VHS : Tokyo Olympiad

Rating: - Tokyo Olympiad
In his enlightening commentary, Peter Cowie tells us that there are only two truly estimable Olympics films: Leni Riefenstahl's "Olympia" and this, Kon Ichikawa's "Tokyo Olympiad." Artistically - with all that word implies when it comes to a documentary, Ichikawa chronicles the 1964 games held in Japan. The games themselves are less important, it seems, than the athletes and Ichikawa's obsession with body, with form, with endurance, or sometimes lack thereof. Thus, in one track competition, the leader is shown only at the end, Ichikawa instead focusing on what interests him about this particular race. There is very little narration, and what there is, is sometimes decidedly objective, such as a seemingly prolonged musing over the fact that a competitor from Chad must be feeling rather lonely as he eats by himself.

Even those with only a passing interest in sports and the Olympics will greatly appreciate Cowie's commentary featured on the Criterion DVD version. Cowie has done good number of Criterion commentaries; he is wonderful to listen to, sometimes chatty, though never at the sacrifice of erudition. His commentary is particularly illuminating for he is a self-acknowledged "Olympics buff." The only minor criticism might be his constant reference to the Sydney games, fresh in his mind at the time he made this recording. That serves the date the commentary slightly.

A beautiful film to look at with an invaluable commentary as a bonus feature!

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Rating: - Amazing film
I was not really sure what to expect, but I have to say that now having watched this DVD, I think Tokyo Olympiad has muscled its way up into my list of all time favorite documentaries. The artful approach to recording the events of the 1964 Toyko Olympics is masterful.

My own favorite moment: the slow-mo 800 meter women's. Ichikawa had two cameras on the scene, and it is the mesmerizing second view of the legs of the runners that gripped me. The fluidity of motion, the definition of their muscles, clearly evident. The front-runner, legs pistoning in a seemingly perfect rythym, seems in control. And then, from the left side of the screen, (keep in mind, in this shot we're seeing mostly just waist down shots of the legs of the runners) Ann Packer's legs come into the shot, moving faster than all the others on the screen. She blows by them all, to win the race. It's a masterful moment for Packer, and a gorgeous scene in the movie.

Second best: Ichikawa takes full advantage of the 2.35:1 widescreen format and there is a huge pull-back showing the entirety of Mt. Fuji. One of the torch runners passes in the foreground. As Crowie mentions in the commentary the runner is reduced to bug-size by this. It is a breath-takingly beautiful sight.

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Rating: - Had to give it a 5-star rating: my grandpa is featured there...
This documentary has a special value to my family. Most of us live in Brazil (I'm a second generation Japanese). During the 1964 Games, my grandfather went to Japan to visit the country where he was born and raised. He was at the opening ceremony and appeared on the film right after the then Emperor Hiroito and Prince Akihito. He's the gentleman who appears standing to attention during the Japanese anthem, right at the beginning of the film (12'34"). He's wearing a brownish tie.

I'm so glad I could see him after so many years! He died when I was five. Haven't watched the documentary yet (just that bit), but it appears to be really nice.

On a technical side, I had serious problems playing it on my stand-alone DVD (Panasonic SA HT70), but no problems watching on the computer.

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Rating: - Incredible
Probably the best sports movie ever made. Beautiful cinematography and direction. Ideal gift for any athlete or fan.

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Rating: - Tokyo Olympiad
This film is indeed artistic, done differently from current sports films. The one most like it in tone and approach that I have seen is Riefenstahl's Olympia, but this film stays closer to the sport than the old German film. The main reason I HAD to buy this was to see Bob Hayes' anchor leg of the 4x100 meter relay, the fastest any person has ever been recorded as running. Because he was in the outside lane, and not so many cameras were employed, seeing the course of his sprint was not optimal, but a freeze frame graphic showing the margin of victory, and the understated narration, is a classic in itself.