Film & TV Lunch Club: July 2024 - Let the Games Begin

The Boys in the Boat, The Crash Reel, Icarus

Photo by Dylan Nolte on Unsplash

I live in a household which is pretty unified on most fronts, but when it comes to sports I just cannot get on board with big football tournaments, mainly because it feels like I end up shifting my life around for the schedule. And this time around (for the Euros for anyone outside of Europe), I’m told the games have been pretty lacklustre which doesn’t convince me that any of the upheaval has been worth it.

However, when it comes to the Olympics - summer or winter - we are in agreement that the games brighten up our lives while they’re happening.

I love the celebration of internationalism, the breadth of sports in the spotlight, and the general uplift it seems to provide for people. And in terms of sports, I am so grateful to the Japanese Olympic Committee for adding skateboarding and surfing to the program. And this year there will be breakdancing for the first time! I am so excited to see how that works!

I am in awe of the athletes and never fail to feel inspired by the actual games, but what about how this feeling and experience has been captured on film? In the run up to the 2024 Olympic Games (which starts on 26 July, will feature 32 sports and approximately 10,500 athletes) the aim of this month’s club list is to get you in the spirit, highlight some olympic history and prep you for an thrilling time ahead.

To borrow Paris 2024’s motto: Ouvrons grand les Jeux. I hope you enjoy the games and this month’s picks…

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🎞 July Selection 🎞

The Boys in the Boat Official Trailer | Amazon MGM Studios

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1. The Boys in the Boat (2023; Dir. George Clooney)

   A 1930s-set story centered on the University of Washington's rowing team, from their Depression-era beginnings.
   Stream on Amazon Prime.
   

2. The Crash Reel (2013; Dir. Lucy Walker)

   Fifteen years of verite footage show the epic rivalry between half-pipe legends Shaun White and Kevin Pearce, childhood friends who become number one and two in the world leading up to the Vancouver Winter Olympics, pushing one another to ever more dangerous tricks, until Kevin crashes on a Park City half-pipe, barely surviving.
   Rent from 99p or buy on Prime or Apple TV.
   

3. Icarus (2017; Dir. Brian Fogel)

   When Bryan sets out to uncover the truth about doping in sports, a chance meeting with a Russian scientist transforms his story from a personal experiment into a geopolitical thriller. Won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

   Stream on Netflix.

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🎬 The Long List: Optional Extras 🎬

Other notable films suggested for the theme:

• Cool Runnings - When a Jamaican sprinter is disqualified from the Olympic Games, he enlists the help of a dishonored coach to start the first Jamaican Bobsled Team.

• Blades of Glory - In 2002, two rival Olympic ice skaters were stripped of their gold medals and permanently banned from men's single competition. Presently, however, they've found a loophole that will allow them to qualify as a pairs team.

• Chariots of Fire - Two British track athletes, one a determined Jew and the other a devout Christian, are driven to win in the 1924 Olympics as they wrestle with issues of pride and conscience.

• Miracle - The true story of Herb Brooks, the player-turned-coach who led the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team to victory over the seemingly invincible Soviet squad.

• I, Tonya - Competitive ice skater Tonya Harding rises amongst the ranks at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, but her future in the activity is thrown into doubt when her ex-husband intervenes.

• Foxcatcher - U.S. Olympic wrestling champions and brothers Mark Schultz and Dave Schultz join "Team Foxcatcher", led by eccentric multi-millionaire John du Pont, as they train for the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, but John's self-destructive behavior threatens to consume them all.

• Race - Jesse Owens' quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler's vision of Aryan supremacy.

• The Cutting Edge - A temperamental figure skater and an arrogant former hockey player attempt to win the Olympic Gold Medal as a figure skating pairs team.

• Downhill Racer - Quietly cocky Robert Redford joins U.S. ski team as downhill racer and clashes with the team's coach, played by Gene Hackman. Lots of good skiing action leading to an exciting climax.

• The Weight of Gold - A look at the mental health challenges Olympic athletes often face.

• Visions of Eight - Eight film artists from different countries are given carte blanche to make a collection of short documentaries on the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics, offering unexpected, original and often humorous perspectives.

• International Velvet - Velvet's orphaned niece Sarah follows her dream of Olympic glory with her horse Arizona Pie.

• Munich - After the Black September capture and massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics, five men are chosen to eliminate the people responsible for that fateful day.

• Fists of Freedom: The Story of the '68 Summer Games - Documentary leading up to, during and after the 1968 Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City. Features interviews with athletes, including John Carlos, Tommie Smith and George Foreman, activist Dr. Harry Edwards, journalists and archival footage of the Games and the fallout after the raised fisted gloves by Carlos and Smith.

• Freedom’s Fury - A documentary on the 1956 Olympic semifinal water polo match between Hungary and Russia. Held in Australia, the match occurred as Russian forces were in Budapest, stomping out a popular revolt.

• Olympia Part One and Two - documentaries of the 1936 Olympics at Berlin.

• Tokyo Olympiad - Kon Ichikawa examines the beauty and rich drama on display at the 1964 Summer Games in Tokyo, creating a record of observations that range from the expansive to the intimate.

• White Rock - Documentary about the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck 1976.

• Without Limits - The life of renowned runner Steve Prefontaine and his relationship with legendary coach Bill Bowerman.

• 16 Days of Glory - 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.

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🔜 Next Month 🔜

We are skipping August (summer break and all) but the theme for SEPTEMBER will be YOUNG VISIONARIES meaning that we will be looking at films directed by people under 30. It’s International Youth Day on 12 August and since we have already done a whole theme on ‘Youth’ itself, this one will focus on films made by young filmmakers. Feel free to give me your thoughts about this post or the next one in the comments or on Insta! I’d love to know what you’ve been watching.