OLYMPIA was split into two parts for its German release, but amalgamated into one elsewhere. I saw the amalgamated version, in which the principal focus of attention centered on the athletics. Riefenstahl's photography is quite outstanding; her sense of camera placement impeccable; her ability to define the individual in relationship to environment cannot be questioned. As a study in the human body and its potential, OLYMPIA cannot be faulted. However there is perhaps less to OLYMPIA than meets the eye: viewers looking to the film as a source of Nazi propaganda are likely to be disappointed. True, there are shots of Adolf Hitler clapping approvingly at German athletes winning gold medals; and shots of the swastika being raised during various ceremonies; but the film in this version adopts an even-handed approach to its material. The only suggestion of politics comes when the British and American athletes refuse to adopt the Nazi salute, both during the opening ceremony and during medal ceremonies; rather they salute as they might have done if they were acknowledging superior officers in the Army. As a record of a unique event, OLYMPIA cannot be faulted, but perhaps it should be treated first and foremost as a sports documentary rather than a piece of political propaganda.