Jugend der Welt. Der Film von den IV. Olympischen Winterspielen in Garmisch-Partenkirchen

The first comment on this site identifies this film as "tatty" in comparison to Riefenstahl's Olympia (1938). However setting aside quality constraints such as budget (they do not compare); editing time (Junghans needed to get this to theatre with 3 months Riefenstahl was awarded 2 years); and access (Riefenstahl's was almost unlimited); what has been created is a masterwork of camera-craft and cinematography that created the foundations on which Riefenstahl's more illustrious oeuvre finds its basis.

Cinematographer Sepp Allgeier, responsible for capturing the iconic rally scenes in "Triumph of the Will", and his cameraman Hans Ertl developed slow motion techniques to capture the aesthetic beauty and form of winter events, particularly the ski jump, in a way that had not previously been used. This technique, along with Junghans' reverse editing, was later to be refined by Reifenstahl in the iconic high diving scenes in Olympia, again with Ertl behind the camera.

Junghans and Allgeier used this technique to full advantage, coupled with the complete absence of results and individual competitor names, to create a documentary of the beauty of alpinism rather than evidence of the Olympiad itself, much to the delight, no doubt, of the NSDAP leadership.

Whilst this many not be as high quality film as Riefenstahl's it is in many ways the "pilot" for Olympia's "mini series". Whilst not as refined and as honed, it is perhaps clearer to delineate and understand the influences of Fascism on the cinema of this period. As such it is a vital tool in understanding the make up of the "Fascist Aesthetic" and better understanding the Nazi psyche.

Steve Smith

Youth of the World (1936)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

German documentary covering the 1936 Winter Olympics sets its site on cross-country skiing, bobsleding and airborne ski jumping. This 27-minute short is included on Leni Riefenstahl's Olympia disc and it's really hard to pay too much attention to this compared to that other masterpiece. Having watched the Riefenstahl film first, this movie comes off really ugly with shaky camera-work and some really bad editing, which appears to have been done by a kid with scissors. Even though the film isn't too pretty it remains interesting due to the sports. The most interesting scenes involve the bobsled teams who often find themselves crashing on the ramp. I'm guessing there was something wrong with the ramp because at least three teams crash and seem to be injured, although nothing is ever said about their condition. There are quite a few shots of Hitler and various other Nazi items.

The Summer Olympics which were held in Berlin in 1936 are the subject of two documentaries by Leni Riefenstahl--"Olympia Part One" and "Olympia Part Two". The camera-work and composition of the two films are beyond compare--brilliant and artistic triumphs. In addition, although Riefenstahl is today notorious because of her film "Triumph of the Will" (which is a slobbery tribute to Hitler), the "Olympia" films are really rather apolitical and are not obvious propaganda. Aside from showing a few shots of Hitler (who was in attendance for some of the events) and Germans in uniforms, the films are very even-handed and fair representations of the games. But, because Riefenstahl was such a brilliant perfectionist, the movies took two years to make it to theaters--long after the Olympics.

In contrast, "Youth of the World" is a very, very different film. Even though it's also about the 1936 Olympics in Germany and is a German-produced film, its style is VERY different--plus it's about the Winter Olympics which were held at Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany. Instead of artistry, "Youth of the World" is a much more obvious piece of propaganda. While there are some nice shots of scenery at the beginning, none of the terrific camera-work is seen of the events themselves. Instead, the film seems to place greater emphasis on the German performance at these Olympics. There are also many more shots of Nazi soldiers and Hitler. As a result, the film is less timeless than "Olympia" but it also made it to the theaters the same year these games were held.

The nice thing is that this MUCH shorter film (36 minutes instead of nearly three hours for "Olympia Parts One and Two") is included on the DVDs for "Olympia" so you can see them and compare them yourself. Overall, "Youth of the World" is a pretty ordinary film.

By the way, if you do watch this film, pay attention to the downhill skiing portion. Instead of sending the participants down one-by-one, it seems that they sent them all at the same time or only slightly staggered--which seems insanely dangerous!!

If you can put the offensive swastika-laden propagandistic elements aside, you will discover a masterful little film on the winter Olympics of 1936. From its ominous opening credit sequence involving beautiful tracking shots through snowy villages to its very creative rhythmic editing, this film has incredible impact. Most impressive is the quick cutting in the cross-country ski sequences which make several skiers appear to be one. Later on, there is equally impressive cross-cutting from airborne hawks to ski jumpers "flying" through the air. The film contains no dialogue, only occasional on-screen titles in German. The soundtrack is made up of triumphant orchestral music and the roar of on-looking spectators. During the bobsled competition the crowd can be heard to chant "U.S.A.!, U.S.A.!…" While viewing this film, I got the impression that Olympic athletes from that era were more heroic than today's in that their equipment was more primitive and conditions more difficult and dangerous. This minor masterpiece of documentary cinema by Herbert Brieger and Carl Junghans stands alongside the best work by fellow German Leni Reifensthal of OLYMPIAD fame.

Note: Although made by the Nazi party's propaganda wing, this film was made with the help of major Hollywood studios as revealed in the opening credits.