#1081: FORMAN, Miloš, ICHIKAWA, Kon, LELOUCH, Claude, OZEROV, Juri, PENN, Arthur, PFLEGHAR, Michael, SCHLESINGER, John and ZETTERLING, Mai: Visions Of Eight (1973)

FORMAN, Miloš, ICHIKAWA, Kon, LELOUCH, Claude, OZEROV, Juri, PENN, Arthur, PFLEGHAR, Michael, SCHLESINGER, John and ZETTERLING, Mai (United States)
Visions Of Eight (1973)
Spine #1081/see also Spine #900
Blu-ray


In Munich in 1972, eight renowned filmmakers each brought their singular artistry to the spectacle of the Olympic Games -- the joy and pain of competition, the kinetic thrill of bodies in motion -- for an aesthetically adventurous sports film unlike any other. Made to document the Olympic Summer Games -- an event that was ultimately overshadowed by the tragedy of a terrorist attack -- Visions of Eight features contributions from Miloš Forman, Kon Ichikawa, Claude Lelouch, Juri Ozerov, Arthur Penn, Michael Pfleghar, John Schlesinger, and Mai Zetterling, each given carte blanche to create a short focusing on any aspect of the Games that captured his or her imagination. The resulting films -- ranging from the arresting abstraction of Penn's pure cinema study of pole-vaulters to the playful irreverence of Forman's musical take on the decathlon to Schlesinger's haunting portrait of the single-minded solitude of a marathon runner -- are triumphs of personal, poetic vision applied to one of the pinnacles of human achievement.

110 minutes
Color
1:85:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2021
Director/Writer






Miloš Forman was 41, Kon Ichikawa was 58, Claude Lelouch was 36, Juri Ozerov was 52, Arthur Penn was 51, Michael Pfleghar was 40, John Schlesinger was 47 and Mai Zetterling was 48 when they directed Pieces of Eight.

The Film

A

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Fifty-two page booklet featuring a 1973 essay by author George Plimpton, excerpts from Donald L. Wolper’s 2003 memoir, and a reflection on the film by novelist Sam Lipsyte.

Commentary

By podcasters Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan of the website The Ringer.

Documentary

Featuring director Lelouch; supervising editor Robert K. Lambert; Ousmane Sembène biographer Samba Gadjigo; Munich Olympic Games historian David Clay Large; producer Wolper’s son Mark; and director Penn’s son Matthew, which also includes outtakes from the film and material from Sembène‘s uncompleted short film.

Short promotional film

Shot on location in 1972.

Trailer

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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