Academy Awards, USA 1970
| Nominated Oscar | Best Documentary, Features |
Columbia Pictures
Directed by Alberto Isaac
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)
Survey of the 1968 Olympic games covers all of the expected bases. The opening ceremony is quaint compared to the spectacles of today. This is followed by the competition itself, mostly forgotten athletes breaking decades-old records. Despite all of this it manages to be engaging: the short weightlifter who does flips after winning, an ugly water polo match between Russian and Yugoslavia, the iconic "Black Power salute" from the podium by two black Americans and especially the marathon, where one runner struggles to make it to the finish line hours after the winner in a half-empty stadium. It's all extremely well-shot, with unintrusive narration, natural sounds and a classical score. It does, however, rely a little too much on slow motion, which can try one's patience.
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