for the introduction & line-up of monthly capsules
running from August 2021 to February 2022
Showing posts with label olympic series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label olympic series. Show all posts
The Olympic Films, part 6 of 7: Summer 1952 / 1948 / 1936 (+ 1932 bonus) & Winter 1998 / 2002 / 2006
for the introduction & line-up of monthly capsules
running from August 2021 to February 2022
The Olympic Films, part 5 of 7: Summer 1964 / 1960 / 1956 & Winter 1984 / 1988 / 1992 / 1994
for the introduction & line-up of monthly capsules
running from August 2021 to February 2022
The Olympic Films, part 4 of 7: Summer 1976 / 1972 / 1968 & Winter 1972 / 1976 / 1980
for the introduction & line-up of monthly capsules
running from August 2021 to February 2022
The Olympic Films, part 3 of 7: Summer 1992 / 1988 / 1984 / 1980 & Winter 1960 / 1964 / 1968
for the introduction & line-up of monthly capsules
running from August 2021 to February 2022
The Olympic Films, part 2 of 7: Summer 2004 / 2000 / 1996 & Winter 1948 / 1952 / 1956
for the introduction & line-up of monthly capsules
running from August 2021 to February 2022
The Olympic Films, part 1 of 7: Summer 2021 (broadcast) / 2016 / 2012 / 2008 & Winter 1924 / 1928 / 1936 (+ 1932 bonus)
for the introduction & line-up of monthly capsules
running from August 2021 to February 2022
The Olympic Series: full directory
Introduction
With the long delay of the 2020 Olympic games, we now face the shortest gap between summer and winter events since the International Olympic Committee switched to an alternating schedule nearly thirty years ago (from 1924 to 1992, both seasonal games were held in the same year). To bridge that gap from August 2021 to February 2022 (Tokyo to Beijing), each month* I will be reviewing between six and seven Olympic documentaries in a single round-up, with capsules focusing as much on the historical context, geographical/cultural flavor, and cinematic style of the films as the notable athletic achievements or personalities. Few sporting events end up capturing their zeitgeists - and all the consequent political implications - as thoroughly as these international games, for all their attempts to eschew the tensions of their times. Think Tommie Smith and John Carlos infamously raising their fists in the air in Mexico 1968, or the Black September hostage-taking in Munich 1972 which led to the deaths of the Israeli team, or the reconciliation between North and South Korea which reached its peak in PyeongChang 2018 - or, of course, Adolf Hitler and Leni Riefenstahl collaborating to glorify the Nazi regime in Berlin 1936.
Although I will be watching many of these movies through the Criterion Collection boxset which spans 1912 to 2012, I'll also be checking out some newsreels on YouTube as a bonus (for the early years that either didn't have official films or lost those films), and watching the more recent post-Criterion documentaries, on 2014, 2016, and 2018, which are available on the IOC's website. My approach will balance recent and distant past, as well as winter and summer, by moving backwards through the summer games and forward through the winter ones. I will be bookending the series with comments on the broadcasts (since the films aren't ready yet) of the just-finished Tokyo summer games and, once these too have concluded, the Beijing winter games. This will be a fun, zigzag rhythm to establish in my journey through time.
Here is the schedule, which will be updated with images and links as the pieces become available. They will appear once a month on Wednesdays, encompassing multiple films at the same time. (*2022 update: After the first entry, the series was delayed and re-scheduled as weekly, so it will now be published every Wednesday from January 19 to February 23.)
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