Kind Words For 'Race'

Movie buffs and Olympic fans are getting treated to several new five-ringed films this year, and next to hit the big screen is the Jesse Owens biopic "Race."

Focus Features hosted a star-studded Atlanta premiere earlier this month, and there are plenty of good reasons to experience this portrayal of an American and worldwide Olympic hero, and those forming his inner and outer circles of influence, on the road and boat to the Berlin 1936 Olympiad.

Ambassador Andrew Young, Chris Bridges (a.k.a. Ludacris), Regina Belle, Anthony David and Kim Fields were among the honored guests on site.

Rising track star and Rio Olympic hopeful Candace Hill also attended to enjoy what she called her first real red carpet experience. I was hoping to spot other Georgia Olympians, or the team from the upcoming documentary "Olympic Pride, American Prejudice" (a work in progress also featuring Owens) during the festivities.

Addressing the audience before the special screening, the actor in the title role, Stephan James, explained how he drew inspiration from the Olympic champion.

"Jesse Owens was a humanitarian," said James. "Of all things I learned about him, nothing [compared] to that aspect of his life."

James described Owens' courage to travel to Berlin as one of the first black Team USA Olympians also running against strong headwinds of Nazism in Germany and racism at home in the USA.

"I took it as a responsibility to bring a level of humanity to him and bring that to the screen," said James. "I hope [audiences] enjoy the film and they learn something from it, but most importantly I hope [they're] inspired the same way I was."

Through a red carpet interview informed by an Atlanta Journal-Constitution report, I asked James about his training for the film on the tracks at Georgia Tech during his time away from filming "Selma" (in which he portrayed a young Congressman John Lewis).

While responding, James also described how his study of "Olympia" -- the original Olympic film and award winning documentary by Leni Riefenstahl -- factored into his Owens performance. James seemed humbled by the opportunity to portray the gold medalist, and the actor's responses may be viewed here:

I liked "Race" not only for its attention to small Olympic details but also its script directly addressing race relations, leaving no doubt about the title's double entendre while subtly proving the premise of the "Avenue Q" song "Everyone's A Little Bit Racist Sometimes." Just about all of key characters in "Race" had strong though inappropriate words about their fellow man. 

Prepare to wriggle in your seat if you're uncomfortable with epithets like coon, cracker, darkie, eight ball, Kraut, the n-word or peckerwood. They're all in there, though not in succession as in the dugout confrontation of "42."

Some of the most honest conversations in "Race" are between Owens and his coach Larry Snyder (Jason Sudeikis). As the arc of their relationship evolves from coach:athlete to mentor:mentee then close friendship, their "tell it like it is" comfort levels increase, eventually shining as they defend each other to narrow-minded peers. This crescendos with the film's most direct statement on race (for a spoiler, see 1:35 to 1:45 of the trailer).

I think both characters grew from their open and direct conversations, and perhaps moviegoers may also. And, by the way, the second nod to a previous sports film comes through a few Sudeikis coaching scenes akin to Ian Holm in "Chariots of Fire."

If a goal of "Race" is to get audiences talking frankly about the topic race, the filmmakers succeeded -- the diverse premiere audience definitely shared conversations upon exiting the theatre. This writer sort of anticipated mention of Richard Pryor's response to Chevy Chase on "SNL" to creep into the post-screening banter.

I spoke with Ambassador Young, Fields and Belle about their observations.

Young described "Race" as "probably his favorite" Olympic movie because it took him back to his first lessons in race relations at age four. Conversing with me as the credits rolled, Young said his boyhood home street included some pre-WWII German neighbors who publicly saluted Hitler, and early newsreels of Jesse Owens' victory provided fodder for some father-son conversations.

"It taught me 'don't get mad, get smart!" said Young, who added that he never met Owens or his family members, but he did serve in Congress with Owens' teammate/Olympic gold medalist Ralph Metcalfe.

Fields, who was emcee for a brief in-theatre presentation for James, said she enjoyed the film. The "Facts of Life" star who now resides in Atlanta thought it would be an inspiration for many, as did Belle, who answered a few questions on camera, specifically citing one of the film's best lines about freedom and sport relevant to anyone's chosen passion.

Returning to attention to detail in "Race," a few other finer points are notable.

For the second or third time in recent film history (following "Unbroken" and "Berlin 36"), the German Olympiastadion is vividly brought to life through rich, modern animation.

An over-the-shoulder lens follows Owens through the vomitory and onto the field with 100,000 seated fans. This long take seamlessly presents an on-screen Owens transformation from national track star to international icon. This I liked, and many in the audience gasped at the stadium views inclusive of the 1936 Olympic cauldron.

I also enjoyed how everything from Riefenstahl's camera angles and lipstick to the long jump judges' correct Olympic pin and ribbon colors really popped. Earlier, during the opening scenes, there's an homage to "Rocky" with Owens taking a training run through depression era Cleveland. Everyone's got the right pinstripe suit, hat and rumble seat sedan, proving the costume and set decoration teams did their homework.

They even put an Olympic oak seedling in Jesse's hands during his medal ceremony, accurately depicting the special takeaway gift presented to each winner of gold, silver and bronze (the fate of many Olympic oaks was documented by an International Association of Olympic Historians member, with at least one Owens oak still possibly alive at his his high school or college alma mater, Ohio State University).

The hand-held seedlings got a lot of surprised responses from the audience: "A tree?!?" and "What's Jesse going to do with a tree?"

Where I took issue with "Race" is through the broad and purely fictional liberties taken by the writers to showcase the politicking of Team USA and Third Reich. If the filmmakers went out of their way to get the right lapel pins on the actors, why create such preposterous scenes on other Olympic fronts?

The most outlandish set up features multiple conversations during which Riefenstahl, the documentary filmmaker, personally translates conversations between Joseph Goebbels and Avery Brundage, the German propaganda minister and the U.S. Olympic Committee delegate, respectively. Ridiculous!

These scenes seemed false on a level akin to another purely fictional Olympic film character, the so-called "Olympic shooter from Syria" written into "American Sniper" for distracting-to-this-blogger dramatic effect (more on that fiction here). More forgivable but perhaps just as fictional are post-race scenes during which Hitler snubbed Owens (facts still debated my many historians).

Two casting choices -- specifically regarding Jeremy Irons and William Hurt -- struck me funny as well.

While Irons' CV is chock-full of douche bag villain roles (his love to hate them characters in "Lolita," "Reversal of Fortune," "Damage" and "Margin Call" among my favorites), and I get it that Irons as Brundage is a new addition to the list, it seemed to me the balding William Hurt, who also played some jerks (see "Broadcast News," "Mr. Brooks" and "A History of Violence") had a better hair line match to Brundage.

Instead, Irons dons the spectacles and Hurt carries his tail between his legs as Jeremiah Mahoney, the U.S. athletics official who -- at least in the script for "Race" -- failed to sway votes for a 1936 Olympic boycott (more creative writing liberties, I suspect -- though the boycott vote did take place it's doubtful such speeches were uttered by those in attendance).

Two German performers shine as Riefenstahl and Goebbels, who share some verbal fencing just as directy as Owens and Snyder.

Barnaby Metschurat filled his S.S. costume with stern angst, and Carise van Houten dished out some clever schadenfreude for Hitler's closest minion.

"This is my Olympics," said Goebbels, to which Riefenstahl aptly retorted, "This is my film; without it, your Olympics will be forgotten in one year!"

Other brief notes: Though the exact duration of the film is not yet published, audiences may wish to pace themselves for a marathon not a sprint to the finish.

Also, the soundtrack to "Race" leaves a bit to be desired -- seemed like a missed opportunity for the filmmakers to engage Vangelis, John Williams or one of several talented African American composers for a stronger score (the team at Back Lot Music just didn't come through on this one).

I was very impressed by Stefan James filling some big Olympian shoes** in "Race." This was his second five-ringed film (he previously appeared in the made for television movie "The Gabby Douglas Story") and it hopefully will be the first of many major roles for James' career.

One key scene in the rain, during which Owens stares with optimism at the woman he hopes to marry, resembled the Pulitzer Prize winning photo of President Obama gazing into a challenging future, and down the road I think James could fill the shoes of our commander-in-chief on film.

Might also be fun to see James again in the eventual "Carl Lewis Story" or "Bolt -- Usain's Journey" down the road. Until then, my suggestion is to run, don't walk, to see "Race."

Premiere event photos and videos by Nicholas Wolaver. Hurt-Brundage-Irons images via IMDB. Stills and posters from "Race" via Focus Features.

**A pair of Jesse Owens' shoes may be on view in the upcoming High Museum of Art exhibition "Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneaker Culture" opening June 11; the exhibition catalog features images of a pair of Owens' spikes. "Race" includes a curious reference to these shoes via Coach Snyder clumsily trying to locate Adidas founder one night in Berlin -- another fictionalized, albeit interesting, Olympic trivia element in the film.

Help Bring Olympic History to Light on the Silver Screen in Time for 2016

Olympic movie and history buffs have an opportunity to help get a potential five-ringed gem to the silver screen in time for next year's film festival season and the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Through the crowdfunding site Seed & Spark, now through March 17, anyone may contribute funds to help complete the documentary "Olympic Pride, American Prejudice" by Atlanta-based filmmaker Deborah Riley Draper, whose team seeks to bring to light the seldom-heard stories of African American Olympians who competed at the 1936 Berlin Olympiad.

For more specifics on the donation process, click the links above or scroll to the base of this post, post-haste.

Paraphrasing the film synopsis: "Olympic Pride, American Prejudice" will be a feature length documentary exploring the trials and triumphs of 18 African American athletes who represented Team USA in Germany.

Set against the strained and turbulent atmosphere of a racially divided America -- torn between boycotting Hitler’s Olympics and participating in the Third Reich’s grandest feat of propaganda -- the film follows 16 men and two women as they prepared for, traveled to, competed in and returned from Berlin.

With an Olympian-level blend of grace and dignity, these athletes represented a nation that considered them second class citizens, and their competitions took place in a nation that rolled out the red carpet in spite of an undercurrent of Aryan superiority and anti-Semitism.

I spoke with Riley Draper, who explained the idea for the film started with research of a jazz singer from Chattanooga who later was reportedly interned by the Nazis. Articles on the musician included references to African American Olympians who competed in Berlin, and as Riley Draper gained some Olympic experiences and interest during a U.S. Track & Field assignment at the 1996 Atlanta Games, the seldom-heard stories of these athletes stuck with her.

Though many know the story of Jesse Owens' feats on the track in Berlin, the other 17 black athletes'
experiences are known to comparatively few.

"I wanted to bring to light these heroes who created a precursor to the Civil Rights Movement," said Riley Draper.

Research for "Olympic Pride, American Prejudice" yielded that the 18 athletes came from across the U.S., with attendance at big colleges as a common thread among the "great student athletes" selected for Team USA. Some medaled in Berlin, though with considerably less fanfare than Owens.

Riley Draper said some of the athletes also made the cut, while more did not, for the original Olympic documentary film, Leni Riefenstahl's "Olympia." And in one case, the German filmmaker
stirred the political pot in the 1936 Cultural Olympiad by displaying images of black U.S. athletes she snapped as artsy photographs during her trip to the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics.

One U.S. athlete set as part of the new film is Jack Wilson, the silver medalist in boxing. Another is Archie Williams, who won gold in the 400m race.

And in high jump, Cornelius Johnson and David Albritton earned gold and silver, respectively, while teammate Delos Thurber also made the podium for bronze (a clean sweep). As rising stars, Albritton and Owens lived parallel lives as rural Alabama natives who succeeded on the track.

I personally look forward to learning more about Johnson and all of the athletes to be profiled through “Olympic Price, American Prejudice.”

Back to the film’s synopsis: "The athletes experienced things that they were not expecting -- applause, warm welcomes, an integrated Olympic Village and the respect of their competitors. They were heroes on the world’s stage who returned home to find only short-lived glory. Their story is complicated … a vital part of history as relevant today as it was almost 80 years ago."

Riley Draper and her team plan to “utilize the wealth of newsreel material, newspaper articles, photographs, personal interviews and never-before-seen footage as well as resources from the personal archival collections of Olympians and Foundations in both the U.S. and Germany.”

She also said research to date included a wealth of detail provided by archives managed by the LA84 Foundation, the National Archives and the Avery Brundage Collection at the University of Illinois.

When I asked the extent to which the International Olympic Committee/Olympic Museum, U.S. Olympic Committee, International Society of Olympic Historians (ISOH) or travels to other domestic or international archives are on the filmmaker’s wish list (as part of their fundraising goals), Riley Draper said she was open to additional sources but travel to Berlin to capture in-stadium footage -- and more interviews of surviving athletes or spectators -- tops the list.

The crowdfunding site lists several types of equipment needs, expenses for everything from insurance and narration to image licensing, and travel items.

Donations of as little as $1 or in the form of Delta Air Lines SkyMiles are accepted, and donor who provide at higher levels may opt-in to pre-release perks (including an on-screen credit as a supporter). For readers who choose to contribute, please consider doing so by selecting this blog and/or blogger as the source providing referral to Seed & Spark.

Thank you for your part in bringing “Olympic Pride, American Prejudice” to the big screen. Additional information is also available via the film’s official site, 1936OlympicsMovie.com.

Images via www.1936OlympicsMovie.com

American Experience: Jesse Owens

A few weeks back a couple of friendly publicists for the popular PBS program "American Experience" emailed me to ask if I'd be interested in previewing the new documentary "Jesse Owens" set to premiere nationally on May 1.

Hello! Twist my arm!

"American Experience" is a longtime favorite in the Wolaver home. Outstanding programs. Their series "New York: A Documentary Series by Ric Burns" is an all-time great for Public Broadcasting.

So without hesitation I accepted the opportunity to view "Jesse Owens."

This is not the first film featuring the 1936 Olympic champion. In 1984 there was a made for TV mini-series "The Jesse Owens Story" which was, on the heels of "Chariots of Fire," among the first Olympic films I watched. In the 28 years since, there were other Jesse Owens tributes and specials, and a few years ago I stopped in rural Oakville, Ala., at the Jesse Owens Museum.

And of course, Owens appears in the original Olympic documentary film "Olympia" by Leni Riefenstahl, with several clips from this sports photography masterpiece appearing in the current "American Experience" program.

The new "Jesse Owens" feature comes to us from the team of Laurens Grant and Stanley Nelson, the producers of the Emmy winning documentary "Freedom Riders." They did a nice job with the new documentary, though with a few quirks.

It struck me funny that Owens' first eight years -- among 10 siblings residing in rural Alabama -- received only one mention of the Southern state, with no footage of his hometown museum; the filmmakers instead noted Cleveland as the launching point for the Owens story.

I also had a bone to pick with the film's one odd visual: The opening sequence included some interesting X-ray footage (early black and white X-ray films of bones and joints showcasing movement). "Were these Owens' bones?" I pondered, wondering the source of the skeletal footage (still scratching my head ... why was this inserted?).

With these two initial observations noted, the film quickly got to the Owens tale many already know.

We learn about his early track days, coaches and initial success juxtaposed with racial inequality that was the norm of his time, with Owens denied restaurant service and hotel accommodations -- and even an on-campus dorm room -- due to segregation.

We're also introduced to Owens fans who were his contemporaries, including U.S. Olympic Teammates Iris Cummings Critchell (swimming) and Louis Zamperini (athletics), as well as Berlin Olympiad spectators Theodor Michael and Hilmar Dressler, who read about Owens in German newspapers during the buildup to the Games. There's also the great sportsmanship shared by Owens and German long jump rival Carl "Luz" Long, who famously walked arm in arm after receiving their Olympic medals, an Olympic-sized flipping of the bird to Hitler and all he stood for in front of the world.

One thing I learned in this documentary was how the NAACP encouraged Owens to speak out against Team USA heading to Berlin at all. But after Owens brought up this opposition, many of the key influencers of the time, including his own coach and American Olympic Committee leader Avery Brundage, quickly quashed the track star's anti-Games remarks.

This was not the last time Brundage and others overruled Owens and teammates, as viewers learn of Games-time politics and post-Olympic promotions that Owens endured for several months, ultimately denying him many opportunities to cash in on his success.

Sidebar: Brundage is a controversial figure in Olympic history worthy of his own "American Experience" documentary -- in this "Jesse Owens" film, Brundage is painted in a negative light, cast perhaps unfairly with near-Hitler-level "bad guy" status, without noting enough context about Brundage's multiple hats for the IOC, AOC and AAU while delving into his perspectives on Jewish athletes -- I write this not in defense of Brundage's reprehensible actions; rather, to encourage viewers and readers of this blog to absorb the "Jesse Owens" Brundage footage and voiceovers with a grain of salt, or to learn more about Brundage beyond the film.

Another key learning from "American Experience: Jesse Owens" was Owens' main pre-Games competition, a runner named Eulace Peacock (if NBC was the host broadcaster for the 1936 Olympics, where television debuted, they would have had a field day given their winged logo). Unfortunately, Peacock -- named by the AP as the gold medal favorite for Berlin -- was denied a spot on Team USA due to an injury.

The film also notes Thomas Wolfe's perspectives on the Games as he attended the Opening Ceremony and track competitions as a celebrity guest. Zamperini also tells of the unfortunate aftermath of cannon fire (during the opening ceremony) which startled thousands of peace doves, er, pigeons released above the athletes who marched into the stadium. It was fun to see some of my fellow members of the International Society of Olympic Historians on the small screen.

An interesting visual element during the Berlin sequences: Animation using iconic Olympic posters for the Berlin Games. The producers also converted several still photos into animation, an appealing move that brought to life several of Owens' races.

The film concludes with a brief sequence of Owens' post-Games activities, which saw him fade into obscurity for decades before desegregation and renewed Olympic and U.S. patriotism brought him back into the limelight during the 1960s and 1970s.

I enjoyed the "Jesse Owens" feature for "American Experience" and it is worth one's time to tune in to local PBS stations. One of the best things about "American Experience" is that the series always inspires me to do more of my own research, and that is true of the "Jesse Owens" documentary.

In preparing this Olympic blog post, for instance, I learned more about Wolfe, and that Peacock (also from a rural Alabama town) and  Owens later opened a business together, according to this biography. I also learned that Owens opened his own public relations firm in Chicago, according to this timeline (in step with Dan Edelman, founder of the world's largest independent P.R. firm, my former employer). These fun facts did not make it to the final version of "American Experience: Jesse Owens" but I am thankful the documentary led me to learn these details.

Photos via this link, this link and this link

Atlanta Jewish Film Festival Scores w/ "Berlin 36"

While on sabbatical in Munich last summer, it was fun to stumble upon a new Olympic film with the title "Berlin 36."

Of course, at the time it seemed there was no hope of screening this film any time soon (trailer here) -- I speak/read no German, and the art-house "look" to the preview did not hint of mainstream release (it was later revealed the film opened in Germany in September 2009).

So it was delightful news to learn the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival (AJFF) landed "Berlin 36" as its premiere showcase film for the 2010 event, the festival's 10th year in Georgia.

With thanks to the P.R. team for AJFF, I viewed "Berlin 36" at home and look forward to viewing the big screen version at the Festival Premiere event tomorrow evening.

The festival's other films, including some sports-themed titles (especially the sumo-scale "A Matter Of Size" regarding the Japanese sport), are on my to-do list for the final days before heading to Vancouver (be sure to check out the AJFF's complete schedule).

But back to a review of "Berlin 36" ...

"Berlin 36" portrays the true story of Gretel Bergmann, a Jewish high jumper from Laupheim, Germany, who was on track to win the gold in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games until a range of political moves involving the Nazi Party, German track officials, the I.O.C., U.S. Olympic Committee and others led to Bergmann's undeserved dismissal from the German track team only weeks before the XIth Olympiad Opening Ceremony.

The curious twist to the already sad story of Olympic-level anti-Semitism is that the German team replaced Bergmann with a "female" high jumper who was, um, "equiped" for competition.

Contrary to the review by The Sunday Paper in Atlanta, whose critic incorrectly identified the "female" athlete as "transvestite," the real-life competitor named Dora Ratjen was a hermaphrodite (distinctly different from transvestite in that s/he may have had both boy and girl parts under her/his track suit). Ratjen's 4th place finish at the Berlin Games went down in Olympic history among the first cases for the need for gender testing in sport.

UPDATE ADDED Jan. 13, 2010: I stand corrected -- in the previous paragraph I got it wrong. The correction: The Sunday Paper correctly reported that Dora Ratjen was transvestite, not hermaphrodite, according to comments made by Kaspar Heidelbach, the director of "Berlin 36," during the Q&A session on opening night of the AJFF. "I have seen the [Ratjen's] medical file," said Heidelbach, when responding to audience questions. At an AJFF post-premiere dessert event, Heidelbach further clarified that he tracked down Ratjen's medical records [confirming transvestite status, rather than hermaphrodite] via a former East German official who located the files in Moscow. Therefore, Ratjen apparently had boy parts under his track suit.

"Berlin 36" does a fairly good job at showcasing the behind-the-scenes workings of Germany's preparation for the 1936 Olympics. It was interesting to view the film maker's take of the Olympic City in the opening scenes and during the climactic buildup to the actual competition in the Berlin Olympic Stadium (these scenes were reminiscent of pre-Games/during-Games of Paris 1924 as portrayed in "Chariots Of Fire" and in the classic Olympic caper "Charlie Chan at the Olympics").

The special effects addition of airships to some outdoor scenes are intriguing, too, though almost but not quite on par with the works of George Lucas. The real story on Hindenburg at the 1936 Olympics is worth a look.

Where "Berlin 36" left me hanging was some of the obviously "made up facts" that turned the real-life drama faced by Bergmann into "historic fiction" and farce.

In a phone interview tonight with Ms. Bergmann -- a New York resident of more than 70 years, for decades using the name Margaret Lambert (now age 95) -- I asked her to clarify a few things in "Berlin 36" and learned a lot from the conversation.

"I first learned they were planning a film [about my life] about three years ago," said Lambert. She explained that the filmmakers asked for her input during the production, and she met several members of the "Berlin 36" cast and crew, including Karoline Herfurth, the actress who portrays Bergmann (some might recognize Herfurth from her part in "The Reader").

"There were some things [about "Berlin 36"] I felt should be changed," she added. "But we came to an agreement."

The elements Lambert mentioned for change included the recommendation that the filmmakers use a pseudonym for Ratjen, which they did. But in spite of Lambert's input, the script was not altered from fiction to fact when it came to the "friendship" between the Jew and she-male athlete.

"We were roommates -- that was fact," said Lambert. "But we were never that friendly [as portrayed later in the film]. We only ever talked about sports and high jump, but nothing personal whatsoever."

Certainly, by the conclusion of "Berlin 36" the Bergmann-Lambert story was completely off the tracks.

"We did think it was odd that she [Ratjen] was shy and would not shower with the other girls," said Lambert of the film's portrayal of her teammate and bathing. "But I did not learn that he, or she, was a man until I read about it in a magazine at the dentist office ... in 1968!

"I laughed out loud and thought 'oh, there she is, my roommate' and everyone else in the dentist's waiting room thought I was crazy!"

Lambert went on to state that overall she is very happy about how "Berlin 36" turned out, but she thought some of the made-for-big-screen drama was "stupid" or "silly" but she understood why the filmmakers had to do what they did "for effect" and she was "O.K. with it" because, Lambert said with a chuckle, "no one would watch an hour-and-a-half movie only about high jumping."

Lambert also mentioned she was impressed with Herfurth's preparation for the role of the Olympian-in-training Bergmann.

"That girl trained for three months," said Lambert.

I do recommend that anyone should see "Berlin 36" at its multiple screenings during the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival or when it comes to a theatre near you. Though off-track from fact in later scenes, it does do justice to Lambert-Bergmann's place in Olympic track and field history while offering insight and answers to that often-asked question, "why do they have gender testing in the Olympics?"

Update Jan. 13, 2010: For another interview with Ms. Lambert, read the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's conversation written by Howard Pousner.

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It's not every day one gets to interview a 1936 should-have-been Olympian, so in addition to discussing "Berlin 36" I also asked Lambert her perspective on other Olympic topics.

I had seen in biographies of Lambert that she moved to the U.S. in 1937, and she proclaimed she would never return to Germany but later did. So I asked for some more specifics on her decision to go home in recent years.

"The first time I went back it was to Frankfurt, and then a couple of days in my hometown," said Lambert. "I was very nervous. But I'm glad I went. I learned that people there still feel very guilty about what happened, and you could not blame them for what their parents and grandparents did."

When asked her perspective on the tragic events at the Munich 1972 Olympics, and the extent to which she may have drawn a connection to Berlin 1936, Lambert said, "I was very upset during Munich and thought they should have immediately closed the Games. But I don't think I drew any connection between Berlin and Munich -- what happened in Munich was just horrible."

I also asked Lambert about her trek to the USA in 1937, and whether she made the journey in an era when Zeppelins were the common Germany-to-North America Trans-Atlantic option.

"I came over on a ship later in 1937, after the Hindenburg," said Lambert, correctly noting that lighter-than-air travel quickly ended after the May 1937 explosion in New Jersey ended the Zeppelin travel era. Of the Hindenburg tragedy, Lambert added, "I was sorry people died but very happy the Nazi symbol [the Hindenburg] was destroyed."

On the topic of "did you go on to compete in other sports after the high jump?" Lambert explained, that when she left Germany, she was only allowed to take $4 with her to America, so it was a tough start upon arriving in the USA.

"I played tennis and golf working at a summer camp," Lambert said. "And I hit a home run the first time I was up to bat in baseball."

Of the Fosbury Flop that now dominates high jump, Lambert said, "I would never have learned to do that."

Our conversation also touched on the South African woman who won gold at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, which took place at the Berlin Olympic Stadium. Though neither Lambert nor I could recall Ms. Caster Semenya's name, we both remembered the gender issues brought up during the Berlin track event.

Both Lambert and I wondered the extent to which Semenya's future competitions may inspire interest in "Berlin 36" and the extent to which the film might inspire further conversation about Semenya.

"When I saw her [Semenya] on TV, I instantly thought she was a man," said Lambert (and so did I, frankly). But Lambert did not draw parallels to the 1936 gender issues. Instead, Lambert noted her take on modern Olympians.

"I don't think the Olympics are what they used to be," said Lambert. "We did it for the love of sport, and now they do it for the money."

Photos via AJFF and Berlin 36 official site

Film Review: "Charlie Chan At The Olympics"

Happy New Year! Thanks to folks who visited or returned to the site since last pre-Christmas post. Recent weeks were an adventure that, for me, included an Amtrak trek to New Orleans (to catch a discounted flight to Oklahoma for a week of holiday vacation and family time) and a return to work with the openings of Cirque du Soleil 'KOOZA' and Stone Mountain Park's new Snow Mountain attractions (disclosure: both are clients of Edelman, my employer of almost 10 years).

With a full weekend to rest and relax, yesterday I screened an oldie but a goodie that arrived via Netflix, and for those who appreciate early films like "Sunset Boulevard," Hitchcock's "Life Boat" or other classics, I now highly recommend "Charlie Chan At The Olympics" -- a 1937 release -- so you may also get your "Olympic fix" in a new way.

Hawaii-based master detective Charlie Chan takes on a nail-biting, albeit slightly kitschy, case through which a murder is committed when a pre-war U.S. flying device is stolen and taken to the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where Chan's "No. 1 son" will compete in the 100-meter swimming events.

This film packs in about as much coolness as one surprised viewer could absorb.

First, there's multinational intrigue on par with "Patriot Games" or any James Bond 007 drama.

Then there's global travel on a cruise ship (including the liner that transported the U.S. Olympic Team to Germany), trains, and event a clipper plane to catch a Trans-Atlantic flight on the Hindenburg (curious note: this film debuted on screens only two weeks after the real Hindenburg met it's spectacular fate in Lakehurst, N.J. -- I have to wonder the extent to which they pondered delay of the release due to the Zeppelin tragedy; so far, no evidence that they held the screen release due to the explosion, but rather, one site mentions the film was pulled due to Nazi influence ... in spite of the fact not one Nazi appears in the film). Chan's VIP airship flight even makes it to Berlin in time for overhead shots of the Olympic stadium and Olympic opening ceremony rehearsals (well, at least in the film they are portrayed as pre-Games overhead shots).

There's also good humor, archival and Hollywood-made Olympic moments from the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, and not one mention of Hitler (all of the German officials actually appear in pre-Nazi German military uniforms, and all of the panning shots of the Games somehow are void of Third Reich logos and propaganda signage). Olympic aficionados will love Chan's scenes portrayed inside the Olympic stadium as his son's teammates cheer for Jesse Owens and other U.S. competitors at the Games (some sources cite these scenes were filmed at Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, site of the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games, but I beg to differ -- though no doubt some scenes must have been filmed in L.A., the Olympic Stadium appears authentically Berlin, save a few close-ups of Chan with other characters).

It was interesting to me that this 20th Century Fox release included a character named "Major Strasser," a German military officer, and this name later appeared in a little Warner Bros. picture you may have heard of titled "Casablanca" (in this latter film, officer Strasser is that guy who was felled by a bullet, yielding the fantastically quotable line, "Major Strasser has been shot -- round up the 'usual suspects'").

I also could hardly believe my eyes that the U.S. Olympic Committee and International Olympic Committee apparently had no problem with the use of the Olympic rings on virtually every scene involving athletes and the Games. The U.S. athletes are clearly clad with the U.S.O.C.'s red, white and blue crest with rings, Olympic flags are flying (much like the 1924 establishing shots in "Chariots of Fire," arguably the best Olympic film ever). Heck, the script for "Charlie Chan at the Olympics" even includes Chan receiving box seats for the Opening Ceremony and other tickets, with compliments of the IOC (or are they?).

Though racy by today's P.C. standards, Chan's truisms are another delight during this film. I laughed out loud several times as he, or his sons, unloaded fortune cookie-like phrases including "Perhaps good idea not to accept gold medal until race is won" and "As my pop would say, 'When a woman play with fire, man get burned."

The know-it-all old-maid landlady of the Honolulu hotel (scene of the murder) steals the show.

The new year will no doubt bring plenty of excuses to blog about the Olympics. I appreciate everyone who's viewed this site since its pre-Beijing Olympic inception. Please keep coming back for Vancouver 2010 Olympic updates, 2016 Olympic Bid movements and all Olympic rings and other things trivia and storytelling.

And take the advice of Chan: "Don't rub sore finger with sandpaper."