Customer Reviews

16 Days of Glory [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The 16 Days of Glory series is amazing. It captures what the Olympics are truly about: stories of human strength, courage, and spirit played out in public. Above all, the willingness to give one's all and to challenge limits.

It is sad that this video is no longer being released, hopefully it will be rediscovered in the future and other films like it made. This is the original of the 16 days of glory films set in the 1984 LA Olympics (the subsequent film in Calgary was less well done). In this film the viewer is taken behind the scenes and shown the lives and struggles of those in competition, and the people featured may or may not come home with the gold, adding to the Olympic spirit as the competition is viewed. If you can find this film, rent it!

From the lighting of the Olympic flame to the closing ceremonies, Bud Greenspan's epic takes you beyond who won or lost, but to the private person behind the public athlete. A MUST have for any Olympic buff.

Even though you can't order a new copy of this, it is available second hand through e-bay. I just found the soundtrack I had been looking for for ages. The video is there too!

The production values in this film are excellent. However, Greenspan missed an opportunity to present the awe-inspiring stories of the athletes who labor in obscurity in the lesser-known sports, whose only reward is the chance to be noticed once every four years in the Olympic Games. Instead, he focused on the marquee sports such as athletics, swimming, and women's gymnastics, whose athletes already fill the covers of Sports Illustrated every week. But if you really want to watch Mary Lou Retton plant that "Vault Without Fault" one more time, this film is for you.

How the creators of this film could leave out the performances of the US basketball team led by Jordan, Carl Lewis' domination and Lougainis' efforts is beyond me. Considering this is supposed to be the official film of LA 84 you'd think they'd show events that the games were known for. This film is incredibly unbalanced and overrated. For a more balanced film get the one that covers the first century of the modern olympics. Also many of these official films of sporting tournaments don't show highlights at their best angles and speeds which typically are how they're portrayed on TV but rather as the "artiste" film director shows them. Too many shots are up close and in slow motion and gives you no concept of the overall competition. In the end you have a director putting his stamp on the film more so than the athletes themselves which is the height of arrogance and the potential incompatibility of art and sport.