The Criterion Collection released their largest collection set ever, titled “100 Years of Olympic Films – 1912-2012”.
Featuring 53 newly restored films from 41 editions of the Olympic Games, presented together for the first time, including the landmark 4K restorations of “Olympia”, “Tokyo Olympiad” and Visions of Eight”, among other titles, this is the grandest set released by far.
I’m going to have to review each film separately instead of a whole, as it will take me a long time to watch this set.
But I will kickoff with the “The Games of the V Olympiad – Stockholm, 1912). I was shocked that so much footage was recorded and is presented in Blu-ray for the very first time.
The Swedish production company A.B. Svensk-Amerikanska Filmkompaniet struck a deal with the Stockholm branch of the well-known French studio, Pathe for teh production and distribution of films about the Olympic games.
Camera operators from both companies, under the supervision of Pathe manager Siegmund Popert, shot numerous brief, newsreel-style films. And only 2/3 have survived.
The remaining footage was restored by the IOC and in 2016, edited into a film.
The film features the ceremonies and Swedish life prior to World War I, the opening ceremony with the Swedish Royal Family and individual competitions.
Including competitive sports that have not taken place for many decades.
Also, a glimpse of legendary surfer and the first Olympic athlete from Hawaii, Duke Kahanamoku and also George S. Patton, Jr. competing in modern pentathlon fencing before he became a celebrated army general.
And so much more!
Watching “The Games of the V Olympiad – Stockholm, 1912”, what we have is a time-machine showcasing life in 1912 in Stockholm, Sweden. We get to see how crowds were back then, what competitive sports attracted the most people (and which ones didn’t).
Here are key things that caught my interest:
- The High-Jump – There was no padding, it seemed like people had to land on their feet, fortunately there was sand in the landing area to help break their fall.
- The Running Dive – It’s one thing to have people dive into a lake but the height of their jump, especially for the running jump and the chances of slipping and really getting hurt was rather interesting to see. Also, to see how much diving has progressed since then, as there are so many people creating huge amount of splashes, which you don’t really see to much today.
- The Tug of War Competition – It’s hard to believe that this was an Olympic sport at one time. But I read that it was stopped because people could have cheated with weighted shoes. So, they stopped this sport.
- Lawn Tennis – We are used to seeing women wearing athletic shorts that would allow them to move freely on the tennis court. Back then, wore very long dresses and they didn’t really go all out, I suppose when you think Serena Williams, everyone just seemed so quiet and polite.
- Various Races – Not sure why in the track-and-field, when the gun went off, there was one person who didn’t run with the group. Either they gave up or weren’t supposed to run.
- The Audience – Water polo, tennis, wrestling and football (soccer) competitions were popular then as they are now.
- Swimming Pools had no divider lanes.
- Marathon runners ran into cameramen, who were more interested in getting the shot than their or the athlete’s well being.
- Staying hydrated was huge for marathon runners who had to run in the summer heat. And no matter how hot it was, the audience were often dressed up in suits and women in high fashion.
- The Hammer Throw – You can see how people could get injured from this sport. One American got hurt badly it seems. Must of hit his foot with the object.
- Hurdlers were not all that good back then. In fact, you would see a few of them knocking down each hurdle with each jump.
- Gymnastics competition was definitely not as intense as they are today and many would run to do their performance one after the other. Later on, we get to see the beams and the Russian team showing dominance.
- Bike races with no brakes? Not sure if bicycles from 1912 had brakes but not seeing a handbreak, I could only imagine how things would have gone going downhill.
- Equestrian – The uniforms worn by competitors looked like soldier uniforms. And sure enough, showcasing the Swedish team, they were all Lieutenants.
- Posing for the camera – Even back then, athletes had a great sense of humor, messing around and joking with their teammates in front of the camera. Even one shoving his buddies who are looking towards the camera.
- No medals? They showed winning athletes receiving trophies.
But overall, I was really captivated by watching this silent film as it captured society, fashion styles, how people behaved in front of the camera but most importantly, seeing the various types of competitions back in 1912 but also just seeing another time period and how athletes and the audience were enthralled of watching the Olympics.
If anything, having this 1912 film in the set is quite special.
Featuring wonderful restoration and remastering work, “The Games of the V Olympiad – Stockholm, 1912” (as part of the “100 Years of Olympic Films – 1912-2012” – The Criterion Collection #900) is entertaining. But just the opportunity to watch the Olympic footage from that era in time is magnificent!
