Hitler

Self - Declares Games Open (uncredited)

Recommendations

Olympia Part Two: Festival of Beauty
Mountain
I Am Ali
RBG
Riefenstahl
Naqoyqatsi
The War Room
Powaqqatsi
The Class of ‘92
Diego Maradona
Fed Up
Jane Fonda in Five Acts
Air Force Elite: Thunderbirds
Red Army
Pumping Iron
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey
Anselm
Love, Marilyn
Hitler: A Career
The Crash Reel