Visions of Eight

A documentary covering the Olympic Games at Chamonix in 1924.

A documentary on the Olympic games of ancient Greece, made during the 1924 games.

A documentary on the 1924 Olympic Game in Paris.

A profile of the 1928 Olympic Games in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

A documentary on the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam.

A documentary on the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. Made by Istituto Luce, there is an understandable focus on Italian athletes, but it is the first Olympic documentary that describes the techniques of certain events.

This Nazi propaganda film covers the 1936 Winter Olympics that were held in Germany.

A documentary covering the 1948 Olympic Games in St. Moritz, Switzerland, and London, England.

A documentary covering the 1948 Olympic Games in St. Moritz.

A first part of a documentary on the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki.

A documentary covering the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, Norway.

A second part of a documentary covering the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki.

Documentary footage from the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki.

A documentary covering the equestrian events of 1956 Olympic Games in Stockholm.

A documentary covering the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne and Stockholm.

A documentary covering the 1956 Olympic Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

Rendez-Vous a Melbourne is the official filmed record of the 1956 Olympic Games in Australia. At the time of its release, there was much controversy in the documentary-filmmaking world over the fact that the Aussies signed over exclusive distribution rights to a French firm, resulting in a boycott from other movie companies. None of this matters when the film is seen today: though not in the same league as Leni Reifenstahl's Olympiad, this 110-minute extravaganza is consistently entertaining. Fifteen cameras were utilized to lens every aspect of the event; it was then up to editors Jean Dudrumet and Monique Lacombe to burrow through miles and miles of film to cull the highlights seen herein. Portions of Rendez-Vous a Melbourne have since resurfaced in practically every Olympics documentary -- not to mention the many TV specials attending the now-biannual event.

A documentary about French marathon runner Alain Mimoun at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne.

A documentary covering the 1960 Winter Olympic Games in Squaw Valley, California.

Events and athletes that characterized the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. From the absolute protagonist Wilma Rudolph, called the black gazelle, to Livio Berruti, the first white to win the 200 meters, to the deeds of Ethiopian marathon runner Abebe Bikila, who won the marathon racing barefoot.

A documentary on the 1964 Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria.

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.

A documentary covering the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo. It consists primarily of footage edited from the documentary TOKYO OLYMPIAD, directed by Kon Ichikawa.

This colorful documentary chronicles the events of the 1968 Winter Olympics in France. The events made international celebrities of skater Peggy Fleming and skier Jean-Claude Killy for their gold-medal performances. The camera accurately catches the speed of bobsleds and downhill racers and ski jumpers as they race for the gold. President Charles DeGaulle is shown observing the action over 13 days, which saw France earn the best performance to date in the winter games.

Film about the 10th Olympic Games in Grenoble in 1968. Using a subjective camera, Ertaud and Languepin take the pulse of the Games, cutting out the eyes and slowing down the movement when necessary. The dominant figure at the Grenoble Winter Games is Frenchman Jean-Claude Killy, whose three gold medals matched Toni Sailer's 1956 feat. The filmmakers bet on his winning streak, and include commentary from him as he prepares for each race. Another athlete, Marielle Goitschel, is treated insightfully on screen and wins the women's slalom. Ice dancing fans will appreciate the coverage of winner Oleg Protopopov and his partner Ludmila Belousova. President Charles De Gaulle was present for the spectacular Opening Ceremony.

Documentary about the XIX Olympic Games in Mexico City in 1968. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment in 1999.

An artistic and unconventional approach to winter sports, using striking visuals, sound design, and a focus on both the spectacle and the human element—including behind-the-scenes figures like ice maintenance workers—to create an intimate and aesthetically unique portrayal of the Olympics.

Edited from almost 100 km of film footage shot during the Games, this feature documentary is a breathtaking portrait of the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Much more than a simple record of the Games, the film approaches each event with the intention of revealing the athlete - whether winner or loser - as a unique individual.

British documentary filmmaker and producer Tony Maylam reinvigorated the sports documentary genre with WHITE ROCK, an idiosyncratic and utterly engaging account of the XII Olympic Winter Games Innsbruck 1976. He did so by placing music (by organ and synth wunderkind Rick Wakeman) front and center, and by using Hollywood star James Coburn as a "guide for the uninitiated."

A documentary covering the 1980 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid.

A 1981 documentary film directed by Yuri Ozerov. It showed 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. The film was selected as the Soviet entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 54th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.

A documentary covering the 1984 Olympic Games in Sarajevo.

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 Domingo. From the opening to closing ceremonies, this unique style of storytelling shows a side of the Olympic Games not seen by television audiences.

A documentary covering the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul.

A documentary covering the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul.

A documentary covering the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul.

A documentary covering the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary.

A documentary covering the 1992 Olympic Games in Albertville.

A documentary covering the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.

A documentary covering the 1994 Olympic Games in Lillehammer.

A documentary covering the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

A documentary covering the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano.

A documentary covering the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

Award-winning sports chronicler Bud Greenspan delivers a powerful and emotional look at six individual stories in the official film of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. Greenspan goes beyond highlight footage to tell the story of how these athletes overcome incredible obstacles to achieve Olympic glory.

A documentary covering the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

A documentary covering the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin.

A documentary covering the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

A documentary covering the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.

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.

Newly restored and assembled by the International Olympic Committee - the earliest comprehensive moving-image record of the modern Olympic Games that survives today.

A petty criminal fakes insanity to serve his sentence in a mental ward rather than prison. He soon finds himself as a leader to the other patients—and an enemy to the cruel, domineering nurse who runs the ward.

Disciplined Italian composer Antonio Salieri becomes consumed by jealousy and resentment towards the hedonistic and remarkably talented young Salzburger composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Upon receiving his draft notice and leaving his family ranch in Oklahoma, Claude heads to New York and befriends a tribe of long-haired hippies on his way to boot camp.

The story of the life and career of eccentric avant-garde comedian, Andy Kaufman.

The firemen of a provincial Czechoslovakian town throw a ball in honor of the old chief's retirement. There will be music and dancing, a beauty pageant and a raffle. The whole town will be in attendance. However, the proceedings are dogged by difficulty at every step. Workplace injuries, stolen prizes, a shortage of pretty girls... and fire.

A young black pianist becomes embroiled in the lives of an upper-class white family set among the racial tensions, infidelity, violence, and other nostalgic events in early 1900s New York City.

Andula, an innocent Czech girl from a factory town, is desperately in search of love. She believes she's found it when she beds Milda, a charming young musician visiting from Prague. Milda, however, is only looking for a casual encounter, and leaves town assuming he'll never see Andula again. But when Andula doesn't hear from him, she packs up and heads to Prague, to the surprise of Milda and his parents.

Larry Flynt is the hedonistically obnoxious, but indomitable, publisher of Hustler magazine. The film recounts his struggle to make an honest living publishing his girlie magazine and how it changes into a battle to protect the freedom of speech for all people.

Unable to deal with her parents, Jeannie Tyne runs away from home. Larry and Lynn Tyne search for her, and in the process meet other people whose children ran away. With their children gone, the parents are now free to rediscover/enjoy life.

Set in Baroque France, a scheming widow and her lover make a bet regarding the corruption of a recently married woman. The lover, Valmont, bets that he can seduce her, even though she is an honorable woman. If he wins, he can have his lover to do as he will. However, in the process of seducing the married woman, Valmont falls in love.

A few days in the life of a Czechoslovak teenager when he starts work.

Painter Francisco Goya becomes involved with the Spanish Inquisition after his muse, Inés, is arrested by the church for heresy. Her family turns to him, hoping that his connection with fanatical Inquisitor Lorenzo, whom he is painting, can secure her release.

The history of motoring in Bohemia begins when Laurin and Klement founded a factory for the production of motorcycles. In 1904, the first motorcycle races were held in Dourdan, France, in which Czechs also participated. Czech mechanic František and Nanette, daughter of French mechanic Frontenac, met and fell in love there. Czech racer Vondřich finished second due to a breakdown. In 1905, the race was held again, Vondřich insured himself with a suitcase of spare parts and won. Nanette and František, who had been writing to each other all year, met again. After motorcycles, cars began to be produced everywhere, and in 1909 their first race was organized in Gaillon, France. The Czech racer Count Kolovrat won. His mechanic František married his beloved Nanette in the local church.

Two closely related episodes. Youths make problems for two local orchestras about to compete nationally, and in a talent competition a young girl gets stage fright, while another lies to her boss to compete.

A documentary overview of the career of silent cinema pioneer Edwin S. Porter.

Best friends since they were kids, Rabbi Jacob Schram and Father Brian Finn are dynamic and popular young men living and working on New York's Upper West Side. When Anna Reilly, once their childhood friend and now grown into a beautiful corporate executive, suddenly returns to the city, she reenters Jake and Brian's lives and hearts with a vengeance. Sparks fly and an unusual and complicated love triangle ensues.