Visions of Eight (1973)

Visions of Eight is a film about the personal dreams which make the Olympic Games transcend the physical into the spiritual... See full synopsis »

Directors:

Milos Forman, Kon Ichikawa,

Writers:

David Hughes (segment), Deliara Ozerowa,

Won 1 Golden Globe.

Storyline

Visions of Eight is a film about the personal dreams which make the Olympic Games transcend the physical into the spiritual... See full synopsis »

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Plot Keywords:

slow motion | munich germany | 1970s | olympics | directed by several directors | 

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Taglines:

Eight Directors Capture What The Naked Eye Cannot See...

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Genres:

Documentary | Sport

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA West Germany

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

20 August 1973 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Olympic Visions

Filming Locations:

Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bavaria Atelier, Wolper Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

End of an Era

The 1972 Summer Olympic Games, in many ways, were the end of an era. Since 1936, the IOC had required each Local Organizing Committee to submit a documentary film as an historical record of their Games. After Munich, less emphasis was placed upon this and more upon Bud Greenspan's independent efforts. Only one-eighth of this film was directed by a West German; today, an American helms them all.

Munich '72 was the last occasion on which Olympic security could be said to be at all relaxed. The face of terrorism, at least before 9/11, bears the stocking mask of the Black September lookout at 31 Connollystrasse in the Olympic Village. John Schlesinger of "Midnight Cowboy" fame, assigned to film a British marathon runner, incorporates the tragedy into his mini-film as a distraction to the absurdly detached athlete.

After 1936 they all were imitating Leni Riefenstahl. Here, Japanese director Kon Ichikawa, filming his second Olympics, rings a change on the German's pioneering use of slow motion, using three dozen Arriflexes and four miles of film to turn the 100-meter dash into a quarter-hour examination of tortured lungs and leg muscles.

Producer David Wolper's take on this film was that it could have been better and was greatly improved in the editing room. The same could be said of any slice-of-life documentary, sporting or otherwise. The voice-over narrator sounds a lot like David Perry, who would soon become ubiquitous as Bud Greenspan's offscreen announcer. For almost the final time, feature directors got to play documentarian all those years ago.