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MONEY
Did you know
Shot for just $0.6M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations
1938 2h 7m DE
👍
6.9
SOLID
🍅
89%
FRESH
⭐
7.7
IMDB
★6.9TMDB · 127🍅89%Rotten Tomatoes★7.7IMDB · 5,359
Documentary
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
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.
“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”
Cast
David Albritton
Self - High Jump, USA (uncredited)
Arvo Askola
Self - 10000 Metres, Finland (uncredited)
Jack Beresford
Self - Carries British Flag (uncredited)
Erwin Blask
Self - Hammer Throw, Germany (uncredited)
Sulo Bärlund
Self - Shot Put, Finland (uncredited)
Ibolya Csák
Self - High Jump, Hungary (uncredited)
Glenn Cunningham
Self (uncredited)
Henri de Baillet-Latour
Self - IOC, Stands with Hitler, with Hurdlers (uncredited)
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Leni Riefenstahl
- Writers
- Leni Riefenstahl
- Languages
- German, Italian, Japanese, French, English, Portuguese
- Countries
- Germany
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
2 / 8
ERA
Did you know
88 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
MoodPlayr · trivia#02
3 / 8
WORLD
Did you know
Dialogue crosses 6 languages: German, Italian, Japanese, French, English, Portuguese.
MoodPlayr · trivia#03
4 / 8
CINEMA
Did you know
Part of the "Olympia Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
MoodPlayr · trivia#04
5 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by Leni Riefenstahl, shot by Hans Ertl. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr · trivia#05
6 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by Herbert Windt. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr · trivia#06
7 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Leni Riefenstahl shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr · trivia#07
8 / 8
CAST
Did you know
David Albritton and Arvo Askola and Jack Beresford carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr · trivia#08
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Leni Riefenstahl directs. Hans Ertl behind the camera. Herbert Windt scores. Leni Riefenstahl cuts. Produced in Germany. Dialogue in German, Italian, Japanese, French, English, Portuguese.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 1Shot for just $0.6M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
- 288 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
- 3Dialogue crosses 6 languages: German, Italian, Japanese, French, English, Portuguese.
- 4Part of the "Olympia Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
- 5Directed by Leni Riefenstahl, shot by Hans Ertl. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 6Original score by Herbert Windt. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 7Editor Leni Riefenstahl shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 8David Albritton and Arvo Askola and Jack Beresford carry the top of the cast.
- 9IMDB entry: tt0030522 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 10Classified under 11 themes, including "nazi", "sports", "olympic games", "national socialism".
- 11Released under 18 different titles around the world.
The technical file
- Cinematography
- Hans Ertl
- Original score
- Herbert Windt
- Editing
- Leni Riefenstahl
- Runtime
- 127 min · 2h 7m
- Aspect ratio (typical)
- 1.37:1 (Academy)
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $550,000
- Original language
- DE
- Certification (US)
- NR
- Rotten Tomatoes
- 89% 🍅 Fresh
- IMDB rating
- 7.7/10 · 5,359 votes
- MPAA
- Not Rated
Awards
2 wins
- Mussolini Cup
Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.
Part of
Olympia Collection
Commissioned to make a propaganda film about the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany, director Leni Riefenstahl created a celebration of the human form. Part one, Festival of the Nations, captures a renowned introduction that compares modern Olympians to classical Greek heroes, and goes on to provide thrilling in-the-moment coverage of some of the games' most celebrated moments, including African-American athlete Jesse Owens winning a then-unprecedented four gold medals. Part two, The Festival of Beauty, concentrates on individual athletes such as equestrians, gymnasts, and swimmers, climaxing with American Glenn Morris' performance in the decathalon and the games' majestic closing ceremonies.
Also by
Leni Riefenstahl
Stills · wallpapers
Selected frames
Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.
Production companies
Who made it
- OL
Olympia-Film GmbH
DE
Key crew
- ProducerLeni Riefenstahl
- EditorLeni Riefenstahl
- Production ManagerWalter Traut
- Assistant EditorErna Peters
- Assistant CameraLuggi Waldleitner
- Camera OperatorGeorg Fleischmann
- MusicWalter Gronostay
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- nazi
- sports
- olympic games
- national socialism
- national socialist party
- beauty
- xenophobia
- woman director
- nsdap (nazi party)
- professional athlete
- poetic documentary
Release history · US
When it landed
- Theatrical1940-03-08NR
Also known as
International titles
- 올림피아 1부: 민족의 제전KR
- Olympia 1. Teil - Fest der VölkerDE
- Olympia 1. Teil - Götter des StadionsDE
- De goden van het stadionBE
- Les dieux du stadeBE
- Les dieux du stadeFR
- Olympia - Fest der Völker - Erster Film von den Olympischen Spielen Berlin 1936DE
- XI OlympiasGR
- Olimpia, 1. rész - Népek ünnepeHU
- OlimpiaIT
- Minzoku no saiten - Olympia Dai ichi buJP
- Olimpiada, część I - Święto narodówPL
- Olympia, Ídolos do EstádioPT
- ОлимпияSU
- Olympia: The Film of the XI. Olympic Games Berlin, 1936GB
