Review by Charles Cassady, Jr.

OLYMPIA PART 2 is the second
half of Leni Riefenstahl's epochal record of the 1936 Berlin
Olympics, produced under Nazi authority. Amazing Untrue Fun Fact: the
original title was OLYMPIA PART 2: FESTIVAL OF BEAUTY: BASED ON
THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE, but that tested poorly with Goering,
Mengele and the High Command (the Tom Cruise guy from VALKYRIE,
meanwhile, was undecided ).
The feature begins with a striking
sequence of young male athletes (overwhelmingly blond and,
presumably, blue-eyed) warming up in a misty wood, showering and
bathing together (any traumatic flash-aheads to the Gay Games in
Cleveland are your own problem), a sequence described by one writer
as turning the Olympics into "Nordic mystery."
Riefenstahl's MO was always to emphasize the sheer visual splendor of
the games, more so than a mere accounting of who won what. This runs
through a greater variety of events than OLYMPIA PART 1, and
includes diving and water sports - note the sailboat races, partially
filmed from balloon-mounted aerial cameras.
There are equestrian contests,
gymnastics, bicycling and the decathlon, which is won by America's
Glen Morris. Perhaps the most unnerving, in hindsight, is the
sharpshooting. For, as we know, there will be a lot more gunfire
taking place subsequently, and the targets will be human.
While the diving segment is especially
noteworthy (and has been issued at least once as a separate video),
most striking visually are the sculling races, in which Riefenstahl
mounted cameras on the oars themselves, to capture the piston-like
rhythm of the rowers.
The spectacle ends with a torchlit
dance marking the closing ceremonies, and a symbolic coda of laurel
wreathes laying themselves on flags of all nations - whether they
bear a swastika or not. OLYMPIA PART 2 is essential viewing,
and it can stand alone or be seen in conjunction with OLYMPIA PART
1. You can bet it was the furthest things from Danny Boyle's mind
when he fit Russell Brand into the pop-music party that closed the
London 2012 games last year. Editor’s Note: No sports-trophy
wives/and/or girlfriends were murdered by movie critics during the
creation of this review. (4 out of 4 stars)
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