TOKYO OLYMPIAD

(1965) Directed by Kon Ichikawa

A more widely-known documentary of an Olympics is

Olympia, the controversial record of the 1936 Berlin games directed by Leni Riefenstahl, Nazi propagandist. More impressive and revealing is this film of the 1964 Tokyo games, commissioned by the Japanese government who gave permission to film anywhere, rather than the IOC, who would not. So this is a loose, almost expressionistic take on sport and sportspeople, devoid of easy heroism and official pomp. You get the broken athletes at the back of the marathon, as well as the leaders. There are close-ups of kit and body parts. There’s no story, just snippets of competition and some organisational stuff. The lack of sponsor names makes it seem 100 years old, never mind 50. Seeing sport get the art-house treatment is rare and splendid.