Leni Riefenstahl: Olympia 1936

Study paper from 2011 in the field of History Europe - Germany - National Socialism, II World War, grade: 1.3, University of Saarland (Cultural and Media History), course: Advanced Seminar on the History of Documentary Film, language: German.

Abstract: With regard to the technical innovations and representations in film, this study examines whether Leni Riefenstahl's Olympia represents a paradigm of the documentary sports film or should be regarded as a propagandistic documentary. The focus of the analysis is therefore on the cinematic techniques used: To what extent are they innovative in relation to the portrayal of sports? Do they serve as a means to achieve a propagandistic effect? To address these questions, it is important to consider Riefenstahl's biographical background in the first part of the study. Subsequently, the investigation will pursue the question.