Olympia (1938 film)

Olympia
Part 1 poster
Directed by	Leni Riefenstahl
Written by	Leni Riefenstahl
Produced by	Leni Riefenstahl
Cinematography	Paul Holzki
Edited by	Leni Riefenstahl
Music by	Herbert Windt Walter Gronostay Richard Strauss
Production company	Olympia-Film
Distributed by	Tobis
Release date	20 April 1938 (1938-04-20)
Running time	226 minutes
Country	Germany
Language	German
Budget	2.35 million ℛ︁ℳ︁

Part of a series on

1936 Summer Olympics Venues Opening ceremony (torch relay) Medal table (medallists, German Olympic Decoration) Organisation (Hans von Tschammer und Osten, Carl Diem) Concerns and controversies In culture: Berlin 36, Charlie Chan at the Olympics, March Violets, Olympia, Olympische Hymne IOC NSRL

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Olympia is a 1938 German documentary film written, directed and produced by Leni Riefenstahl, which documented the 1936 Summer Olympics, held in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin during the Nazi period. The film was released in two parts: Olympia 1. Teil — Fest der Völker (Festival of Nations) (126 minutes) and Olympia 2. Teil — Fest der Schönheit (Festival of Beauty) (100 minutes). The 1936 Summer Olympics torch relay, as devised for the Games by the secretary general of the Organizing Committee, Dr. Carl Diem, is shown in the film.

Olympia is controversial due to its political context and propaganda value. However, the techniques Riefenstahl employed are almost universally admired and had a lasting influence on film and television coverage of sport events. Olympia appears on many lists of the greatest films of all time, including Time magazine's "All-Time 100 Movies".^[1]