155 Tokyo Olympiad

[movielocke]

is this the same cut as the 100 years set?

[swo17]

They're both listed as 170 minutes

[tenia]

Thankfully, this re-issue will include this plus a few more.

Quite frustrating to see the boxset disc is just the only barebones one between the old OOP DVD and the individual re-release. I guess it was expectable, though, but still.

[Drucker]

This hopefully bodes well for a standalone Olympia release, no? Which would make me quite happy I held off on the boxset.

[Ribs]

I think there’s a bit of a difficult Optics problem with that one that makes it being divorced from the wider Olympic context basically completely unfeasible as a release

[Drucker]

Well what ever could you mean?

[Big Ben]

I imagine it has to do with the fact that it was directed by Leni Riefenstahl. I don't think it's any more complex than that.

[Drucker]

My comment was sarcastic, I do understand the issue.

[CSM126]

Triumph of the Will can get released but Olympia can’t?

[domino harvey]

Synapse isn’t trying to corner the woke market. That said, I think Olympia would manage to get a mainline Criterion release, they’d just include an apologetic extra examining it’s “problematic” existence

[Feego]

I think there’s a bit of a difficult Optics problem with that one that makes it being divorced from the wider Olympic context basically completely unfeasible as a release

On the contrary, I think a stand-alone release of Olympia with critical and academic extras would be even more desirable than just leaving it as a puzzle piece in an otherwise "fun" sports package without context (other than the brief blurb in Cowie's book). I would happily buy it, despite already owning the box set and being pretty cool on the movie itself. I am fascinated by the making of it and the clashing of cultures with the victorious African-American athletes on Hitler's turf. A dedicated piece on Jesse Owens alone would be worth the price.

If I didn't already own the original Tokyo Olympiad DVD, I'd scoop up this new edition too.

[domino harvey]

Worth noting that some of the lore around Jesse Owens isn’t accurate, so indeed a historical piece honoring his real achievements by countering the false aspects that have nevertheless pervaded in the cultural consciousness would be most welcome

[movielocke]

maybe a mainline release about Jesse Owens with olympia as a bonus film?

[aox]

Worth noting that some of the lore around Jesse Owens isn’t accurate, so indeed a historical piece honoring his real achievements by countering the false aspects that have nevertheless pervaded in the cultural consciousness would be most welcome

Fantastic read. Thanks.

[BigMack3000]

Whoa. The comments under that article are a wild ride.

[domino harvey]

You forgot the first rule of articles online: never read the comments!

[BigMack3000]

Yea, I think it was just the near unanimous tone that caught me off guard. Had to double check what site it was.

[cdnchris]

Yeah, I'm used to comments taking a turn, but that wasn't the turn I was expecting.

[therewillbeblus]

I never knew anyone could be so invested in the state of others' foreskin

[Blutarsky]

To add fire to the wanting of an Olympia standalone addition, there are certain indications as to Criterion pursuing that option in the future (especially with the impact of COVID-19). The most obvious clue is there is a Cowie audio interview present on Criterion Channel when searching for Olympia.

As for the controversy, it really depends on who you are talking to. Olympia is by far one of the most important, and for me, greatest films ever made. Its use of propaganda, technique, and overall coverage has impacted the games today, not to mention the politics of the situation. While the content, and frequent appearances by Hitler and the German high command are not welcomed, the best thing Criterion can include is that fabulous Leni Riefenstahl documentary The Wonderful Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl.

I must say though COVID-19 has given me opportunities to show films to my students I have been wanting to. I have planned an essay around segments of Olympia, and a final project around the history of the Olympics in times of unease.

[Close The Door, Raymond]

The release date was timed to coincide with the now-delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics that has now been postponed to at least a year. The Criterion release, which was to capitalize on the marketing push riding on the Olympics media frenzy, will be about a year too early. It's one of countless other tie-in products that will have to be salvaged somehow.

[Yaanu]

The release date was timed to coincide with the now-delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics that has now been postponed to at least a year. The Criterion release, which was to capitalize on the marketing push riding on the Olympics media frenzy, will be about a year too early. It's one of countless other tie-in products that will have to be salvaged somehow.

Either they'll delay it and push it out again when the Olympics actually occur, or they'll release it now and advertise it later on.
Alternatively, they release it now and advertise it as an alternative to the now-delayed Tokyo Olympics.

[CSM126]

Beaver Olympiad

[tenia]

I forgot they didn't make this a 2-BD set instead of cramming 1 hour of new extras + 45 min of archival extras + 85 min of deleted scenes.

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

There's no dedicated thread for Kawase Naomi, so I think this can go here: Kawase was commissioned to oversee the official movie for the "2020" Tokyo Olympics, which is due for release in June (after a Cannes premiere, I'd imagine). A making-of documentary aired on NHK last month and included an interview with a man who was described in one subtitle as a participant in an anti-Olympics demonstration, and in another as confessing that he was paid to do so. What the man really said was that he had been paid to participate in demonstrations before and that he was planning to join one against the Olympics; NHK were unable to confirm if he actually did. NHK has profusely apologized and explained that their usual fact-checking process wasn't followed because the program's theme was considered "soft" and it was only aired on a satellite channel. Kawase (who didn't shoot the interview) says she was unaware of the contents of the program in advance, which is credible enough since it was basically a promotional piece. This has blown up into a semi-major scandal, though perhaps due less to the scale of the offense itself than preconceived attitudes towards NHK, which Japan's governing right has long sought to bring to heel on any pretext and which is increasingly seen by many as a government mouthpiece.