It's an all-access pass into the winter Olympic spirit of Lake Placid, NY. Rich in history, this little Adirondack village has played host to some of the biggest events and moments in Olympic history.
The Munich Olympic Stadium, 1972. Athletes and officials are preparing for the 10,000 metres final. Lasse Virén is warming up on the track. It is not a big day only for Virén but for the whole nation. But one man cannot win alone. It takes a dedicated group of hardworking, reliable people. In a desolate bunker near the track, six Finnish men are preparing to help Lasse achieve the run of his life. A run that changes history. All for the small, relentless nation from the dark cold North.
The 1948 London Olympics see Wembley stadium host the athletics plus diving and the swimming at the Empire Pool.
No event in the ancient world compared to the Olympic Games. With Greek culture and influence at their height, the Games drew an audience of tens of thousands. At the heart of this documentary is an ambitious reconstruction of major events, from chariot racing to combat sports, involving stunt men, horse wranglers, 40 young athletes, and hundreds of extras. Experts from universities around the world acted as historical advisors.
Short film about the Winter Olympics 1952 in Oslo
Shot over more than two years, the official film of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing goes behind the scenes to share the stories of international and Chinese athletes, volunteers, medical personnel and officials - against the backdrop of a global pandemic.
The moment where American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their gloved hands in defiance on the podium at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics is one of the most memorable images in sports history. But there is a third man in the photo, the white Australian who finished second to Smith and ahead of Carlos in the 200 meters. His name is Peter Norman, and he stands in quiet solidarity with them. Norman’s story is retold in this film with passion and perspective.
Latin for "Faster, Higher, Stronger" (the Olympic motto), this experimental animation explores the interplay of abstract shapes and motions. How can the substance of motion be visualized? What degree of abstraction allows a communication with the viewer? Therefore movements of famous Olympians were digitalized into 3D through motion tracking and rotoscoping of original footage of Olympic competitions. Camera motions and playback speed of the footage were borrowed and the movements of the athletes were recreated frame by frame. The specific character of each sport is reflected in the visual language and the illustration of its motions.
This documentary by director Paul Cowan is about four athletes and a team that competed in the 1976 Olympics. They had trained courageously to be among those who would mount the podium to receive a medal. None of them did, but was it worth the effort? I'll Go Again answers the question.
A film about one of the most iconic images of the 20th century, the moment when the radical spirit of the 1960s upstaged the greatest sporting event in the world. Two men made a courageous gesture that reverberated around the world, and changed their lives forever. This film is about Tommie Smith and John Carlos' protest at the 1968 Olympics.
In the 1920s, two names dominated the world's long-distance running rankings. Paavo Nurmi was a legend in his own lifetime, but Ville Ritola is remembered by only a few. These biggest rivals to each other were different in almost every way, but they both shared a passion for winning.
How far do you have to go physically and mentally as an Olympic skateboarder? In Candy: A Skater's Mind, we follow Candy Jacobs in the hunt for a medal at the Tokyo Olympics. But on her way to eternal fame, the ultimate disaster strikes.
Against the backdrop of Partition, independent India’s first hockey team defeats England, their erstwhile coloniser, to win the Gold at the 1948 London Olympics. Six decades later, when Nandy Singh, a member of this iconic team suffers a stroke, his tenacious struggle to recover, inspires his daughter to retrace his journey. Using archival footage and interviews with teammates, she reveals lives shaped by the Gold, and by Partition that made them refugees. Revealed also is a friend in Pakistan never spoken of before. Her journey in search of him morphs into a quest for the lost ‘watan’ (homeland).
The life of the Schouten family revolves around tulips and top sport. Together they run a large international tulip company and children Irene and Simon skate at world top level. When mother Jolanda unexpectedly needs a lot of care and attention due to a brain haemorrhage, everything changes. How does the family relate to each other, skating and the company in this new situation?
Magic in the Mountains tells the remarkable underdog story of how Squaw Valley, a little-known ski area in California, won the bid for the 1960 Winter Olympics and, with the help of Walt Disney, changed forever the ways in which the Games were presented. The documentary features never-before-seen archival footage from the 1960 Olympic Games and revealing interviews with participating athletes and attendees. The 1960 edition of the Olympics introduced a substantial array of “firsts,” including such innovations as live broadcast, instant replay, sponsorships, and an official Olympic Village for the athletes. Perhaps most importantly, thanks to Disney’s involvement in producing the Games, Squaw Valley featured an unprecedented — but soon to be standard — level of pageantry for the opening and closing ceremonies.
After three unsuccessful attempts at the Olympics, the 30-year-old Aljona Savchenko finally wants to win a gold medal with a new partner in four years. A rather bold plan, especially since the young Frenchman Bruno Massot, chosen by the German-Ukrainian ice princess, has no international successes in pairs figure skating. He moves to Germany and has no idea of the manic perfectionist he's getting involved with. Aljona's training is tough. Constant disputes about the right course threaten to bring the project to failure. Two completely different characters collide. However, the team of trainers manages to calm things down. February 2018: The competition at the Winter Olympics in South Korea begins with the short program. Inexplicably, Bruno blunders and the pair sit fourth by a wide gap. Gold is hardly possible anymore. It only remains for them to show the world their unique free skating. Their intoxicating, perfect run will go down in history. It will be the free skating of their life!
A Polish war film from 1969 based on a short story by Cezary Chlebowski Nocne Szlaki.
This short documentary is an ode to the thrills and excitement of cycling. Including highlights from the 1976 Olympics and the 1978 Commonwealth Games, the film features some of the world's best cyclists and their coaches, in training and in competition.