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The Movie:
I was originally skeptical of "Toyko Olympiad" before I started watching it. I wondered how a three-hour documentary about the 1965 Olympics could be done without the running time feeling ridiculously stretched. While the film occasionally does get a little slow, the director's marvelously filmed documentary about the '65 Tokyo Olympics works, largely because of its amazing widescreen cinematography, which seemed smoother and more sleek than its age would suggest. While stunning in appearance, the imagery has an intimacy and soul that most sports documentaries today lack completely - the director and his team of cinematographers manage to capture the emotions of the competitors wonderfully, while also using techniques like slow-motion appropriately.
Criterion's DVD edition provides a first-class supplement in film historian Peter Cowie's full-length audio commentary. Viewers can keep the subtitles on, while Cowie's commentary provides a remarkable amount of insight about the director's work and the Olympics in general. Although the film is in Japanese with English subtitles, that aspect certainly wasn't bothersome, as this film manages to tell its stories more with its stunning, often powerful visuals than than words. It's the kind of pure celebration of athleticism and sport that's just not seen anymore.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Tokyo Olympiad" is presented on this DVD edition with a new 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen edition. This is a high definition digital transfer, created on a Spirit Datacie from a 35mm low-contrast print. This is also one of Criterion's releases where the MTI restoration system was used, removing instances of dirt, specks and other debris. The result, for a 37-year-old presentation, is nothing short of remarkable at times. Sharpness and detail are usually excellent and the picture appears consistently crisp and well-defined.
The film was not entirely free of minor faults, though. While the MTI restoration appears to have cleaned the majority of print wear, there are still a few instances where small specks, a couple of marks, light dirt or a scratch are visible. Still, given the age of the film, the condition it's in is impressive. Light edge enhancement appeared on occasion, but this really didn't make the viewing experience suffer.
Colors appeared surprisingly vivid and bright, with nice saturation and a crisp appearance, with no smearing. Overall, this is an excellent transfer by Criterion.
SOUND: The mono (Japanese w/English subtitles) soundtrack, mastered from an optical track print, is fine, but not as impressive as image quality. While director Kon Ichikawa uses sound masterfully, there are instances where louder sounds on this soundtrack can sound somewhat rough.
MENUS: As per usual, Criterion provides animated menus that are subtle and appropriate, using film-themed images.
EXTRAS: Film historian Peter Cowie provides a wonderful full-length audio commentary, not only providing great analysis and insight of this film and its production, but fantastic information about the history of the Olympics, as well. A 1992 interview with Kon Ichikawa is included, as is a marvelous and quite major booklet that provides a complete list of winners in all events, liner notes written by George Plimpton and much more.
Final Thoughts: "Tokyo Olympiad" succeeds in drawing the attention for it's lengthy running time, managing to present the events with a series of visuals, each more perfect and remarkable than the last. Criterion's DVD edition provides unexpectedly great video quality, along with fine audio and solid supplements, including a superb commentary.
Film Grade
The Film ****
DVD Grades
Video 93/A
Audio: 83/B
Extras: 89/B+
Menus: 85/B
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