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A study of one of the most controversial films ever made, Leni Riefenstahl's "Olympia", incorporating discussion of new material related to the film and new archival information about its development.
Synopsis
In this new edition Taylor Downing provides an indispensible guide to one of the most controversial films ever made, Leni Riefenstahl's Olympia. Incorporating discussion of new material and new archival information about its development, Downing also gives a film-maker's insights into the logistical and technical problems faced by the production.
Book Details
Publisher:
BFI PUBLISHING
Publication Date:
13-Feb-2012
ISBN:
9781844574704
Guardian review
Olympia by Taylor Downing review
the guardian Tue 24 April 2012
First published in 1992, this is a timely updated edition of film-maker Downing's excellent study of Leni Riefenstahl's controversial documentary about the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Downing has himself filmed at two Olympic Games and it's clear he admires the artistic achievement of Olympia. Since the first edition, the notoriously litigious Riefenstahl has died, allowing for a more balanced assessment of her life and work. Riefenstahl claimed she was politically naive and was asked to make the film by the IOC. The latter is a "fabrication". Hitler personally asked her to make Olympia and approved generous funding. Throughout the making of it she had a "hot line" to Hitler, although she never got on with Goebbels who said she was a "wild woman". The premiere was on Hitler's 49th birthday, 20 April 1938. Downing concludes that although she was not trying to promote the values of the Nazis, Olympia remains "an intensely political film". Nevertheless, it transcends the politics to become "one of the best, if not the best, sports film ever made".