Tokyo Olympiad
1965
Directed by Kon Ichikawa
I am starting to regret the picture I chose because it looks like an ad for tampons. Oh well, we will go with it; I am tired. This is actually a relevant movie to watch (which rarely happens on this blog since I go chronologically) because the Olympics are starting in week. I have absolutely no interest in sports but I am terrified that something horrible is going to happen there. This is when most people say send your prayers, but I am atheist so...I don't know; send something else. Again, I am tired.
Previously on The List, we had to watch the 1936 Olympics. I was pleasantly surprised with that film, since I expected to be really bored and was actually mildly entertained. Of course, with that movie, every once awhile Hitler would be shown cheering in the audience so you kind of had to stay on your toes. This time, however, was the opposite. While I expected excitement, I was terribly bored.
It is pretty much a straight record of the Olympics. There is nothing really extra here so if you like sports, you will enjoy the film; if you don't, you will not. Honestly, though even if you love sports, some of the events are beyond ridiculous. The speed walking? You all realize people can see you guys right?
Anyway, at least all this Olympic watching will help my Trivial Pursuit game.
RATING: **---
Interesting Facts:
Reedited after the Japanese government was displeased with Ichikawa's artistic takes on events.
Well, I'm about as much a sports fan as you are Amanda, so this one was regarded a bit of "Well, I suppose I have to.."
ReplyDeleteIt was also a toatal swine to get hold of, and in the end, the only copy I could access was an imported R1 disc on Ebay that was in such bad condition, I ended up returning it. So all the repeated sticking / jumping rather spoilt it for me..
But I found it a reasonable afternoon's watching, and was glad I had done.. and if ever I get chance, I will watch it again on a good copy.
It actually just became available on YouTube as part of the Olympic Channel. I don't know if they will take it off when the Olympics are over or not.
DeleteI liked this better than you did, but I also love watching the olympics. The chance to watch sports you never ever hear about otherwise is interesting. But how do you compact that into a 3 hour movie without boring the audience? Obviously they failed with you, but I thinknthey handled it admireably.
ReplyDeleteYeah I am pretty sports intolerant, so I can't really fault them for that.
DeleteIt's a fascinating time capsule, not just from a sporting perspective, but politically and culturally. Very well made, but not sure what qualifies it for a book of movies I must see. Possibly one of those things where it might look normal from today's viewpoint, but was very different for its time and established standards which are still followed now?
ReplyDeleteAll that notwithstanding the camera shot of one athlete who really should have given more thought to their choice underwear and its usefulness in covering their modesty in front of a global audience.