Incredible footage has surfaced from the 1936 Olympic Games, which shows black American Jesse Owens defeating the odds against, quite literally, Adolf Hitler. Some peopple have even argued that this feat puts him ahead of Michael Phelps, in terms of being the ‘greatest Olympian’ who ever lived. It is interesting to note that this weekend in London sees the 100m and Long Jump – events made famous and owned by Jesse Owens in 1936. Also this weekend, 76 years after Jesse Owens won four Olympic Games in Berlin at the “Nazi Olympics”, a new major feature film about his exploits is set to go into production
The footage mentioned above comes as part of a trailer made for the upcoming feature film, Hands In The Sky, which documents this harrowing tale.
A recent article from outsideonline had this to say about that particular Olympic challenge:
Owens won four Olympic medals in front of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi empire at a time when Germany was discriminating against Jews and declaring the supremacy of the Aryan race. In the United States, Jim Crow laws were still in effect. Owens performed in the midst of all of that, and won with grace.
Leading up to the Games, there were concerns about the Nazi philosophy and the rule of Adolf Hitler. As news came out about Hitler’s prejudices and policies, Owens stated, “If there are minorities in Germany who are being discriminated against, the United States should withdraw from the 1936 Olympics.” Owens was coached to back off such statements and seize his moment in competition. (For more read, “An Olympic Boycott That Almost Worked,” by Jeremy Schaap)
Before the Olympics, Owens began losing races to Eulace Peacock. The AP selected Peacock as the favorite for the gold in Berlin, but Peacock was injured before the Games and did not compete.
Here is a quote from the writer Guy Walters, speaking on American Experience, about how those in Hitler’s Nazi administration thought of Owens. “We’ve got, you know, people like Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda minister, looking at Jesse Owens, and he says, you know, quite openly, I think it’s unfair, to have people like Jesse Owens competing, because you might as well have deer or gazelle on your team.”
When Jesse Owens won the 100 meters with a world record equaling time of 10.3 seconds, Adolf Hitler refused to congratulate Owens. “Do you really think,” the German leader said, “I will allow myself to be photographed shaking hands with a Negro?“
Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker/Million Dollar Baby/Adjustment Bureau/ Reel Steel) is starring as Jesse Owens.
No stranger to sports cinema, the film is produced by famed Goal producer, Mike Jefferies, who lives between Cape town and LA. It is currently in development and the trailer was cut in Cape Town. Watch that trailer – this is something truly stunning in the making.
