The Greeks Are at It Again Background the Ancient Olympic Games Were Heldin World Could Be Made up of the Five Colours the Official Film of the Olympic Committee
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DOCUMENTARY FOCUS Compiled by JANINE DE VILLIERS Promotions and Publications our years have passed and excite- ment is mountingfor another instal- F mentofthe biggest sport spectacle of modern times when the openingcere- mony on13 August 2004 commences the XXVIIIOlympiadin Athens,Greece, where it all began more than two millenniums ago. The Greeks are at it again Background The ancient Olympic Games were heldin world could be made up of the five colours the official film of the Olympic Committee. Olympia,Greece, every four years from at and white background. Director Leni Riefenstahl captured boththe least 776 B.C. until the Roman emperor The lighting of the Olympic flame has also beauty and the exhilaration ofthe occasion. Theodosius I issued a decree prohibitingall beentraditionsince1928. Torchbearershave The grace ofthe high divers and figures pagan worship, whichincluded the Olympic been carryingthe flame from Greece to the photographed againstthe sunlight is con- Games.DuringtheMiddleAgesathletic host venue in commemoration ofthe ancient trasted with quiveringflagsand torches activities had little significance, but new games since1936. At the closing ceremony of which seem to be caught up in the excite- sport had developed by the late nineteenth each Games, the hostcountry ofthe next ment. century and sports clubs and associations Olympiad is ceremonially presented with the Her close-ups of athletes'faces, which were beingfounded where sports enthu- Olympic flag. makethemlooklike statues, and above all siasts convened and competed. The Library Service boasts aninteresting her sense of form and balance, give the film Baron Pierre de Coubertin 31863-1937) of selection of videos featuringOlympic high- grandeur and magnificence. France was inspired by the ancient Olympic lights and triumphs over the years. Riefenstahlclaims thatthe filmis apolitical, Games and was veryinterestedin archaeo- but a strongNazibiasis apparentinits cele- logical excavationsin Greece.In1875-81the Berlin1936 bration of sport as a heroic, superhuman feat remains of Olympia were excavated. He Hitler's Olympia: the Nazi Olympics andinthe sections portrayingHitler and his conceived the idea of the modern Olympic 1936 / director,Leni Riefenstahl. entourage. 3Source: Oxford companion to Games and first mentioned the idea of A record ofthe Olympic Games held in Film.) revivingthe Games duringa lecture in1892. Berlinin1936, made intwo parts - Fest der At a sports congress in Paris in1894 orga- Volker3Festival ofthe nations) and Fest der To k yo 19 6 4 nisedbyDeCoubertinaresolutionwas Scho« nheit 3Festival of beauty). The first part To k yo Olympi a d / producer, Suketaro Taguchi; director,Kon Ichikawa. accepted to revive the Olympic Gamesin opensin ancient Greece, glorifying boththe 1896. The first celebration would be in architecture and the beautyofthe human Los Angeles1984 Athens and thereafter capital cities would form. This is followed by the carryingof the 16 days of glory / producer and taketurnsin hostingthe Games every four Olympic flame to Berlin and the parade director,Bud Greenspan. years.The new Olympic Movement was to before Hitler 3parts of which are cut in some Today a condition for hostingthe Olympic be coordinated andled by the International prints). Gamesis that a filmedrecord ofthe occasion Olympic Committee 3IOC). The restis devoted to track and field be produced and over the years some Winter sportsingeneralremainedoutside events. The second part starts with memorable documentaries have resulted. the scope of the Olympic Movement until sequencesinthe Olympic village, then covers Amongstthe mostimpressive have been 1924 when an International Winter Sports the restofthe games. On completion, after Olympia,Leni Riefenstahl's monumental Week was staged at Chamonixin France. It two years'editing, the film was accepted as two-partimpression ofthe1936 Olympic proved to be so successfulthatthe IOC agreed to stage the Winter Olympic Games in the same year as the Summer Games, but organised as a separate celebration. Thiswas changed in 1986 when the Olympic Charter was amended by the IOC. The Winter and Summer Olympics would henceforth be held alternately every two years. Symbols and ceremonies The Olympic flagwith its five coloured rings has beenin use atthe Olympic Games since 1920 at Antwerp.The intertwined rings symbolise the five continents whose athletes meet to compete. When the symbol was designed, the flags of all the nations of the Cape Libr., May/June 2004 40 DOCUMENTARY FOCUS GamesinBerlin;KonIchikawa'shumanistic tured players like Michael Jordan and Magic Sports enthusiasts willappreciate your Tokyo Olympiadof1964; Visions of eight, Johnson. In the case of boxingit concentrates efforts to alert them to the staging of the the episodic accountofthe1972 Olympicsin on a number of final bouts for gold medalsin Olympic Gamesin Athens13-29 August Munich; and Games of the XXI Olympiad, the various categories. 2004. It is the ideal opportunity to promote the National Film Board of Canada'srecord the video stock, as wellasreadingmatter,on Olympic experience / producer and ofthe1976 eventin Montreal.Because ofthe director, Anthony Harrild. this spectacle and sportin general. extensive television coverage during the Let the Games begin! Thisvideohighlightsdifferentfacetsof games, the producers ofthese official over 20 yearsofthe Gamesfrom1964-1984. References records have generally tried to get away The power ofthe world'sfastest man of1964, Chronicle of the Olympics. Dorling fromthe tradition of straight reportage. Bob Hayes atthe GamesinTokyo contrasts Kindersley, c1998. For this film of the Games of the XXIIIrd withthe technical finesse of Carl Lewis at Los Wallechinsky, D. The complete book of the Olympiad, held in Los Angeles from 28 July Angeles in1984. Other interesting incidents Olympics.AurumP.1996. to12 August1984, the filmmakers concen- includeTommie Smith and John Carlos www.athens2004.com trated on aspects ofthe human drama, demonstratingthe cause of Black Power at www.informationheadquarters.com/Sports/ rather than on transient moments of com- Mexico City 31968), the murder of Israeli Olympic_Games.shtms petition. competitors at Munichin1972 and the gym- Followingthe experiences of a number of Note: Reviews by Freddy Ogterop, Film/Video/ nastic skills of Nadia Comaneciin Montreal individuals, it focuses on specific triumphs DVD selector oftheWestern Cape Provincial 31976). and disappointments, amongstthemthose Library Service. of longdistance runner Dave Moorcroft, judokaYasuhiroYamashita, hurdler Edwin Moses, swimmers John Moffet and Rowdy Gaines, gymnast Mary Lou Retton and Summer Games Winter Games marathon runner Joan Benoit. Also featured are the clash between DaleyThompson and JurgenHingseninthedecathlonandthe 1896 Athens,Greece controversial 3000 metres for women, fea- 190 0 Paris, France turingMary Decker,Zola Budd and Maricica 1904 St Louis,USA Puica, aswellas the movingopeningand 1908 London,Great Britain closingceremonies.The film'sdirector,Bud 1912 Stockholm, Sweden Greenspan, is an experienced producer of 1916 Cancelledbecauseof war sports documentaries, includingthe1976 1920 Antwerp,Belgium television series, The Olympiadof which we 1924 Paris,France 1924 Chamonix,France havetwotitlesinstock, Jesse Owens returns to Berlin and The African runners. 1928 Amsterdam,Holland 1928 St Moritz,Switzerland 1932 Los Angeles,USA 1932 Lake Placid,USA Seoul1988 1936 Berlin,Germany 1936 Garmisch - Partenkirchen, Golden moments: an official highlights Germany video of the Seoul Olympics / 1940 Cancelledbecauseof war producer,Drummond Challis, director 1944 Cancelledbecauseof war Ray Millichope. 1948 London,Great Britain 1948 St Moritz,Switzerland Olympic gymnastics: an official high- 1952 Helsinki, Finland 1952 Oslo, Norway lights video of the Seoul Olympics / producer,Drumond Challis. 1956 Melbourne, Australia 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo,Italy 1960 Rome,Italy 1960 Squaw Valley,USA Barcelona1992 1964 Tokyo,Japan 1964 Innsbruck, Austria 1992 Summer Olympics 1968 Mexico City,Mexico 1968 Grenoble,France This four-part series features highlights of 1972 Munich,Germany 1972 Sapporo, Japan the1992 Olympic Gamesin Barcelona, 1976 Montreal,Canada 1976 Innsbruck, Austria Spain. The firsttwovideos depict a selection 1980 Moscow,USSR 1980 LakePlacid,USA of athletic events, both track and field, as well as the allroundindividual competition, 1984 Los Angeles,USA 1984 Sarajevo,Bosnia for both men and women, in gymnastics. 1988 Seoul,South Korea 1988 Calgary,Canada Swimmingand divingevents from both 1992 Barcelona,Spain 1992 Albertville,France men's and women'sevents are featuredinthe 1994 Lillehammer,Norway third volume in this series. 1996 Atlanta,USA 1998 Nagano,Japan The fourth video devotes approximately 2000 Sydney,Australia 2002 SaltLakeCity,USA half-an-hour eachto basketballand boxing. 2004 Athens,Greece 2006 Turin,Italy For basketballitfocuses onthe finalbetween 2008 Beijing,China 2010 Vancouver,BritishColumbia, the United States and Croatia which was Canada won by the so-called dreamteamwhich fea- Kaapse Bibl., Mei/Junie 2004 41.