The Games (1970)

Four marathon runners (one from England, one from the U.S., a Czechoslovakian, and an Australian Aborigine) prepare to run in the Olympic games. The film follows each one and shows what their motivations are for running in the games.

Director:

Michael Winner

Writers:

Hugh Atkinson (novel), Erich Segal (screenplay)

Stars:

Michael Crawford, Ryan O'Neal, Charles Aznavour

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Crawford	...	Harry Hayes
Ryan O'Neal	...	Scott Reynolds
Charles Aznavour	...	Pavel Vendek
Jeremy Kemp	...	Jim Harcourt
Elaine Taylor	...	Christine
Stanley Baker	...	Bill Oliver
Athol Compton	...	Sunny Pintubi
Rafer Johnson	...	Commentator
Kent Smith	...	Kaverley
Sam Elliott	...	Richie Robinson
Mona Washbourne	...	Mrs. Hayes
Reg Lye	...	Gilmour
June Jago	...	Mae Harcourt
Don Newsome	...	Cal Wood
Hugh McDermott

Storyline

This movie is about four marathon runners from different countries who are preparing for the Rome Olympics. The movie takes you through some of the runners personal training schedules before finally showing the marathon.

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Plot Keywords:

marathon runner | olympics | game | summer olympics | barefoot running | 

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Taglines:

The spectacle behind the spectacle.

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Genres:

Drama | Sport

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 July 1970 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Arenans hjältar

Filming Locations:

Copenhagen, Denmark

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century-Fox Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the marathon sequences, the production crew had many problems with the local police because of the streets heavily occupied by the shooting and the extras crowd blocking the traffic. The other difficulty was the local extras organizations who pulled a racket on the production, demanding to be hired,; if not they would wear pullovers and umbrellas, spoiling a movie supposed to take place in sunny summer moment.

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Goofs

At once stage during a particularly twisty and narrow part of the race on Rome's streets, the pace vehicle is forced to go so slow that it forces leader Hayes almost to a standstill to avoid colliding with it. Such things occasionally do happen in real foot and cycle races on roads - but surely it was unplanned in the movie.

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Connections

Referenced in Vsechnopárty: Episode dated 14 April 2017 (2017)

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Soundtracks

Flying High
by Francis Lai

User Reviews

Well-cast athletic drama suffers from a low-budget...

Tedious, occasionally absorbing drama chronicling the stories of four male runners from different parts of the globe preparing themselves for the Rome Olympics. Michael Crawford, as the British dairy-deliverer who is found to have an uncanny track time, is the central focus of the film and his early scenes wowing all the hardened experts are fresh and well done; Ryan O'Neal, as the American jock with the (uh oh!) heart condition, is engaging simply because he's so young and eager (he would re-team with screenwriter Erich Segal the same year for "Love Story"). British-made film from erratic director Michael Winner supposedly travels around the world, yet the various locations are not captured to any particular advantage (the look of the picture is stuck in a British rut). The relationship between Crawford and his demanding coach is the most intriguing part of the movie--yet the closer we get to the Olympics finale, the faster interest tends to wane in these characters. ** from ****