Jesse Owens Returns to Berlin

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A documentary film with the title Jesse Owens Returns to Berlin. It consists of two reels of black-and-white 16mm acetate film with optical sound. The documentary opens with aerial footage taken over the city of Berlin with the sound of a helicopter humming in the background. As the helicopter flies over Olympiastadion Berlin, the narrator, Jesse Owens, comments that it was not bombed during WWII. After discussing the global geopolitical climate in 1936, Owens begins to describe his experience participating in the games. The rest of the documentary consists of archival footage of the 1936 Olympics, such as the Olympic torch relay; the opening ceremony; several shots of Adolf Hitler at the games; footage of some of the events Owens competed in: 100 meters, long jump, 200 meters, and 4 × 100-meter relay; as well as a scene in which Owens converses with the son of fellow long jumper Luz Long.

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