The official film for Paris 1924 was accompanied by a curious little piece of theatrical, athletic art to help audiences discover the Ancient Olympic Games.
Author: Don Whelan
Summer on the Seine
Ah, Paris in the summertime! The Olympic Games returned to the French capital in 1924. Having previously hosted the second Games in 1900, Paris became the first city to organize the event twice. The Olympic Games in Paris 1924 1924174 MINUTES, BLACK & WHITE, SILENTJean de Rovera Like the Chamonix winter film produced earlier in […]
The Vanguard of Winter Sport
The very first Winter Olympic Games were held in 1924 at the French resort of Chamonix. Amid the peaceful prosperity of the post-war years, leisure time had expanded. Winter sport had become a growing obsession, and in 1921 the IOC decided to formally recognize the cold-weather sports world. An inaugural “International Week of Winter Sport” […]
The Grandest Games
The summer Games held in Rome in 1960 were probably the first truly modern Games. Fittingly, The Grand Olympics was a new type of Olympic film.
A Matter of Perspectives
In 1994 the Olympic Movement made a major change and shifted schedules, alternating between the Summer and Winter Games every two years. The small Norwegian village of Lillehammer was the host for this first staggered edition of the Winter Games, coming 24 months after Albertville, France had its own moment in the snow. Lillehammer ’94: […]
The Dutch Narrative
As discussed last time, there are two official films associated with the 1928 Amsterdam Games. Aside from documenting sporting achievements, together this pair of silent films seems to represent an important split between recording and storytelling in sports documentaries. Until now the genre seemed mostly concerned with archive creation. The Olympic Games, Amsterdam 1928 1928192 […]
An Amsterdam Marathon
The IX Olympiad in Amsterdam // AMSTERDAM 1928 The IX Olympiad in Amsterdam 1928251 MINUTES, BLACK & WHITE, SILENTDirector unknown This week we’re discussing The IX Olympiad in Amsterdam, the film of the 1928 Amsterdam Olympic Games. This is actually one of two official films produced. Without getting too deep into the details, this film […]
The Angels Sing for Sailer
WHITE VERTIGO // CORTINA D’AMPEZZO 1956 White Vertigo 195696 minutes, colorDirected byGiorgio Ferroni The VII Olympic Winter Games at Cortina d’Ampezzo occupy a fascinating moment in the 20th Century. Postwar optimism and prosperity offered an opportunity for a lavish event, but without the bulging scale that would come later. There were a slew of firsts […]
California Glory
16 Days of Glory // LOS ANGELES 1984 16 Days of Glory 1986284 minutes, colorDirected byBud Greenspan 16 Days of Glory, the story of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, is a logical place to kick off this collaboration, full of familiar faces and stories. It is also the first in a string of 11 […]