Tokyo Olympiad - Enzian Theater

This impressionistic portrait of the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics pays as much attention to the crowds and workers as it does to the actual competitive events. Highlights include an epic pole-vaulting match between West Germany and America, and the final marathon race through Tokyo’s streets. Two athletes are highlighted: Ethiopian marathon runner Abebe Bikila, who receives his second gold medal, and runner Ahamed Isa from Chad, representing a country younger than he is.

1965, 170 Minutes, Japan, Directed by Kon Ichikawa, Japanese with English subtitles

"Tokyo Olympiad is a stunning testament - both to the Olympic athletes it focuses on, and the craft of artistic documentary filmmaking."
- Scott Weinberg, APOLLO GUIDE
"An epic study of athletes struggling, against their own bodies and each other, to excel. But it reaches even further, as a stirring portrait of fleeting human hopes."
- Desson Thomson, THE WASHINGTON POST
"Ichikawa truly captures a far more intimate portion of Olympic spirit than recorded anywhere else"
- John A. Nesbit, OLD SCHOOL REVIEWS
"By plunging us into the action, Ichikawa creates a unique intimacy between athlete and audience. Even after countless hours of watching televised sports, the effect is revelatory."
- Hal Hinson, THE WASHINGTON POST