Historical Context - Berlin Olympics 1936

• 1931 - decision made to let Germany stage the 1936 Olympics

• 1936 - Hitler was in power; Anti-Semitism was clearly evident - only German Jews were allowed to be excluded from competing

• Olympics and Politics (long history):

• Melbourne 1956 - Soviet invasion of Hungary - water polo!

• Mexico City 1968 - ‘Black power salute’

• Munich 1972 - Israeli athletes murder by Palestinians

• Moscow 1980 - US boycott after Soviet invasion of Afghanistan

• Los Angeles 1984 - Soviet Union boycott

• Boycott in 1936 was considered by Britain, Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, Sweden - all encouraged US to boycott, but they strongly supported Berlin

• Many Jewish athletes chose not to compete

Historical Context - Berlin Olympics 1936

• In Berlin:

• Great chance for Nazi’s to show off

• Anti-semitic signs/media were removed temporarily

• Hundreds of gypsies living in Berlin sent to internment camps

• No expense spared - Olympic Stadium built, plus 150 other ‘Olympic’ buildings

• Highlights:

• Jesse Owen dominates - non-Aryan! - Hitler did not congratulate Owen, but he didn’t congratulate anyone...

• 49 nations competed; Germany was largest team (348); USSR did not attend.

Rise to Prominence - Olympia (1937)

• Film of the 1936 Olympic Games

• ‘Greatest sports documentary film ever made’

• Four hours long - Two films: ‘Festival of the People’ and ‘Festival of Beauty’

• Massive project:

• over 150 crew members

• 42 cameramen (elite crew)

• most had worked on ‘Triumph’

• spent months practising at various sports events

Rise to Prominence - Olympia (1937)

Criticism Evidence Rebuttal

Promotes struggle and victory

Emphasis on physical competition

It’s the Olympics?!

Primacy of raceidealised Aryan

bodies‘Body Beautiful’ - not

simply Aryan

Financing from Goebbels

Olympia-film company was a front

Approached by OC; Leni didn’t know...

Fascist aestheticEmphasis on physical

dominance

Images are smooth; appear effortless; no

‘struggle’

Significance - International Honours & Criticisms

• Awards:

• 1938 German film prize

• Golden Lion Award at the Venice Biennale

• Sweden’s Polar Prize

• gold medal by the International Olympic Committee

• Reception by public:

• wide distribution throughout Europe and was generally well received

• not well received in US - Parisians wanted removal of Hitler/swastika scenes

• promotional tour coincided with Night of Broken Glass - Nov 1938 - Leni refused to believe American reports