Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations (1938) - full transcript
After being commissioned by the 1936 Olympic Committee to create a feature film of the Berlin Olympics, Riefenstahl shot a documentary that celebrates the human body by combining the poetry of bodies in motion with close-ups of athletes in the heat of competition. Includes the marathon, men's diving, and American track star Jesse Owen's sprint races at the 1936 Olympic games. The production tends to glorify the young male body and, some say, expresses the Nazi attitude toward athletic prowess. Includes the lighting of the torch at the stadium and Adolf Hitler looking on in amazement as Jesse Owens wins an unprecedented four Gold Medals.
THE FILM OF THE ELEVENTH
OLYMPIC GAMES, BERLIN, 1936
DEDICATED TO THE FOUNDER
OF THE MODERN OLYMPIC GAMES,
BARON PIERRE DE COUBERTIN,
FOR THE GLORY AND HONOR
OF THE YOUTH OF THE WORLD
CREATED BY LENI RIEFENSTAHL
GREECE
ARCADIA
ATTICA
CORINTH
ATHENS
BULGARIA
YUGOSLAVIA
BELGRADE
HUNGARY
AUSTRIA
VIENNA
CZECHOSLOVAKIA
PRAGUE
GERMANY
GREECE
SWEDEN
GREAT BRITAIN
AUSTRIA
IT ALY
FRANCE
I declare the Berlin Olympic Games,
celebrating the eleventh Olympiad
of the modern era,
to be open.
We swear that we will take part
in the Olympic Games
as honorable competitors,
respecting the regulations
which govern them...
and participating
in the true spirit of sportsmanship
for the honor of our country
and for the glory of sport.
People
The people, our guests
Enter now through open gates
Joyfully, the champions will win
In this celebration of victory, Olympia
Joy is had even in defeat
In this festival of peace, Olympia
Joyfully, the champions will win
In this celebration of victory
Olympia
The Olympic Games have begun.
The best in the world
have gathered here in Berlin,
and 51 nations will compete for victory.
The enormous Berlin stadium
is packedto the very last seat.
The best athletes from 51 nations
have gatheredhere
to compete for sports'
most sought-after victory.
During the course of these games,
the best athletes in the entire world
will face off in the athletic realm
to defendthe honor of their countries.
The Olympic Games have begun.
The great stadium is fully occupied
by more than a hundred thousand.
Here and there,
some wave small Japanese flags.
And now, dear listeners,
here at the Olympic Stadium of Berlin,
more than 51 nations have sent
their athletes, all their best athletes,
to celebrate the opening
of these Olympic Games of 1936.
In the classical discipline
of discus throwing,
Carpenter, USA, will begin.
He stepped out of the circle.
Schroder,
the German world record holder.
47.22 meters.
Sorlie of Norway.
48.77 meters.
Syllas, Greece.
47.45 meters.
The second American, Dunn.
49.36 meters.
Bergh of Sweden.
47.22 meters.
Ling, China.
He stepped out of the circle.
Noel, France.
44.56 meters.
Fritsch, Germany.
45.10 meters.
Oberweger, Italy.
49.23 meters.
Last attempt for Schroder, Germany.
Again just 47.93 meters.
Carpenter now.
50.48 meters!
Victory and the gold medal for America!
The women's discus throw.
Wajsowna of Poland is the main rival
for German world record holder
Gisela Mauermayer.
43.54 meters.
Kojima, Japan.
33.50 meters.
Wajsowna of Poland.
44.69 meters.
More than a meter further
than Mauermayer.
Schieferova, Czechoslovakia.
34.03 meters.
Mineshima, Japan.
37.35 meters.
Paula Mollenhauer, Germany.
39.80 meters.
Gisela Mauermayer.
Just 41.64 meters.
Wajsowna, Poland.
46.22 meters.
The Pole is still in the lead.
Last throw for Gisela Mauermayer.
47.63 meters!
A new Olympic record
and gold medal for Germany!
In the women's javelin,
it is between Luise Kruger, Germany,
Maria Kwasniewska, Poland,
and Tilly Fleischer, Germany.
Last throw for Kruger.
43.29 meters.
The Pole.
41.80 meters.
Tilly Fleischer.
45.18 meters!
Gold and silver for Germany,
Poland gets the bronze.
The women's 80 meters hurdles.
Qualifying heat.
In the qualifying heat
for the women's 80 meters hurdles,
we have Valla and Testoni, Italy,
Taylor, Canada, Braake, the Netherlands,
Steuer and Eckert, Germany.
Testoni is out in front,
the first over the hurdles.
The strong Canadian, Taylor,
is coming up.
Valla of Italy and Steuer of Germany
are neck and neck,
but Valla is the first
to cross the finish line.
Gold goes to Italy,
silver to Steuer of Germany,
and bronze to Taylor of Canada.
There are two Germans
in the final of the hammer throw.
Their main rival is the Swede, Warngard.
Rowe of the USA to throw.
51.66 meters.
Hein, Germany.
54.70 meters. Hein takes the lead.
Warngard of Sweden.
54.83 meters,
13 centimeters more than Hein.
Blask, Germany.
54.10 meters.
Koutonen, Finland.
51.90 meters.
Hein, Germany.
54.85 meters,
two centimeters more than Warngard.
Hein leads once more.
Last throw for the Swede.
Only 53.30 meters.
Blask, Germany.
55.04 meters, a tremendous throw!
A new Olympic record.
Germany's hammer throwers lead.
Last throw for Hein.
Even further! 56.49 meters!
Gold and silver for Germany
in the hammer throw!
Bronze goes to Sweden.
The 100 meters qualifying heat.
America's fastest runner, Jesse Owens,
is at the starting line.
On your marks.
Get set.
Owens wins with a time of 10.4 seconds.
In the next heat,
the strongest runners are
Borchmeyer of Germany,
McPhee of Canada,
Berger of the Netherlands,
and Sweeney of England.
Get set.
On your marks.
Get set.
Borchmeyer wins in 10.5 seconds!
On your marks.
Get set.
10.2 seconds and a world record.
Not allowable due to tailwind.
The 100 meters sprint final.
The six fastest runners in the world
are lining up.
Borchmeyer...
Wykoff,
Owens,
Strandberg,
Osendarp and Metcalfe.
Get set.
Owens is in front, Strandberg behind him,
Osendarp is fighting back...
Metcalfe is in pursuit,
and over the line!
Jesse Owens wins the 100 meters.
The women's high jump.
The bar is set to 1.40 meters.
Bell of Canada to jump.
Carter, Australia.
Dorothy Odam, England.
Elfriede Kaun, Germany.
Csak, Hungary.
Bar height 1.55 meters.
Arden, USA.
On her third attempt.
She fails to clear the bar
and is eliminated.
Koen, the Netherlands.
Dora Ratjen, Germany.
Bell again, Canada.
She too, has failed two attempts.
She fails to clear the bar
and is eliminated.
The bar is set to 1.60 meters.
The first attempt for Elfriede Kaun.
She fails to clear it.
Csak, Hungary.
She fails to clear it too.
Sixteen-year-old Dorothy Odam.
Second attempt for Elfriede Kaun.
She fails to clear again.
Now, the Hungarian.
The last attempt for the German.
Play-off at 1.62 meters.
Kaun, Odam and Csak
are still in the competition.
First, the Englishwoman.
She fails to clear and is eliminated.
Now, our Elfriede Kaun.
Eliminated.
Finally, the Hungarian.
Ibolya Csak is the winner!
The first gold medal for Hungary.
In the shot put,
the main competitors are Torrance, USA,
Barlund, Finland and Woellke, Germany.
German decathlete Sievert to throw.
14.79 meters.
Kuntsi, Finland.
14.61 meters.
Torrance,
the American world record holder.
15.38 meters.
Bergh of Sweden.
15.01 meters.
Francis, USA.
15.45 meters.
Stock, Germany.
15.66 meters.
The Finnish champion, Barlund,
Woellke's strongest opponent.
16.03 meters! A new Olympic record!
Woellke, Germany.
15.96 meters.
Seven centimeters less than the Finn.
Last throw for Barlund.
Even further!
16.12 meters.
Woellke, last attempt.
16.20 meters!
A win for the German!
Gold for Woellke,
silver for Barlund,
and bronze for Stock.
The 800 meters.
The world's best middle-distance runners
take their places at the starting line.
Two Negroes competing
against the strongest of the white race.
On the inside, Edwards of Canada,
next to him McCabe, England.
The favorite for the race
is the enormous Negro, Woodruff.
Lanzi of Italy
carries the hopes of Europe.
Get set.
Edwards takes the lead,
ahead of Anderson of Argentina
and Lanzi of Italy.
Edwards is still leading
but Woodruff is closing in.
Kucharski of Poland comes forward,
gets close to the Canadian,
takes the lead...
but Edwards is out in front once more.
Woodruff charges, he takes the lead.
Lanzi in the dark jersey in fifth place.
Edwards is out in front.
He wants to come first
in the 800 meters at last.
He wants to win at last,
in his third Olympic Games.
Where is Lanzi?
Gold goes to Woodruff, USA,
silver to Lanzi of Italy,
bronze to Edwards, Canada.
In the triple jump,
the athletes from Japan
are battling the world record holder,
Metcalfe of Australia.
Romero, USA.
15.08 meters.
European champion Rajasaari of Finland.
14.59 meters.
Richardson of Canada.
Foul.
Wollner, Germany.
15.27 meters.
A new German record!
Oshima, Japan.
15.07 meters.
Tajima, Japan.
15.76 meters.
A new Olympic record!
Metcalfe, Australia.
15.50 meters.
Harada, Japan.
15.66 meters.
Tajima, Japan.
16.00 meters!
A world record and gold medal for Japan.
In the long jump,
the competition has been whittled down
to a battle between German Luz Long
and the fastest man in the world,
Jesse Owens.
7.54 meters.
Jesse Owens.
7.74 meters.
Twenty centimeters further than Long.
Long again.
7.84 meters.
The German leads.
Owens.
7.87 meters.
Another three centimeters further.
Luz Long.
7.87 meters!
The same distance as Owens!
A new European record!
And now Jesse Owens, once again.
8.06 meters!
A new world record!
Gold medal for America!
The 1500 meters final.
Get set.
The Englishman Cornes leads,
Beccali of Italy second,
Bottcher of Germany in third.
Ny of Sweden and the Negro Edwards
of Canada are neck and neck.
Behind them,
the German champion, Schaumburg.
Cornes is still leading,
but now Bottcher pushes forward.
He passes Beccali, passes Cornes,
and takes the lead.
Schaumburg moves up to fourth,
behind Beccali.
On to the second lap.
Cornes is out in front again.
The American, Cunningham, pushes
forward from the center of the pack.
He passes the Swede, Ny,
and makes a charge
for the head of the pack.
Level with Bottcher and Beccali,
followed by Lovelock, all in black.
Cunningham draws level with Cornes...
and now takes the lead.
Schaumburg comes around the outside
and into second place, ahead of Lovelock.
Cunningham, Schaumburg,
Lovelock, Beccali.
Now Ny of Sweden makes a move.
He passes Cornes, Bottcher,
goes by Beccali,
even with Lovelock and Schaumburg
and into second place.
Two laps left.
Cunningham, Ny, Lovelock,
Beccali, Schaumburg.
Ny goes after the American,
with Lovelock close behind.
Ny increases the pace
but the American stands his ground.
Cunningham and Ny are even.
The Swede fights his way to the front,
closely followed
by Cunningham and Lovelock.
They're onto the last lap.
Ny leads Cunningham and Lovelock.
Lovelock mounts an attack,
past the American,
and makes a charge for the Swede.
He passes him!
Followed by Cunningham.
Beccali passes the worn-out Swede too.
Lovelock, Cunningham, Beccali.
The American
makes up ground on the bend,
but Lovelock increases the pace.
Beccali is fighting hard,
but Lovelock is in the form of his life.
Unstoppable!
A world record!
The gold medal goes to Lovelock
of New Zealand,
in the world record time of 3:47.8.
Silver for Cunningham of the USA.
Bronze for Beccali of Italy.
The men's high jump.
The bar is set to 1.85 meters.
Thurber of the USA begins.
Castro Mello, Brazil.
Asakuma, Japan.
Toribio, Philippines.
The bar is set to 1.90 meters.
Yada, Japan.
Kotkas, Finland.
Weinkotz, Germany.
Tanaka, Japan.
Asakuma, Japan.
Albritton, USA.
Johnson, USA.
The bar is set to 1.97 meters.
Asakuma, Japan.
Kalima, Finland.
Weinkotz, Germany.
Tanaka, Japan.
Yada, Japan.
Thurber, USA.
Albritton, USA.
Johnson, USA.
The bar is set to 2.03 meters.
There are only four men left
competing for gold.
Kotkas of Finland,
the best high-jumper in Europe, begins.
Eliminated.
Thurber, USA.
Albritton, USA.
Johnson, USA.
An Olympic record!
Gold for Johnson, silver for Albritton,
and bronze for Thurber.
America's high-jumpers
take all three medals.
Get set.
The 110 meters hurdles.
Intermediate heats.
The second intermediate heat.
From left to right,
Lavery of South Africa,
Finlay of England,
the Negro Pollard of America,
lvanovic of Yugoslavia,
O'Connor of Canada,
Wegner of Germany.
America's Forrest Towns won the first heat
in a world record time of 14.1 seconds.
His main rivals are the black American,
Pollard, and Finlay of England.
Finlay and Pollard are side by side
as they go over the hurdles.
Finlay drops back,
Pollard shoots forward,
fails to clear the hurdle
and now Finlay is coming back,
picking up speed
in a dramatic final battle.
They both take the last hurdle
at full stretch,
and now Finlay drives forward
and across the line!
Pollard of America takes second,
O'Connor of Canada third.
Forrest Towns before the final.
His most dangerous opponents are Finlay
and the black American, Pollard.
On your marks.
Lining up are Pollard of America,
O'Connor of Canada,
Thornton of England, Lidman of Sweden,
Forrest Towns of America,
and Finlay of England.
Get set.
Finlay and Towns
take the first hurdle together,
but Towns increases his pace
and pulls away from Finlay.
Pollard surges forward,
mounts an attack on Towns,
but Towns sails over the last hurdle
and across the line!
Towns won in the magnificent time
of 14.2 seconds,
ahead of England's Finlay
and Pollard of America.
Nikkanen, Finland.
Toivonen, Finland.
Klein, Czechoslovakia.
Vattnes, Iceland.
Terry, USA.
Ueno, Japan.
Toivonen, Finland.
Matti Jarvinen, world record holder
and gold medalist in Los Angeles.
The Hungarian Varszegi.
Jarvinen again.
Atterwall of Sweden.
And once again our Stock of Germany.
Toivonen again.
Nikkanen, Finland.
70.77 meters.
Last throw for Stock.
71.84 meters!
A win for Germany in the javelin throw.
Finland's dominance
is broken for the first time.
From the Meuse to the Nemen
From the Adige to the Belt
Germany, Germany above everything
Above everything else in the world
Germany, Germany above everything
Above everything else in the world
The 10,000 meters event.
The Englishmen go straight to the front.
Potts leads from Eaton.
Here comes the tallest
of the Englishmen, Burns.
Beside him is Askola of Finland
in the blue jersey.
Potts is ahead of Burns and Eaton.
But the Japanese champion, Murakoso,
pushes forward.
Murakoso, the Japanese champion, leads.
The field is now really spread out
in the 10,000 meters event.
Singh of India
is lapped by the lead group.
Murakoso is in first,
Salminen of Finland second,
Noji of Poland third,
followed by Askola
and Iso-Hollo of Finland.
The Englishman Burns is in sixth.
The Japanese still leads the front group,
and the order of these six leaders
is still unchanged.
Askola pushes forward,
overtakes the Pole to take third place,
presses further towards Salminen
and draws level with him,
but it is still too early
for the final charge.
He drops back to fourth again.
Iso-Hollo presses forward
and overtakes the Pole
to go into fourth place.
The Finns are now in a single block
behind the Japanese runner.
The Englishman, Burns,
has dropped back,
he cannot keep up
with the speed of the leaders.
Askola makes another charge
for Salminen, passes him,
and Askola is now in second.
The second Japanese runner is lapped.
Salminen is in third and Iso-Hollo fourth.
Noji of Poland maintains his hold
on the leaders' group, in fifth.
The Finns increase the pace
and close down on Murakoso.
The Finns mount an attack
on the Japanese runner.
The Finns are in front,
the long-awaited charge on the tenacious
Japanese runner has begun.
Iso-Hollo and Askola
have overtaken Murakoso.
The Japanese runner is in third.
Salminen is past, too.
The three Finns are at the front
on their own.
Iso-Hollo in first, Askola second,
Salminen third.
The Finns increase the pace,
but the small Japanese runner
breaks into the front group again.
He's neck and neck with Salminen,
passes him and takes third place.
Salminen pushes forward,
followed by Askola and Iso-Hollo.
Last lap,
the big finish from the Finns begins!
Noji of Poland is lapped.
Two-hundred meters left
to the finish line now.
Askola begins his sprint
and passes Salminen to take the lead.
The home straight...
Salminen increases the pace further still,
Askola fights with grim determination,
he speeds up and pushes forward,
but Salminen is the winner.
Gold for Salminen,
silver for Askola
and bronze for Iso-Hollo.
Finland's runners
in the three medal positions.
The final battle in the pole vault.
Twenty-five competitors
have cleared a height of 3.80 meters.
The winner of the pole vault
still has not been decided.
For five hours, the last contenders
have been in dramatic competition.
There are three Americans,
and two Japanese.
The battle rages once again,
as in the 1932 Los Angeles games.
The bar is set to 4.25 meters.
First to jump is Oe of Japan.
He fails to clear the bar.
Second attempt.
The strong American, Graber, steps up.
He fails to clear the bar.
His world record stands at 4.37 meters.
He is America's best hope.
Graber's second attempt.
He fails to clear the bar again.
His final jump.
Eliminated.
Nishida, the Japanese champion.
Sefton, America.
America's young athlete, Meadows.
Fails to clear the bar.
Second attempt for Meadows.
The bar is set to 4.35 meters.
Two Americans take on two Japanese
in the final round.
Oe starts.
Eliminated.
Sefton.
Also eliminated.
Nishida and Meadows battle for gold now.
Nishida...
is out!
The hours of battling for gold
proved too much for him.
Meadows.
A win for America!
A new Olympic record
and gold medal for Meadows.
The women's 4 x 100 meters relay.
Germany, England, America, Canada,
the Netherlands and Italy
are in the final.
Germany holds the current world record.
Get set.
Meter after meter,
Germany's first runner, Emmy Albus
closes in on the runners
from the Netherlands and Canada
in the outside lanes.
Germany leads at the first baton change.
Kathe Kraub has the baton,
she passes the Canadian Dolson,
overtakes the Dutch woman Koen
and extends Germany's lead.
Second baton change.
Dollinger is away and flying, a huge gap,
six, eight, ten meters in front.
No one can take the gold
from Germany now.
Now for the final baton change.
Baton to Dorffeldt,
Germany have dropped the baton!
The way is clear for America,
Helen Stephens
charges over the line in first.
America in first,
England second, Canada third.
The men's 4 x 100 meters relay.
In the final round:
Argentina, Germany, the Netherlands,
America, Italy and Canada.
Owens, the fastest man in the world
and America's first runner,
takes the lead effortlessly,
past Mariani for Italy.
First baton change,
and Metcalfe has the baton,
speeds past Humber of Canada,
hands the baton to Draper
at the second change,
Draper is away and flying,
a long way in front already.
A monumental effort on the bend
increases the gap.
Third baton change.
Frank Wykoff has the baton,
and sprints toward the finish.
America is first,
with a world record time of 39.8 seconds.
Italy second, Germany third.
Osendarp of the Netherlands
forfeited third after dropping the baton.
The 4 x 400 meters relay.
In the final round:
Germany, America, Canada, Sweden,
Hungary and England.
In the outside lane, Wolff runs
the first leg for Great Britain.
He immediately tries
to pull away from the field,
but Canada's fastest man, Fritz,
is already in second.
He closes in on the Englishman
out in front on the straight.
Just four meters now, three meters -
The Englishman's stride
is getting shorter and shorter,
and Fritz is getting faster and faster
behind him.
Into the next bend,
the leader is struggling a little now.
The Canadian is just two meters
behind the Englishman.
Wolff has nothing left
in reply to the charge from the Canadian.
Wolff is falling back
as they approach the home straight.
Fritz is neck and neck with Wolff.
Here comes the American runner,
beside him Hamann of Germany.
The Canadian has a clear lead
on the home stretch. Baton change!
Edwards takes the baton.
He has had seven starts this week,
seven big races.
This time he wants to win
the relay with Canada.
America closes in.
Young of America charges after him
with complete ease.
He's right on his tail, right next to him,
but in the same instant
the Englishman Rampling
storms past them both in a single move.
Baton change,
and Roberts is flying with the baton.
The small Briton is tenacious and fast,
he holds victory for England in his hands.
The broad-shouldered American O'Brien
is in pursuit,
his long stride taking him
closer and closer to the race leader,
but England is still in front.
O'Brien picks up speed,
closing in with every step.
Now he has caught Roberts,
shoulder to shoulder
as they run the back straight.
But Roberts is faster.
Roberts takes the lead again,
he pulls away from the American,
one meter, two meters,
three meters ahead now.
England is onto the home straight
and approaching the last baton change.
And here is England's
strongest runner, Brown,
the world's fastest
white 400 meters runner,
he has started
six races already this week.
Can he hold his ground
against the best of the Americans, Fitch?
The American is coming,
he is completely relaxed,
closing in a centimeter at a time.
The Englishman is giving it everything.
It is between America and England,
between Fitch and Brown.
Two-hundred meters to the finish.
The American
is gaining ground all the time.
Brown must fight.
The American
mounts an attack on the bend.
He is just two meters
behind the Englishman now,
but Brown holds his ground,
he is staying the course.
He draws on the last of his reserves
to pull away from the American,
and grinds out a win for England
in the men's 4 x 400 meters relay.
Gold for England,
silver for America,
bronze for Germany.
MARATHON FINAL
The marathon,
the most colossal test for the athletes.
Forty-two kilometers to the finish line.
Fifty-six runners, the toughest and
most tenacious competitors in the world,
give their all to win for their country.
Zabala of Argentina,
who won gold in Los Angeles,
is looking for a second win.
But Japan, stronger than ever,
is a dangerous adversary.
Nan is the favorite,
but Son is also strong.
Or Finland, will their team
be stronger than the Japanese?
The runners leave the stadium,
Zabala leads.
This is the German radio service.
We are on the marathon route.
Kilometer eight.
The champion
from Los Angeles 1932 leads,
Zabala of Argentina.
Dias of Portugal is in second.
Son of Japan and Harper of Great Britain
in third place.
Here is the checkpoint
on the AVUS highway.
Zabala still leads.
The huge field of marathon runners
is now spread far apart.
It stretches endlessly
across the glittering asphalt of the AVUS.
Behind Zabala, Son Kitei of Japan
and Harper of England
are neck and neck in second place.
Dias of Portugal is in third,
followed by Enochsson of Sweden
and Coleman of South Africa.
The Finns run as one,
in reach of the leaders.
Three runners, one country, one desire.
Twenty-one kilometers still to go.
This is the commentator
from the Kaiser Wilhelm Tower.
The runners have completed
35 kilometers.
Zabala, the champion in Los Angeles,
has collapsed.
The fast start has worn him out.
Son of Japan leads.
The winner of the marathon
is Son Kitei of Japan.
Second, Harper of England.
Nan, also of Japan, in third.
Fourth is Tamila of Finland.
Fifth, Muinonen of Finland.
Coleman of South Africa in sixth.
People
The people, our guests
Enter now through open gates
Peace to this festival of the people
Honor will be our battle hymn
Youthful skill will show its valor
In the heat of competition, Olympia
Your glory in deeds will be praised
The purest goal, Olympia
Joyfully, the champions will win
In this celebration of victory, Olympia
Joy is had even in defeat
In this festival of peace, Olympia
Joyfully, the champions will win
In this celebration of victory
Olympia
OLYMPIC GAMES, BERLIN, 1936
DEDICATED TO THE FOUNDER
OF THE MODERN OLYMPIC GAMES,
BARON PIERRE DE COUBERTIN,
FOR THE GLORY AND HONOR
OF THE YOUTH OF THE WORLD
CREATED BY LENI RIEFENSTAHL
GREECE
ARCADIA
ATTICA
CORINTH
ATHENS
BULGARIA
YUGOSLAVIA
BELGRADE
HUNGARY
AUSTRIA
VIENNA
CZECHOSLOVAKIA
PRAGUE
GERMANY
GREECE
SWEDEN
GREAT BRITAIN
AUSTRIA
IT ALY
FRANCE
I declare the Berlin Olympic Games,
celebrating the eleventh Olympiad
of the modern era,
to be open.
We swear that we will take part
in the Olympic Games
as honorable competitors,
respecting the regulations
which govern them...
and participating
in the true spirit of sportsmanship
for the honor of our country
and for the glory of sport.
People
The people, our guests
Enter now through open gates
Joyfully, the champions will win
In this celebration of victory, Olympia
Joy is had even in defeat
In this festival of peace, Olympia
Joyfully, the champions will win
In this celebration of victory
Olympia
The Olympic Games have begun.
The best in the world
have gathered here in Berlin,
and 51 nations will compete for victory.
The enormous Berlin stadium
is packedto the very last seat.
The best athletes from 51 nations
have gatheredhere
to compete for sports'
most sought-after victory.
During the course of these games,
the best athletes in the entire world
will face off in the athletic realm
to defendthe honor of their countries.
The Olympic Games have begun.
The great stadium is fully occupied
by more than a hundred thousand.
Here and there,
some wave small Japanese flags.
And now, dear listeners,
here at the Olympic Stadium of Berlin,
more than 51 nations have sent
their athletes, all their best athletes,
to celebrate the opening
of these Olympic Games of 1936.
In the classical discipline
of discus throwing,
Carpenter, USA, will begin.
He stepped out of the circle.
Schroder,
the German world record holder.
47.22 meters.
Sorlie of Norway.
48.77 meters.
Syllas, Greece.
47.45 meters.
The second American, Dunn.
49.36 meters.
Bergh of Sweden.
47.22 meters.
Ling, China.
He stepped out of the circle.
Noel, France.
44.56 meters.
Fritsch, Germany.
45.10 meters.
Oberweger, Italy.
49.23 meters.
Last attempt for Schroder, Germany.
Again just 47.93 meters.
Carpenter now.
50.48 meters!
Victory and the gold medal for America!
The women's discus throw.
Wajsowna of Poland is the main rival
for German world record holder
Gisela Mauermayer.
43.54 meters.
Kojima, Japan.
33.50 meters.
Wajsowna of Poland.
44.69 meters.
More than a meter further
than Mauermayer.
Schieferova, Czechoslovakia.
34.03 meters.
Mineshima, Japan.
37.35 meters.
Paula Mollenhauer, Germany.
39.80 meters.
Gisela Mauermayer.
Just 41.64 meters.
Wajsowna, Poland.
46.22 meters.
The Pole is still in the lead.
Last throw for Gisela Mauermayer.
47.63 meters!
A new Olympic record
and gold medal for Germany!
In the women's javelin,
it is between Luise Kruger, Germany,
Maria Kwasniewska, Poland,
and Tilly Fleischer, Germany.
Last throw for Kruger.
43.29 meters.
The Pole.
41.80 meters.
Tilly Fleischer.
45.18 meters!
Gold and silver for Germany,
Poland gets the bronze.
The women's 80 meters hurdles.
Qualifying heat.
In the qualifying heat
for the women's 80 meters hurdles,
we have Valla and Testoni, Italy,
Taylor, Canada, Braake, the Netherlands,
Steuer and Eckert, Germany.
Testoni is out in front,
the first over the hurdles.
The strong Canadian, Taylor,
is coming up.
Valla of Italy and Steuer of Germany
are neck and neck,
but Valla is the first
to cross the finish line.
Gold goes to Italy,
silver to Steuer of Germany,
and bronze to Taylor of Canada.
There are two Germans
in the final of the hammer throw.
Their main rival is the Swede, Warngard.
Rowe of the USA to throw.
51.66 meters.
Hein, Germany.
54.70 meters. Hein takes the lead.
Warngard of Sweden.
54.83 meters,
13 centimeters more than Hein.
Blask, Germany.
54.10 meters.
Koutonen, Finland.
51.90 meters.
Hein, Germany.
54.85 meters,
two centimeters more than Warngard.
Hein leads once more.
Last throw for the Swede.
Only 53.30 meters.
Blask, Germany.
55.04 meters, a tremendous throw!
A new Olympic record.
Germany's hammer throwers lead.
Last throw for Hein.
Even further! 56.49 meters!
Gold and silver for Germany
in the hammer throw!
Bronze goes to Sweden.
The 100 meters qualifying heat.
America's fastest runner, Jesse Owens,
is at the starting line.
On your marks.
Get set.
Owens wins with a time of 10.4 seconds.
In the next heat,
the strongest runners are
Borchmeyer of Germany,
McPhee of Canada,
Berger of the Netherlands,
and Sweeney of England.
Get set.
On your marks.
Get set.
Borchmeyer wins in 10.5 seconds!
On your marks.
Get set.
10.2 seconds and a world record.
Not allowable due to tailwind.
The 100 meters sprint final.
The six fastest runners in the world
are lining up.
Borchmeyer...
Wykoff,
Owens,
Strandberg,
Osendarp and Metcalfe.
Get set.
Owens is in front, Strandberg behind him,
Osendarp is fighting back...
Metcalfe is in pursuit,
and over the line!
Jesse Owens wins the 100 meters.
The women's high jump.
The bar is set to 1.40 meters.
Bell of Canada to jump.
Carter, Australia.
Dorothy Odam, England.
Elfriede Kaun, Germany.
Csak, Hungary.
Bar height 1.55 meters.
Arden, USA.
On her third attempt.
She fails to clear the bar
and is eliminated.
Koen, the Netherlands.
Dora Ratjen, Germany.
Bell again, Canada.
She too, has failed two attempts.
She fails to clear the bar
and is eliminated.
The bar is set to 1.60 meters.
The first attempt for Elfriede Kaun.
She fails to clear it.
Csak, Hungary.
She fails to clear it too.
Sixteen-year-old Dorothy Odam.
Second attempt for Elfriede Kaun.
She fails to clear again.
Now, the Hungarian.
The last attempt for the German.
Play-off at 1.62 meters.
Kaun, Odam and Csak
are still in the competition.
First, the Englishwoman.
She fails to clear and is eliminated.
Now, our Elfriede Kaun.
Eliminated.
Finally, the Hungarian.
Ibolya Csak is the winner!
The first gold medal for Hungary.
In the shot put,
the main competitors are Torrance, USA,
Barlund, Finland and Woellke, Germany.
German decathlete Sievert to throw.
14.79 meters.
Kuntsi, Finland.
14.61 meters.
Torrance,
the American world record holder.
15.38 meters.
Bergh of Sweden.
15.01 meters.
Francis, USA.
15.45 meters.
Stock, Germany.
15.66 meters.
The Finnish champion, Barlund,
Woellke's strongest opponent.
16.03 meters! A new Olympic record!
Woellke, Germany.
15.96 meters.
Seven centimeters less than the Finn.
Last throw for Barlund.
Even further!
16.12 meters.
Woellke, last attempt.
16.20 meters!
A win for the German!
Gold for Woellke,
silver for Barlund,
and bronze for Stock.
The 800 meters.
The world's best middle-distance runners
take their places at the starting line.
Two Negroes competing
against the strongest of the white race.
On the inside, Edwards of Canada,
next to him McCabe, England.
The favorite for the race
is the enormous Negro, Woodruff.
Lanzi of Italy
carries the hopes of Europe.
Get set.
Edwards takes the lead,
ahead of Anderson of Argentina
and Lanzi of Italy.
Edwards is still leading
but Woodruff is closing in.
Kucharski of Poland comes forward,
gets close to the Canadian,
takes the lead...
but Edwards is out in front once more.
Woodruff charges, he takes the lead.
Lanzi in the dark jersey in fifth place.
Edwards is out in front.
He wants to come first
in the 800 meters at last.
He wants to win at last,
in his third Olympic Games.
Where is Lanzi?
Gold goes to Woodruff, USA,
silver to Lanzi of Italy,
bronze to Edwards, Canada.
In the triple jump,
the athletes from Japan
are battling the world record holder,
Metcalfe of Australia.
Romero, USA.
15.08 meters.
European champion Rajasaari of Finland.
14.59 meters.
Richardson of Canada.
Foul.
Wollner, Germany.
15.27 meters.
A new German record!
Oshima, Japan.
15.07 meters.
Tajima, Japan.
15.76 meters.
A new Olympic record!
Metcalfe, Australia.
15.50 meters.
Harada, Japan.
15.66 meters.
Tajima, Japan.
16.00 meters!
A world record and gold medal for Japan.
In the long jump,
the competition has been whittled down
to a battle between German Luz Long
and the fastest man in the world,
Jesse Owens.
7.54 meters.
Jesse Owens.
7.74 meters.
Twenty centimeters further than Long.
Long again.
7.84 meters.
The German leads.
Owens.
7.87 meters.
Another three centimeters further.
Luz Long.
7.87 meters!
The same distance as Owens!
A new European record!
And now Jesse Owens, once again.
8.06 meters!
A new world record!
Gold medal for America!
The 1500 meters final.
Get set.
The Englishman Cornes leads,
Beccali of Italy second,
Bottcher of Germany in third.
Ny of Sweden and the Negro Edwards
of Canada are neck and neck.
Behind them,
the German champion, Schaumburg.
Cornes is still leading,
but now Bottcher pushes forward.
He passes Beccali, passes Cornes,
and takes the lead.
Schaumburg moves up to fourth,
behind Beccali.
On to the second lap.
Cornes is out in front again.
The American, Cunningham, pushes
forward from the center of the pack.
He passes the Swede, Ny,
and makes a charge
for the head of the pack.
Level with Bottcher and Beccali,
followed by Lovelock, all in black.
Cunningham draws level with Cornes...
and now takes the lead.
Schaumburg comes around the outside
and into second place, ahead of Lovelock.
Cunningham, Schaumburg,
Lovelock, Beccali.
Now Ny of Sweden makes a move.
He passes Cornes, Bottcher,
goes by Beccali,
even with Lovelock and Schaumburg
and into second place.
Two laps left.
Cunningham, Ny, Lovelock,
Beccali, Schaumburg.
Ny goes after the American,
with Lovelock close behind.
Ny increases the pace
but the American stands his ground.
Cunningham and Ny are even.
The Swede fights his way to the front,
closely followed
by Cunningham and Lovelock.
They're onto the last lap.
Ny leads Cunningham and Lovelock.
Lovelock mounts an attack,
past the American,
and makes a charge for the Swede.
He passes him!
Followed by Cunningham.
Beccali passes the worn-out Swede too.
Lovelock, Cunningham, Beccali.
The American
makes up ground on the bend,
but Lovelock increases the pace.
Beccali is fighting hard,
but Lovelock is in the form of his life.
Unstoppable!
A world record!
The gold medal goes to Lovelock
of New Zealand,
in the world record time of 3:47.8.
Silver for Cunningham of the USA.
Bronze for Beccali of Italy.
The men's high jump.
The bar is set to 1.85 meters.
Thurber of the USA begins.
Castro Mello, Brazil.
Asakuma, Japan.
Toribio, Philippines.
The bar is set to 1.90 meters.
Yada, Japan.
Kotkas, Finland.
Weinkotz, Germany.
Tanaka, Japan.
Asakuma, Japan.
Albritton, USA.
Johnson, USA.
The bar is set to 1.97 meters.
Asakuma, Japan.
Kalima, Finland.
Weinkotz, Germany.
Tanaka, Japan.
Yada, Japan.
Thurber, USA.
Albritton, USA.
Johnson, USA.
The bar is set to 2.03 meters.
There are only four men left
competing for gold.
Kotkas of Finland,
the best high-jumper in Europe, begins.
Eliminated.
Thurber, USA.
Albritton, USA.
Johnson, USA.
An Olympic record!
Gold for Johnson, silver for Albritton,
and bronze for Thurber.
America's high-jumpers
take all three medals.
Get set.
The 110 meters hurdles.
Intermediate heats.
The second intermediate heat.
From left to right,
Lavery of South Africa,
Finlay of England,
the Negro Pollard of America,
lvanovic of Yugoslavia,
O'Connor of Canada,
Wegner of Germany.
America's Forrest Towns won the first heat
in a world record time of 14.1 seconds.
His main rivals are the black American,
Pollard, and Finlay of England.
Finlay and Pollard are side by side
as they go over the hurdles.
Finlay drops back,
Pollard shoots forward,
fails to clear the hurdle
and now Finlay is coming back,
picking up speed
in a dramatic final battle.
They both take the last hurdle
at full stretch,
and now Finlay drives forward
and across the line!
Pollard of America takes second,
O'Connor of Canada third.
Forrest Towns before the final.
His most dangerous opponents are Finlay
and the black American, Pollard.
On your marks.
Lining up are Pollard of America,
O'Connor of Canada,
Thornton of England, Lidman of Sweden,
Forrest Towns of America,
and Finlay of England.
Get set.
Finlay and Towns
take the first hurdle together,
but Towns increases his pace
and pulls away from Finlay.
Pollard surges forward,
mounts an attack on Towns,
but Towns sails over the last hurdle
and across the line!
Towns won in the magnificent time
of 14.2 seconds,
ahead of England's Finlay
and Pollard of America.
Nikkanen, Finland.
Toivonen, Finland.
Klein, Czechoslovakia.
Vattnes, Iceland.
Terry, USA.
Ueno, Japan.
Toivonen, Finland.
Matti Jarvinen, world record holder
and gold medalist in Los Angeles.
The Hungarian Varszegi.
Jarvinen again.
Atterwall of Sweden.
And once again our Stock of Germany.
Toivonen again.
Nikkanen, Finland.
70.77 meters.
Last throw for Stock.
71.84 meters!
A win for Germany in the javelin throw.
Finland's dominance
is broken for the first time.
From the Meuse to the Nemen
From the Adige to the Belt
Germany, Germany above everything
Above everything else in the world
Germany, Germany above everything
Above everything else in the world
The 10,000 meters event.
The Englishmen go straight to the front.
Potts leads from Eaton.
Here comes the tallest
of the Englishmen, Burns.
Beside him is Askola of Finland
in the blue jersey.
Potts is ahead of Burns and Eaton.
But the Japanese champion, Murakoso,
pushes forward.
Murakoso, the Japanese champion, leads.
The field is now really spread out
in the 10,000 meters event.
Singh of India
is lapped by the lead group.
Murakoso is in first,
Salminen of Finland second,
Noji of Poland third,
followed by Askola
and Iso-Hollo of Finland.
The Englishman Burns is in sixth.
The Japanese still leads the front group,
and the order of these six leaders
is still unchanged.
Askola pushes forward,
overtakes the Pole to take third place,
presses further towards Salminen
and draws level with him,
but it is still too early
for the final charge.
He drops back to fourth again.
Iso-Hollo presses forward
and overtakes the Pole
to go into fourth place.
The Finns are now in a single block
behind the Japanese runner.
The Englishman, Burns,
has dropped back,
he cannot keep up
with the speed of the leaders.
Askola makes another charge
for Salminen, passes him,
and Askola is now in second.
The second Japanese runner is lapped.
Salminen is in third and Iso-Hollo fourth.
Noji of Poland maintains his hold
on the leaders' group, in fifth.
The Finns increase the pace
and close down on Murakoso.
The Finns mount an attack
on the Japanese runner.
The Finns are in front,
the long-awaited charge on the tenacious
Japanese runner has begun.
Iso-Hollo and Askola
have overtaken Murakoso.
The Japanese runner is in third.
Salminen is past, too.
The three Finns are at the front
on their own.
Iso-Hollo in first, Askola second,
Salminen third.
The Finns increase the pace,
but the small Japanese runner
breaks into the front group again.
He's neck and neck with Salminen,
passes him and takes third place.
Salminen pushes forward,
followed by Askola and Iso-Hollo.
Last lap,
the big finish from the Finns begins!
Noji of Poland is lapped.
Two-hundred meters left
to the finish line now.
Askola begins his sprint
and passes Salminen to take the lead.
The home straight...
Salminen increases the pace further still,
Askola fights with grim determination,
he speeds up and pushes forward,
but Salminen is the winner.
Gold for Salminen,
silver for Askola
and bronze for Iso-Hollo.
Finland's runners
in the three medal positions.
The final battle in the pole vault.
Twenty-five competitors
have cleared a height of 3.80 meters.
The winner of the pole vault
still has not been decided.
For five hours, the last contenders
have been in dramatic competition.
There are three Americans,
and two Japanese.
The battle rages once again,
as in the 1932 Los Angeles games.
The bar is set to 4.25 meters.
First to jump is Oe of Japan.
He fails to clear the bar.
Second attempt.
The strong American, Graber, steps up.
He fails to clear the bar.
His world record stands at 4.37 meters.
He is America's best hope.
Graber's second attempt.
He fails to clear the bar again.
His final jump.
Eliminated.
Nishida, the Japanese champion.
Sefton, America.
America's young athlete, Meadows.
Fails to clear the bar.
Second attempt for Meadows.
The bar is set to 4.35 meters.
Two Americans take on two Japanese
in the final round.
Oe starts.
Eliminated.
Sefton.
Also eliminated.
Nishida and Meadows battle for gold now.
Nishida...
is out!
The hours of battling for gold
proved too much for him.
Meadows.
A win for America!
A new Olympic record
and gold medal for Meadows.
The women's 4 x 100 meters relay.
Germany, England, America, Canada,
the Netherlands and Italy
are in the final.
Germany holds the current world record.
Get set.
Meter after meter,
Germany's first runner, Emmy Albus
closes in on the runners
from the Netherlands and Canada
in the outside lanes.
Germany leads at the first baton change.
Kathe Kraub has the baton,
she passes the Canadian Dolson,
overtakes the Dutch woman Koen
and extends Germany's lead.
Second baton change.
Dollinger is away and flying, a huge gap,
six, eight, ten meters in front.
No one can take the gold
from Germany now.
Now for the final baton change.
Baton to Dorffeldt,
Germany have dropped the baton!
The way is clear for America,
Helen Stephens
charges over the line in first.
America in first,
England second, Canada third.
The men's 4 x 100 meters relay.
In the final round:
Argentina, Germany, the Netherlands,
America, Italy and Canada.
Owens, the fastest man in the world
and America's first runner,
takes the lead effortlessly,
past Mariani for Italy.
First baton change,
and Metcalfe has the baton,
speeds past Humber of Canada,
hands the baton to Draper
at the second change,
Draper is away and flying,
a long way in front already.
A monumental effort on the bend
increases the gap.
Third baton change.
Frank Wykoff has the baton,
and sprints toward the finish.
America is first,
with a world record time of 39.8 seconds.
Italy second, Germany third.
Osendarp of the Netherlands
forfeited third after dropping the baton.
The 4 x 400 meters relay.
In the final round:
Germany, America, Canada, Sweden,
Hungary and England.
In the outside lane, Wolff runs
the first leg for Great Britain.
He immediately tries
to pull away from the field,
but Canada's fastest man, Fritz,
is already in second.
He closes in on the Englishman
out in front on the straight.
Just four meters now, three meters -
The Englishman's stride
is getting shorter and shorter,
and Fritz is getting faster and faster
behind him.
Into the next bend,
the leader is struggling a little now.
The Canadian is just two meters
behind the Englishman.
Wolff has nothing left
in reply to the charge from the Canadian.
Wolff is falling back
as they approach the home straight.
Fritz is neck and neck with Wolff.
Here comes the American runner,
beside him Hamann of Germany.
The Canadian has a clear lead
on the home stretch. Baton change!
Edwards takes the baton.
He has had seven starts this week,
seven big races.
This time he wants to win
the relay with Canada.
America closes in.
Young of America charges after him
with complete ease.
He's right on his tail, right next to him,
but in the same instant
the Englishman Rampling
storms past them both in a single move.
Baton change,
and Roberts is flying with the baton.
The small Briton is tenacious and fast,
he holds victory for England in his hands.
The broad-shouldered American O'Brien
is in pursuit,
his long stride taking him
closer and closer to the race leader,
but England is still in front.
O'Brien picks up speed,
closing in with every step.
Now he has caught Roberts,
shoulder to shoulder
as they run the back straight.
But Roberts is faster.
Roberts takes the lead again,
he pulls away from the American,
one meter, two meters,
three meters ahead now.
England is onto the home straight
and approaching the last baton change.
And here is England's
strongest runner, Brown,
the world's fastest
white 400 meters runner,
he has started
six races already this week.
Can he hold his ground
against the best of the Americans, Fitch?
The American is coming,
he is completely relaxed,
closing in a centimeter at a time.
The Englishman is giving it everything.
It is between America and England,
between Fitch and Brown.
Two-hundred meters to the finish.
The American
is gaining ground all the time.
Brown must fight.
The American
mounts an attack on the bend.
He is just two meters
behind the Englishman now,
but Brown holds his ground,
he is staying the course.
He draws on the last of his reserves
to pull away from the American,
and grinds out a win for England
in the men's 4 x 400 meters relay.
Gold for England,
silver for America,
bronze for Germany.
MARATHON FINAL
The marathon,
the most colossal test for the athletes.
Forty-two kilometers to the finish line.
Fifty-six runners, the toughest and
most tenacious competitors in the world,
give their all to win for their country.
Zabala of Argentina,
who won gold in Los Angeles,
is looking for a second win.
But Japan, stronger than ever,
is a dangerous adversary.
Nan is the favorite,
but Son is also strong.
Or Finland, will their team
be stronger than the Japanese?
The runners leave the stadium,
Zabala leads.
This is the German radio service.
We are on the marathon route.
Kilometer eight.
The champion
from Los Angeles 1932 leads,
Zabala of Argentina.
Dias of Portugal is in second.
Son of Japan and Harper of Great Britain
in third place.
Here is the checkpoint
on the AVUS highway.
Zabala still leads.
The huge field of marathon runners
is now spread far apart.
It stretches endlessly
across the glittering asphalt of the AVUS.
Behind Zabala, Son Kitei of Japan
and Harper of England
are neck and neck in second place.
Dias of Portugal is in third,
followed by Enochsson of Sweden
and Coleman of South Africa.
The Finns run as one,
in reach of the leaders.
Three runners, one country, one desire.
Twenty-one kilometers still to go.
This is the commentator
from the Kaiser Wilhelm Tower.
The runners have completed
35 kilometers.
Zabala, the champion in Los Angeles,
has collapsed.
The fast start has worn him out.
Son of Japan leads.
The winner of the marathon
is Son Kitei of Japan.
Second, Harper of England.
Nan, also of Japan, in third.
Fourth is Tamila of Finland.
Fifth, Muinonen of Finland.
Coleman of South Africa in sixth.
People
The people, our guests
Enter now through open gates
Peace to this festival of the people
Honor will be our battle hymn
Youthful skill will show its valor
In the heat of competition, Olympia
Your glory in deeds will be praised
The purest goal, Olympia
Joyfully, the champions will win
In this celebration of victory, Olympia
Joy is had even in defeat
In this festival of peace, Olympia
Joyfully, the champions will win
In this celebration of victory
Olympia