Tokyo Olympiad

“Tokyo Olympiad. This is another one of those movies, actually, that the first time I saw it, I remember just sort of… It was like a revelation to me. Not just the film itself. It seems like it has its own almost philosophy of filmmaking. There’s something so grand and beautifully composed about the filmmaking, but it also has a beautiful philosophy of humanity and life in it. A very optimistic take and a very special moment in time, I feel, the 1964 Summer Games in Tokyo.”

“Oh, Tokyo Olympiad. Holy cow. Yeah. I didn’t realize you guys reissued this. Oh, yeah, and Blu-ray, let’s go. It’s a feat of cinematography. I can’t imagine how much footage they shot. Jesus. It’s a slow burn. It’s not, obviously– They make drama out of athletes throwing pole vaults in slow motion, amongst other things. There’s an incredible sequence in here of a young African runner... I’ve referenced that shot in my head a lot.”

“Tokyo Olympiad, right, which was directed by Kon Ichikawa and the famous Japanese cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa. He was overseeing the photography of it. It's one of the best documentaries about sport ever made.”