Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Very Cool!!!

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

This is "Olympia 1. Teil - Fest der Völker", a German film from 80 years ago. The runtime stated here on IMDb is 2 hours 1 minute, but the version I watched was roughly 115 minutes long "only". The writer and director here is centenarian Leni Riefenstahl. At this point in her career, she had already stopped acting and produced some of the most infamous propaganda films in history. However, this documentary here is nothing like that. Like the title says, it is a celebration of all peoples. I personally felt it started a bit uninteresting, but when the introduction was over and the action moved to the actual event, the 11th Olympic Games from 1936 in Berlin, it gets a really great watch. For me, it was fun to see not only the athletes, but check their names on Google while watching and see what happened to them after the Games, during the war for example. I must say it is a bit disappointing how there is not such a documentary for all Olympic Games these days. The film is fairly neutral. It does show the German victories, but also shows for example the triumphs of African American athlete Jesse Owens, the biggest winner from the 1936 games probably. The documentary starts with the opening ceremony (not counting the prologue) and ends with the closing ceremony that follows the marathon event won by a Japanese athlete. Of course, we do not see Hitler applaud the foreign athletes, especially not the Black ones like Owens, but this would also have been really surprising. Germany wanted to prove themselves as open to the world (of sports), but that would have been too much. I believe this was a very good watch and all the original footage makes it a priceless historic document in terms of sports and politics. The only criticisms I could think of while watching was the lack of sports that weren't athletics, but I see Riefenstahl apparently covered that area in her second film on the subject. A must-see for every aspiring sports journalist. Highly recommended.

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.

I've read that this film, which portrays human beauty and athletic success, serves to justify euthanasia of the weak and infirm. If so, does not Da Vinci's David do the same?My belief is that without the historical context, there would not be a single viewer who would suggest that this is propaganda fostered to support the atrocities of the Nazi Regime. As another reviewer suggests: this is no better than an NFL highlight film.Actually, this is better than an NFL highlight film. Highlight films focus only on isolated moments of peak action. Do most of us prefer to just see the winning basket or the last touchdown? It's the game, the show, the story which gives us pleasure - not just the ending or spectacular feat.The beauty of this film and its companion lies in its crafting. The lighting, the camera angles, the sequencing, the pace - everything is blended to produce a thing of beauty. It's like the chef who creates a feast with the same ingredients we manage to render a barely palatable meal. Leni produces a feast - a beautiful feast!

I first viewed this film at the Museum of Modern Art 35 years ago;I now own it and the years have only added to my astonishment of what a genius Leni is. She took film to a new and higher art form. The Nazi noise does get in the way, but the epic scope and feel of the finished product make it worth viewing. And yes, part one is far superior, but part two is certainly a work of art also. It is a masterpiece. Would that she had done more. She is a most fascinating artist.