Berlin 36 (4 Stars)

This true story is a case of fact being stranger than fiction. 1n 1936 Germany was due to host the Olympic Games in Berlin. America threatened to boycott the games if Jewish athletes weren't allowed to compete. The world's best female high jumper at the time was a German Jew called Gretel Bergmann. She had already emigrated to England, but she was encouraged to return to Germany to train for the Olympics. Behind the scenes the German authorities were terrified of the negative propaganda if a Jew won the gold medal for Germany, so they desperately hunted for a better German athlete. And they found one. Unfortunately it was a man, so they had to disguise him as a woman to take part. I suppose the medical checks weren't as stringent in those days.

This is a fascinating film which shows primarily how "normal people" hated Jews. Gretel had to fight to prepare for the Olympic Games while being treated as an unwanted foreigner in her own country.