126 min.
Riefenstahl’s Olympia begins by evoking classical Greek ideals of physical beauty, embodied in statues of discus, shot-put, and javelin throwers that come alive and carry the Olympic torch from Greece to 1936 host city Berlin at the height of National Socialist power. The second of Riefenstahl’s two major works – both of which were commissioned by Adolf Hitler to celebrate the new Nazi regime – Olympia is remarkable for its cinematic achievements as well as its political propaganda. Ultimately a meditation on the grace of the human body and the power of human will, the film is presented in conjunction with Martin Munkacsi: Think While You Shoot! for a pairing that celebrates two of the 20th century’s greatest documenters of the human form in motion.
Thursday, May 10, 6:30 p.m.
Part One: Festival of the People
Sundays, May 20 and 27, 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Part One: Festival of the People
Part Two: Festival of Beauty
Thursday, May 24, 6:30 p.m.
Part Two: Festival of Beauty