Human form, perseverance, triumph and defeat in track and field is shown as a true art form here. The opening in Greek ruins is a masterpiece of composition and editing, the opening ceremonies are very telling and every event is shot with a perfect mixture of the athletes and the spectators. The propagandist aspects show themselves from time to time but they're easy to put in context and in no way distract from the beauty of the whole.

Jesse Owens puts everyone to shame. Take THAT Hitler!

486

#517

an arresting meditation on atheletics......fluid undulations of muscle, sinew and bone.....nifty dugout shots that Mr. Toland borrowed a couple years later, if I'm not mistaken.

Ever wonder where the modern art of televised sport was invented? Watch this film. Riefenstahl was so perfect in filming the athletic events that they still use the same techniques to this day.

443

# 453

It seems like this film tried really hard to be Nazi propaganda (though that assumption seems mostly based just on Riefenstahl being the director), but the results of the Olympics prevented that. It's held up fairly well over time, and really does manage to capture some of the thrill of the Olympics.

Works as a logistically influential sports document, with imaginative shot composition and smooth editing, but I also found the irony of the whole situation to be somewhat intriguing (in a horrible demented way I'll admit). The Olympics represent something profoundly positive about human nature, encouraging tolerance and global unity but hosted in the country that was already on its way to destroying any progress gives the film an uneasy but fascinating feeling.

A masterpiece of filmmaking technique. Each part begins with a lengthy prologue, a lyrical wordless montage celebrating the human form. And the footage of the events themselves, although a bit repetitive at times, is for the most part filmed beautifully... a tribute to athleticism, often employing slo-mo and dramatic angles to capture bodies in motion. The film ends with a spectacular diving montage. It seems difficult to interpret the film as propoganda. It felt very even-handed to me.