Best Official Summer Olympic Documentary?
by urbanemovies | created - 28 Jul 2021 | updated - 15 Jul 2022 | PublicOver the past 100 years, Olympic documentaries have gained a reputation as one of the more interesting sub genres in film. A distinction earned by being chroniclers of sports history, by telling compelling stories and by attracting master directors. These films aim to capture the soul of the games, while also considering them in a broader social and cultural context. Directors Leni Riefenstahl and Kon Ichikawa are just two examples of directors who have used their Olympic opportunity to push the boundaries of filmmaking. Source: Criterion - Olympics 100 Years of Olympic Films: 1912–2012
Which official documentary about the Summer Olympic Games is the best, so far?
Discuss the topic here.
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1. Days Of Truce (2016)
88 min | Documentary
Rio 2016 official film, "Days of Truce" is an original portrait of the Brazilian experience in hosting the Games and a powerful manifesto that explores how the Olympic values are relevant in our modern society.
Director: Breno Silveira
Votes: 9
Official Rio 2016 Olympic documentary
2. First (2012)
Not Rated | 109 min | Documentary, Sport
The Official Film of the XXXth Olympic Games to be held in London, following the stories of twelve first-time Olympians from around the world.
Director: Caroline Rowland | Stars: John Orozco, Heena Sidhu, David Rudisha, Majlinda Kelmendi
Votes: 124
Official London 2012 Olympic documentary
3. The Everlasting Flame (2009)
Not Rated | 101 min | Documentary, Sport
A documentary covering the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Director: Jun Gu | Star: Mark Griffiths
Votes: 83
Official Beijing 2008 Olympic documentary
4. Bud Greenspan's Athens 2004: Stories of Olympic Glory (2005 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 96 min | Documentary, Sport
Bud Greenspan presents this look at the 2004 Summer Games. Featured athletes include fencer Mariel Zagunis, track's Hicham El Guerrouj, softball's Lisa Fernandez, weightlifter Pyrros Dimas,... See full summary »
Director: Bud Greenspan | Stars: Ottavio Cinquanta, Will Lyman, Jacques Rogge, Constantinos Stephanopoulos
Votes: 59
Official Athens 2004 Olympic documentary
5. Sydney 2000: Stories of Olympic Glory (2001 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 117 min | Documentary, Sport
A documentary covering the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
Directors: Andrew Squicciarini, Sydney Thayer, Bud Greenspan | Stars: Bob Costas, Stacy Dragilla, Tommy Emmanuel, Cathy Freeman
Votes: 81
Official Sydney 2000 Olympic documentary
6. Atlanta's Olympic Glory (1997 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 206 min | Documentary, Sport
A documentary covering the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Director: Bud Greenspan | Stars: Gary Hall Jr., Michael Johnson, Jackie Joyner, Carl Lewis
Votes: 81
Official Atlanta 1996 Olympic documentary
7. Barcelona '92: 16 Days of Glory (1993 TV Movie)
Documentary, Sport
Director: Bud Greenspan | Stars: Yael Arad, Evelyn Ashford, Michael Gross, Silken Laumann
Votes: 20
Official Barcelona 1992 Olympic documentary
8. Marathon (1993)
Not Rated | 130 min | Documentary, Sport
A view of the Olympic Games at Barcelona, using the marathon race as the weaving thread.
Director: Carlos Saura | Stars: Dieter Baumann, Larry Bird, Hassiba Boulmerka, Fermín Cacho
Votes: 144
Official Barcelona 1992 Olympic documentary
9. Seoul '88: 16 Days of Glory (1989 TV Movie)
150 min | Documentary
Director: Bud Greenspan
Votes: 11
Official Seoul 1988 Olympic documentary
10. Beyond All Barriers (1989)
Not Rated | 92 min | Documentary, Sport
A documentary covering the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul.
Director: Lee Ji-won
Votes: 50
Official Seoul opening and closing ceremonies Olympic documentary
11. Hand in Hand (1989)
Not Rated | 119 min | Documentary, Sport
A documentary covering the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul.
Director: Im Kwon-taek | Star: Kee-chung Sohn
Votes: 57
Official Seoul 1988 Olympic documentary
12. 16 Days of Glory (1985)
G | 284 min | Documentary, Sport
The definitive photographic record of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, told "from the inside" through the lives of the participants, the words of David Perry, and the singing voice of Placido... See full summary »
Director: Bud Greenspan | Stars: David Perry, Jose Abascal, Saïd Aouita, Evelyn Ashford
Votes: 302 | Gross: $0.08M
Official Los Angeles 1984 Olympic documentary
13. O Sport, You Are Peace! (1981)
Not Rated | 149 min | Documentary, Sport
A documentary showing the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow. The director was awarded the State Prize of the USSR in 1982.
Directors: Yuriy Ozerov, Fyodor Khitruk, Boris Rychkov
Votes: 108
Official Moscow 1980 Olympic documentary
14. Games of the XXI Olympiad (1977)
Not Rated | 118 min | Documentary, Sport
-The Olympic Stadium in Montreal (Canada) stands during a snowstorm into the 1976-77 winter season. As we see it, it makes us remember that the Olympic Games were there several months ago. ... See full summary »
Directors: Jean Beaudin, Marcel Carrière, Georges Dufaux, Jean-Claude Labrecque | Stars: Vasiliy Alekseev, Mykola Avilov, Gerd Bonk, Waldemar Cierpinski
Votes: 310
Official Montreal 1976 Olympic documentary
15. Visions of Eight (1973)
G | 110 min | Documentary, Sport
Eight film artists from different countries are given carte blanche to make a collection of short documentaries on the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics, offering unexpected, original and often humorous perspectives.
Directors: Milos Forman, Kon Ichikawa, Claude Lelouch, Yuriy Ozerov, Arthur Penn, Michael Pfleghar, John Schlesinger, Mai Zetterling | Stars: Vasiliy Alekseev, Nikolay Avilov, Valery Borzov, Avery Brundage
Votes: 748 | Gross: $0.28M
Official Munich 1972 Olympic documentary
16. The Olympics in Mexico (1969)
G | 120 min | Documentary, Sport
Mexican former Olympic swimmer Alberto Isaac's record of Mexico 68 is a celebration not of national achievement, but of individual heroism. This thoughtful and comprehensive film bristles with offbeat moments and yields iconic images.
Director: Alberto Isaac | Stars: Enrique Lizalde, Roberto Morales
Votes: 143
Official Mexico 1968 Olympic documentary
17. Sensation of the Century (1966)
Not Rated | 156 min | Documentary, Sport
A documentary covering the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo. It consists primarily of footage edited from the documentary TOKYO OLYMPIAD, directed by Kon Ichikawa.
Directors: Nobumasa Kawamoto, Suketaru Taguchi | Stars: Hirohito, Empress Kojun, Yoshinori Sakai
Votes: 47
Official Tokyo 1964 Olympic documentary
18. Tokyo Olympiad (1965)
Not Rated | 170 min | Documentary, Sport
Kon Ichikawa examines the beauty and rich drama on display at the 1964 Summer Games in Tokyo, creating a record of observations that range from the expansive to the intimate.
Director: Kon Ichikawa | Stars: Antonio Ambu, Gary Anderson, Gerry Ashworth, Polina Astakhova
Votes: 2,198
Official Tokyo 1964 Olympic documentary
19. The Grand Olympics (1961)
Not Rated | 147 min | Documentary, Sport
142 minutes of the film speak of events and athletes that have characterized the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.
Director: Romolo Marcellini | Stars: Livio Berruti, Abebe Bikila, Ralph Boston, Al Cantello
Votes: 131
Official Rome 1960 Olympic documentary
20. Alain Mimoun (1959)
Not Rated | 24 min | Documentary, Short, Sport
A documentary about French marathon runner Alain Mimoun at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne.
Director: Louis Gueguen
Votes: 72
Official Melbourne 1956 Olympic Marathon documentary focused on marathoner, Alain Mimoun
21. The Melbourne Rendez-vous (1957)
Not Rated | 106 min | Documentary, Sport
The official filmed record of the 1956 Olympic Games in Australia.
Director: René Lucot | Stars: François Périer, Voitto Hellstén, Veikko Karvonen, Alain Mimoun
Votes: 75
Official Melbourne 1956 Olympic documentary
22. Olympic Games: 1956 (1956)
Not Rated | 60 min | Documentary, Sport
A documentary covering the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne.
Director: Peter Whitchurch | Stars: Viktor Ageyev, Pyotr Breus, Ivo Cipci, Ron Clarke
Votes: 76
Official Combined Melourne-Stockholm 1956 Olympic documentary
23. Hästen i centrum (1956)
Not Rated | 16 min | Documentary, Short, Sport
A documentary covering the equestrian events of 1956 Olympic Games in Stockholm.
Votes: 84
Official Stockholm 1956 Olympic documentary
24. Memories of the Olympic Summer of 1952 (1954)
Not Rated | 50 min | Documentary, Sport
Documentary footage from the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki.
Director: Holger Harrivirta | Star: Matti Tamminen
Votes: 75
Official Helsinki 1952 Olympic documentary
25. Gold and Glory (1953)
Not Rated | 97 min | Documentary, Sport
Part two of the official film of XV Olympics in Helsinki 1952.
Director: Hannu Leminen | Stars: Reino Palmroth, Paavo Nurmi
Votes: 74
Official Helsinki 1952 Olympic documentary Part Two
26. Where the World Meets (1952)
Not Rated | 101 min | Documentary, Sport
Part one of the official film of XV Olympics in Helsinki 1952.
Director: Hannu Leminen | Stars: Carl-Erik Creutz, Reino Palmroth, Usko Santavuori, Trygve Lie
Votes: 84
Official Helsinki 1952 Olympic documentary Part One
27. XIVth Olympiad: The Glory of Sport (1948)
Not Rated | 138 min | Documentary, Sport
Documentary on the 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad. They were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England.
Director: Castleton Knight | Stars: Ted Husing, Bill Stern, Harold Abrahams, Otto Mønsted Acthon
Votes: 145
Official London 1948 Olympic documentary
28. Olympia Part Two: Festival of Beauty (1938)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary, Sport
The document of the 1936 Olympics at Berlin, orchestrated as Nazi propaganda.
Director: Leni Riefenstahl | Stars: Sheigo Arai, Jack Beresford, Ralf Berzsenyi, Ferenc Csík
Votes: 4,324
Official Berlin 1936 Olympic documentary Part Two
29. Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations (1938)
Not Rated | 111 min | Documentary, Sport
The document of the 1936 Olympics at Berlin.
Director: Leni Riefenstahl | Stars: David Albritton, Arvo Askola, Jack Beresford, Erwin Blask
Votes: 5,239
Official Berlin 1936 Olympic documentary Part One
30. The IX Olympiad in Amsterdam (1928)
Not Rated | 251 min | Documentary, Sport
A documentary on the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam.
Votes: 65
Official Amsterdam 1928 Olympic documentary
31. The Olympic Games, Amsterdam 1928 (1928)
Not Rated | 110 min | Documentary, Sport
A documentary on the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam.
Director: Wilhelm Prager
Votes: 73
Official Amsterdam 1928 Olympic documentary
32. The Olympic Games in Paris 1924 (1925)
Not Rated | 174 min | Documentary, Sport
A documentary on the 1924 Olympic Game in Paris.
Director: Jean de Rovera
Votes: 104
Official Paris 1924 Olympic documentary
33. The Olympic Games as They Were Practiced in Ancient Greece (1924)
Not Rated | 8 min | Documentary, Short, Sport
A documentary on the Olympic games of ancient Greece, made during the 1924 games.
Director: Jean de Rovera
Votes: 227
Official Paris 1924 historical Olympic origins documentary
34. The Games of the V Olympiad Stockholm, 1912 (2017)
Not Rated | 170 min | Documentary, Sport
Newly restored and assembled by the International Olympic Committee, The Games of the V Olympiad Stockholm, 1912 (Stockholm 1912) is the earliest comprehensive moving-image record of the modern Olympic Games that survives today.
Director: Adrian Wood | Stars: Georg Aberg, Benjamin Adams, Platt Adams, Erik Almlof
Votes: 177
Official Stockholm 1912 Olympic documentary
35. Official Film of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Side A (2022)
119 min | Documentary, Sport
Follows Japanese director Naomi Kawase as she directs the official film of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, giving a message that goes beyond the physical exploit to mark souls, with her style and all her subtlety.
Director: Naomi Kawase
Votes: 17
Official Tokyo 2020 Olympic documentaries
Part 1 & 2
Official Film of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Side A (2022)
Tokyo 2020 Olympic SIDE: B (2022)
added 15 July 2022
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