The film catches the spirit of 1968. The glance is on the individual against odds and the joy of sport, not -as in previous olympic films and as the mexican government expected- in the "greatness", the solemnity of ceremonies or the "participation" of the masses. It is also the first olympic film to take a deep look on losers: the scene of the arrival of the last marathonian made a breakthrough on the way we look at sports. Or film them. It could have given a critical view of the events before the games (the massacre in Tlatelolco), but was constrained by its' sponsor: the government. Anyway, in Mexico young guys liked it, but it was abhorred by older folks.
Review of The Olympics in Mexico
The Olympics in Mexico
(1969)
It catches the spirit of both the year 1968 and the games.
6 September 1999