Tokyo Olympiad (1965)
"Tôkyô orinpikku" (original title)

Ichikawa's cameras follow the 1964 Summer Olympics from opening to closing ceremonies. Sometimes he focuses on spectators, as athletes pass in a blur; sometimes he isolates a competitor; ... See full summary »

Director:

Kon Ichikawa

Writers:

Kon Ichikawa, Yoshio Shirasaka,

Stars:

Abebe Bikila, Jack Douglas, Hirohito

5 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Abebe Bikila	...	Himself
Jack Douglas	...	English-Language Narrator

Storyline

Ichikawa's cameras follow the 1964 Summer Olympics from opening to closing ceremonies. Sometimes he focuses on spectators, as athletes pass in a blur; sometimes he isolates a competitor; other times, it's a closeup of muscles as a hammer is thrown or a barbell lifted; or, we watch a race from start to finish. We see come-from-behind wins in the women's 800 and the men's 10,000 meters. We follow an athlete from Chad from arrival to meals, training, competition, and loss. Throughout, the film celebrates the nobility of athletes pushing themselves to the limit, regardless of victory.

---

Plot Keywords:

athlete | olympics | world | city name in title | japan | 

---

Genres:

Documentary | Sport

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

24 September 1965 (Finland)

Also Known As:

As Olimpíadas de Tóquio

Company Credits

Production Co:

Organizing Committee for the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, Toho Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

170 min 170 min (1984 reissue)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

Thank you Criterion

Seeing as how this dvd is almost 3 hours long I assumed that I could fast forward through some of it. I was wrong. As much as I tried, every new scene kept me glued to the screen. It's the Olympics like you've never seen them, shot and edited with the eye of a real artist. Once again Criterion brings us a lost masterpiece.