Olympia 2. Teil - Fest der Schönheit

The diving sequence alone is worth the score.

A masterpiece of filmmaking technique. Each part begins with a lengthy prologue, a lyrical wordless montage celebrating the human form. And the footage of the events themselves, although a bit repetitive at times, is for the most part filmed beautifully... a tribute to athleticism, often employing slo-mo and dramatic angles to capture bodies in motion. The film ends with a spectacular diving montage. It seems difficult to interpret the film as propoganda. It felt very even-handed to me.

Not quite as interesting as Part One since it doesn't have the Opening Ceremonies, etc, but the diving stuff is good. Again, like Part One, it's primarily footage of a bunch of old Olympic events, though, so if that sounds like something you'd be interested in, go for it, but if not, you might be somewhat bored.

Not in the same league as the first part, but still well done. The diving sequence near the close is the real highlight. However, the sports covered here are less compelling, largely because they are overall less connected to the human form (e.g. horse-riding, field hockey, swimming).

Although this is a continuation of Part 1, this half of the film has some of the less-telegenic competitions, and feels a little more chopped up. (We see parts of India's trouncing of Germany in field hockey, but don't get the final score of 8-1.) Some are still gripping, like the bizarre equestrian rounds. But the documentary gets a little long -- perhaps even to the translators, who dozed off and forgot to caption the ending song.

Favorite events: horseback riding, biking. Europeans from the '30s really know how to fall on their asses. Least favorite event: Nazi sailors, fuck off. Also, you know the music's bad when it's a relief to hear "The Star Spangled Banner."

Because this film's relationship to it's historical context is so complicated and nuanced, this is a really difficult film to review. Leni's camerawork, editing and composition is phenomenal and ground-breaking. While the film is not explicitly propagandist, her obsession with the beauty and perfection of the human body still maintains an air of fascist ideals and aesthetics. The Diving Sequence at the end was beautiful, and is worth watching for aesthetic value alone.

Aesthetically pleasing, like the title promises.

The second part of Leni Riefenstahl's highlight reel of the 1936 Summer Olympics isn't as captivating as the first installment, but there is still something magical about this. Plus this had more comical moments with the spectacular falls that happened during the horse trials! The focus is a lot on the lesser sports, team efforts and athletes in general. And for that it creates a different feel then Olympia 1.

Not as great as the first part but still an enlightening historical document with some wonderful artistic sequences. The ending is especially great, and the opening sequence is, um, something. In between the competitions are presented in a more mundane way than the track and field events of Part 1, though the horse jumping events feature some nasty spills.

Not quite as gripping as part one, but does have a lengthy homo-erotic bathhouse scene...so, i guess there's that.

Far less interesting than Pt. 1.