The film by Leni Riefenstahl documents the 1936 Berlin Olympics. It was split into two parts: “Festival of Nations” and “Festival of Beauty”. It was the first documentary film on the Olympics and introduced new techniques of how to film sports. Unusual camera angles, extreme close-ups and camera tracks in the stadium to view the crowd were groundbreaking advances in the film industry. The Berlin Games were the first games to have the Olympic Torch relay and though the film itself is controversial due to the political nature of the time and the games, the advancements in technology and in the Olympics itself, helps to make the 1936 Olympics truly standout.
Leni Riefenstahl is best known for her film “The Triumph of the Will” which was a Nazi propaganda film. Her friendship with Hitler negatively impacted her career as a film director though some critics say that she is one of the greatest female filmmakers of the 20th century.