Jeux Olympiques / Berlin / 1936 / Leni Riefenstahl / Les Dieux du Stade (Olympia)
Summary
TLDRThe script discusses Leni Riefenstahl's groundbreaking film 'Olympia,' commissioned by the Nazi regime as a propaganda tool. Financed entirely by the state through a front company, the film was a massive production, costing 2 million Reich marks. Riefenstahl's innovative filming techniques, such as using low angles and slow motion, captured the beauty and power of athletes, regardless of their race. Despite the film's artistic achievements, it also served to glorify the Nazi's Aryan ideals. The script also hints at Hitler's initial reluctance to attend the 1936 Olympics, but his eventual change of heart after Germany's early successes. The summary also touches on the complex character of Hitler, as described by Ambassador André François Poncet.
Takeaways
- 🎬 Leni Riefenstahl directed 'Olympia', a film about the 1936 Berlin Olympics, showcasing athletic prowess and the beauty of the human form.
- 💰 The film was fully financed by the government, which saw it as an excellent propaganda tool, despite the illusion of its independence through a company called 'Ecran'.
- 📈 The production was massive, costing 2 million Reich marks, four times the budget of a typical film at the time, and involved up to 60 camera operators for key moments.
- 📹 Riefenstahl's innovative filming techniques included digging trenches for ground-level shots, using moving cameras on rails, and slow-motion to capture the athletes' movements and expressions.
- 🏆 The film 'Olympia' celebrates not just the competitions but also the beauty, strength, and grace of the athletes, regardless of their race or nationality.
- 🤹♀️ Riefenstahl was involved in every aspect of the production, striving to capture every moment, making her the 'goddess of the stadium games'.
- 🎞️ The film required extensive post-production work, including two years of editing and the development of 400,000 meters of film from 250 hours of footage.
- 🎨 'Olympia' is not just a film about the games but also a cinematic achievement, showcasing Riefenstahl's mastery of visual storytelling and her ability to create a spectacle.
- 🎭 Despite the grandeur of the film, it subtly omits the key figure of Adolf Hitler, who was initially reluctant to attend the games but changed his mind after Germany's early success.
- 👥 The film also faced conflicts with officials and had to recreate missed events, sometimes fabricating moments to ensure a complete narrative.
- 👁️ The portrayal of Hitler in the script is complex, describing him as having three distinct faces reflecting different aspects of his nature: a troubled dreamer, a passionate and violent leader, and a simple, naive man.
Q & A
Who is Leni Riefenstahl and what was her role in the production of 'Olympia'?
-Leni Riefenstahl was a German film director, producer, and editor, known for her work during the Nazi era. She was commissioned to direct and produce 'Olympia', a film documenting the 1936 Olympic Games, which she claimed was fully financed by the Nazi regime as an excellent advertisement for their age.
Why did the Nazi regime decide to finance 'Olympia' entirely?
-The Nazi regime decided to finance 'Olympia' entirely because they believed that the film would serve as an excellent advertisement for their era and that it fell under the jurisdiction of their ministry, which was done through a company called 'Ecran', creating the illusion of the film's independence.
What was the cost of producing 'Olympia'?
-The production of 'Olympia' cost 2 million Reich marks, which was four times the budget of a typical film of that time.
How many people were involved in the making of 'Olympia'?
-The production team for 'Olympia' consisted of 300 people working continuously throughout the process.
How much film was used in the making of 'Olympia'?
-Four hundred thousand meters of film were used in the making of 'Olympia', with 250 hours of footage shot.
How long did it take to edit 'Olympia'?
-It took two years to edit 'Olympia'.
What innovative filming techniques did Leni Riefenstahl use in 'Olympia'?
-Leni Riefenstahl used several innovative filming techniques in 'Olympia', such as digging trenches in the stadium to film at ground level, using a camera on a dolly to capture movement, filming in slow motion, and employing giant telephoto lenses to capture details of javelins, weights, and discs being thrown.
What was the approach to filming events that were missed or needed to be reshot in 'Olympia'?
-Leni Riefenstahl would sometimes reconstruct missed events with the athletes themselves, recreating the scenes and even staging moments from scratch if necessary, to ensure that no detail was missed.
How did Leni Riefenstahl's portrayal of the 1936 Olympics differ from the actual events?
-Leni Riefenstahl's portrayal of the 1936 Olympics in 'Olympia' was highly stylized and aimed to celebrate the beauty of the athletes' bodies and the spirit of the sporting event, often omitting or reconstructing events to fit her artistic vision.
What was the perception of the 1936 Olympics after watching 'Olympia'?
-After watching 'Olympia', the perception of the 1936 Olympics was that of a sublime competition between the best athletes, a beautiful interlude in history, and one of the most beautiful Olympic Games.
How did Leni Riefenstahl's film 'Olympia' influence the portrayal of sports in cinema?
-Leni Riefenstahl's 'Olympia' had a significant influence on the portrayal of sports in cinema by introducing innovative filming techniques and a focus on the beauty and power of the athletes' bodies, as well as the choreography of their movements.
Outlines
🎬 Leni Riefenstahl's Olympia: A Cinematic Masterpiece
This paragraph discusses Leni Riefenstahl's groundbreaking film 'Olympia,' which was fully funded by the Nazi regime as a form of propaganda. The film was intended to showcase the physical prowess and racial hygiene of the athletes, transcending the actual competitions. Riefenstahl's innovative filming techniques, such as using multiple cameras, filming at ground level, and employing slow motion, contributed to the film's cinematic excellence. Despite the controversies and conflicts during production, 'Olympia' has been remembered as one of the most beautiful Olympic Games, with Riefenstahl's work being both a celebration of the human body and a testament to the power of cinema.
🏅 Leni Riefenstahl: The Goddess of the Stadium Games
In this paragraph, Leni Riefenstahl is portrayed as an omnipresent figure during the filming of 'Olympia,' capturing every aspect of the games. Her role as a director was integral to the creation of a monumental spectacle that blurred the lines between the actual 1936 Olympics and the film itself. The narrative also touches on Adolf Hitler's initial reluctance to attend the games, fearing a lack of German victories, but his eventual change of heart after the first day's success. Additionally, the paragraph delves into the complex character of Hitler, as described by Ambassador André François Poncet, highlighting three distinct aspects of his personality: a troubled, absent look; a passionate and violent demeanor; and a naive, rustic, and common appearance.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Leni Riefenstahl
💡Olympia
💡Reich Marks
💡Cinematography
💡Nazi Propaganda
💡Independence
💡Hitler
💡Body Aesthetics
💡Mass Spectacle
💡Cinematographic Techniques
💡Staging
Highlights
Leni Riefenstahl directed 'Olympia', a film about the 1936 Berlin Olympics, showcasing athletic prowess and the beauty of physical movement.
The film was fully financed by Joseph Goebbels, who saw it as excellent propaganda for the Nazi regime.
Despite the illusion of independence, the film was funded through a company called 'Ecran', directly linked to Goebbels' ministry.
The production cost 2 million Reich marks, four times the budget of an average film at the time.
The film involved up to 60 camera operators for capturing key moments.
300 people were part of the permanent crew, handling the film stock and its development.
A total of 400,000 meters of film were used, with 250 hours of footage shot over two years of editing.
Riefenstahl faced numerous conflicts with officials, including those from the stadium and the referees.
The film 'Olympia' is seen as a sublime competition between the best athletes, one of the most beautiful Olympic Games in history.
Riefenstahl's innovative filming techniques, such as filming at ground level and using moving cameras, were groundbreaking for the time.
She used slow motion, close-ups, and telephoto lenses to capture the details of the athletes' movements.
The film was a technical feat, with Riefenstahl even digging trenches in the stadium to get the best angles.
Riefenstahl would recreate missed events, re-shooting them with the athletes to ensure capturing every moment.
The film blurred the lines between the actual 1936 Olympics and the cinematic representation, creating a lasting monument of imagery.
Hitler initially did not want to attend the games, believing the Americans and African-American athletes would dominate.
After the first day's success with two gold medals, Hitler decided to attend the games.
The French ambassador described three distinct faces of Hitler, reflecting different aspects of his nature.
Transcripts
leni riefenstahl tourner
olympia les dieux du stade le film
officielle des jeux elle raconte qu'elle
fut très surprise que bell s'est décidé
de le financer intégralement en
expliquant que le film constituerait une
excellente réclament pour leur âge et
qu'ils relevaient donc de son ministère
ce qui fut fait à travers une société
écran donnant jusqu'à aujourd'hui
l'illusion de son indépendance
[Musique]
sa superproduction coûtera finalement 2
millions de reich marks quatre fois le
budget d'un film de l'époque les
chiffres les opérateurs vont jusqu'à
être 60 pour les grands moments son
équipe réuni 300 personnes en permanence
la pellicule et développer chaque jour
immédiatement après le tournage
[Musique]
quatre cent mille mètres de pellicule
250 heures tournée deux ans de montage
et innombrables conflits
à l'entendre avec the bells avec les
arbitres avec des fonctionnaires du
stade
[Musique]
l'égérie des nazis nous perçoit toujours
aujourd'hui que les hauts de 36 n'ont
été qu'une sublime compétition entre les
meilleurs une parenthèse dans l'histoire
qui a compté parmi les plus beaux jeux
olympiques
cette beauté le film de leni riefenstahl
douala promouvoir au delà des épreuves
olimpia célèbre le corps en pleine
vigueur la beauté des apparences
l'hygiène de la race sportive
fasciné par la liberté des corps la
souplesse la grâce la force
peu importe pour est la couleur dépôt
leni riefenstahl nous marque car elle
filme le sport d'une manière très
novatrice pour son temps
[Applaudissements]
olimpia est un film sur les jeux c'est
aussi un exploit
une prouesse de cinéma
on
leni riefenstahl fait creuser des fosses
dans le sol du stade pour filmer ce qui
se passe à ras de terre pour être au
niveau de la piste elle filme en
mouvement plaçant sa caméra en haut
d'une échelle fixé sur roulettes
elle filme au ralenti elle exalte la
chorégraphie du geste
elle utilise un travelling automatique
pour filmer les courses en continu sans
opérateur de gigantesques téléobjectif
lui permettent de capter des détails des
javelots des poids des disques qu'on
lance le stade est devenu son studio de
tournage
rien ne l'arrête
pas même de filmer après coup de faux
speaker des acteurs qui raconte les
scores comme s'il y était alors que le
décor est projeté sur un écran derrière
eux que leurs comparses ne sont que des
figurants qui font semblant plus ou
moins bien de suivre d'imaginaire
compétition elle n'hésite pas à
reconstituer avec les athlètes eux-mêmes
quels embobine ce qu'elle a raté
l'épreuve qu'elle n'a pas pu tourner
elle répète et la vente
elle rejoue elles fabriquent parfois de
toutes pièces des moments des figures
des prises de vues qui ont lieu un autre
jour ou sur un autre terrain ou dans le
stade vide on peut apercevoir qu'il n'y
a personne dans les gradins
puis sur les bancs de la piscine leni
riefenstahl est partout à la fois
qu'elle veut tout voir
elle est la déesse des jeux du stade
[Applaudissements]
mise en scène dans la mise en scène
rouages de la grande machine du
spectacle de masse monument d'image
olimpia où les dieux du stade amène
notre mémoire à confondre les jeux de 36
et le film de riffs ennstal à oublier le
personnage essentiel de cette fête
celui qu'elles ne montrent qu'à peine
pour ne pas être accusés d'être à son
service celui à qui cette fête était dit
[Musique]
hitler aurait d'abord préféré ne pas y
assister aux jeux selon leni riefenstahl
expliquant nous n'avons aucune chance de
gagner des médailles
les américains vont emporter la plupart
des compétitions et les noirs vont être
leurs stars être obligé de voir ça ça ne
me réjouit pas du tout mais après les
deux médailles d'or du premier jour
hitler se décide à revenir le 4 août
goebel se prend aussi au jeu épreuve
excitante
nous les allemands obtenons une médaille
d'or les américains 3 mai 2 grâce à un
c'est une honte je lui ai
personnellement connu trois visages
correspondant à trois aspects de sa
nature dira l'ambassadeur andré françois
poncet qu'il a beaucoup fréquenté le
premier était blême
c'est très mou son teint brouillé ses
yeux vague globuleux perdu dans un songe
lui donnait un air absent lointain un
visage trouble est troublant de médium
de somnambule le second était animé
coloré transportés par la passion les
narines palpitait les yeux lancer des
éclairs
il exprimait la violence l'appétit de
domination
la haine de l'adversaire une audace
cynique un visage forcené le troisième
était un homme quelconque naïf rustique
épais vulgaire facile à amuser riant
d'un gros rire bruyant un visage banal
pareils à des milliers de visages
répandu sur terre
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