ASPECTS OF THE 1936 OLYMPICS : A LIFE IN PROPAGANDA

As an addendum to the previous blog in respect of the events of the 26^th July 1936, I should mention that one week later on the 1^st August 1936 the Olympic Games in Berlin opened in the newly built Olympiastadion at the Olympia Park, which seated 100,000 spectators. It seems appropriate to mention in view of the current Olympic games in Tokyo. The Olympic movement has been heralded as a world unifying event. The International Olympic Committee was founded by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas in 1894. The first games under the IOC were held in 1896 in Athens.

The stated mission of the IOC is to promote the Olympics throughout the world and to lead the Olympic Movement:

1-    To encourage and support the organisation, development and coordination of sport and sports competitions;

2-    To ensure the regular celebration of the Olympic Games;

3-    To cooperate with the competent public or private organisations and authorities in the endeavour to place sport at the service of humanity and thereby to promote peace;

4-    To act against any form of discrimination affecting the Olympic Movement;

5-    To encourage and support the promotion of women in sport at all levels and in all structures with a view to implementing the principle of equality of men and women.

 

The Olympic motto, Citius, Altius, Fortius, Coubertin's Olympic ideals are expressed in the Olympic creed:

The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.

Just how mission statements 4 and 5 were dealt with during the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, in the light of what German Government and Military were contemplating and plotting vis a vis the Spanish Civil War, and the rest of the world,  just 5 days before the opening of the games is something to ponder. In any event they sought to make as much capital out of the games as possible and turned to a propaganda wizard with an interesting take on triumph and struggle.

Having just produced Triumph of Will (1935), filmmaker Leni Reifenstahl was commissioned by the German Olympic Committee to film the Games for $7 million. She produced her film Olympia. It was released in two parts. Part 1– Festival of Nations and Part 2 – Festival of Beauty – It was the first documentary feature film of the Olympic Games ever made. As a filmmaker Leni Reifenstahl was an extraordinary artist. Much has been written about her and she lived from 22^nd August 1902 to the 8^th September 2003 at age 101, practically the whole of the 20^th Century. 

 

                                                                     
 

                                                                   

She has a paculiar life story. Herewith a documentary biography, produced by The Peoples Profiles, which could be called the making of a Nazi propagandist: (there may be a commercial at the end film which you can ignore):

She was clearly one that got away. Many pernicious people have been interesting and imaginative artists, Reifenstahl is just an extraordinary example.