16 Days of Glory (1985)

16 Days of Glory: Directed by Bud Greenspan. With David Perry, Judi Brown Clarke, Sebastian Coe, Joaquim Cruz. 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.

“This documentary deals with the personal stories of Olympic athletes at the 1984 Gsmes in Los Angeles. They all have one common denominator, the motivation to compete at the highest level and to sacrifice a good portion of their lives to their sport. At the end of the day, they know theyu0026#39;ve done well by just being there and win or lose, they find the years of training have left them with something of great value. The Americans dominated these Olympics and to be honest, these Games were a huge gift to the United States performing on their own turf without the competition of East Bloc countries, who followed the lead of the Soviet Union in withdrawing from the Olympics. Los Angeles nonetheless did register a great triumph in their second time as host city; the first was in 1932. The huge Art Deco arch was once again on display as a magnificent backdrop for the competitions. The successes and heartbreaks, the physical pain and heroism, the suspense and rivalries were all there. The history of the Olympics is a great drama, and like the world we live in, it is often marred by war, politics and even terrorism. Yet the athletes themselves show us so much inspiration, courage and epic achievement that we cannot fail to be impressed time and again by these tremendous spectacles.”