‘OLYMPIA’

Evening Star, Issue 25940, 4 November 1946, Page 6

‘OLYMPIA’

OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY FILM ’,;

V Olympia, ” the outstanding film record of the Olympic Games held in Berlin in 1936, attracted audiences numbering over 12,000' people at screenings during the week-end. Comprising mostly, members of sporting bodies in the city, the audiences'-were enthusiastic in their reception of -this remarkable production which, with its technical perfection and excellent direction, presented' a comprehensive record of nearly all the events at the most important sports gathering in the ■world. • With Leni Riefenstahl, famous German actress and producer, to supervise the work, 50 cameramen took over l,doo,oooft of film, and editing, which entailed three years of cutting and revising, reduced, the record to 24,000 ft, the fornv in which it was shown, at the various city theatres at the week-end. The time'of showing is nearly three andi one. half hours, but at no stage did it fail to hold the interest,. of the public. From the point of view of athletes of every type, the film’s educational value : can hardly be estimated, as it includes -slow motion shots of, some of the finest performers the worid has ever known. The tactics and'styles employed by the track and field contestants, the control and technique of the gymnasts and the divers; and the team work of Soccer, hockey, and polo players are : nil graphically depicted. In any Olympic Games the track and field events form the largest port of the gathering, and the entire first half of the film is devoted to this section. Ampng the many famous athletes seen in action are the amazing Jesse Owens, whose sprinting ana jumping astound the world,, outstanding British 1,600 metres relay, team, and the versatile Glenn Morris, who set a ! new world’s record aggregate, of points in the decathalon. The de'cathalon requires ability in almost every branch offtrack and field athletics. The clever tactics of Jack Lovelock in winning . the 1,500.’. metres , event thrilled the audience, and his "graceful style and brilliant .finish are easily seen. Another feature of the athletio events'is the perfect style displayed by the American, Forest Towns, in setting a new record for the 110 metres hurdles. The pole vault, which took five hours to decide, the marathon, and every other event are all photographed to nearly perfection. The marathon in particular supplies a medium for some remarkable photography. - The remaining portion. of the film, which includes cycling, rowing, horsemanship, yachting, swimming, and the modern pentathlon,, presents some excellent slow-motion photography of gymnasts and divers. Their grace and beauty, of performance have to be seen to be believed. ■ • The demand for seats was so great that in addition to the Empire Theatre, the St. James and the ■ Strand Theatres were also used to accommodate the overflow yesterday.. Mr A. P. Roydhouse. of the physical education branch of the Education Department, expressed the appreciation of local educational and sporting bodies to the managers of theatres in which the film was shown. He also referred to the secretarial work done by Mr R; O. Johnson, and his assistants, of the physical welfare branch of the Department of Internal Affairs.