She was given 5 months to train cameramen and shoot footage before the games started. She spent two years in the editing room putting the film together. Riefenstahl again received accolades from critics and politicians alike. The film was given several prizes around the world. Some of the techniques employed and invented by the director and her crew are still utilized in sports photography today.
Critics still admire the film's style and technique.
Divers are shown against a skyline and the editing even has some of them in reverse motion to continue the aesthetic of the montage. The marathon sequence uses overpowering music to punctuate the sheer willpower of the runners. But detractors still enjoy dismissing the film because it connects all of the athleticism of the competitors, no matter where they are from, to the Greek Olympic ideal. And, at the beginning of the film, the Greek Olympic ideal is connected to the German Nation. Riefenstahl, still involved unofficially with the Nazi party at this time, denies any politics in the film's content.