The First Olympics: Athens 1896 (1984) Reviews

	Maura D.

3 out of  4  people found this review helpful

One of the greatest movies of all time - if you love the Olympics, you'll love this movie!

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	Sandra W.

1 out of  1  people found this review helpful

I was impressed with the lineup and determination presented to tell the story of those who wanted the first olympics to go forward. I would recommend this to anyone especially those who now enjoy each four years to watch.

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	Pamela T.

1 out of  1  people found this review helpful

I truly enjoyed the intensity of adversity that the boys endured in this historic account of the re-instatement of the Olympics that we enjoy today every four years around the world. The setting and costumes were marvelous, but it was the story and especially the information of what happened to the key characters after the games that was captivating and this is a movie that I plan on adding to my library. Anyone who loves history will love this.

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	Dolores W.

1 out of  1  people found this review helpful

I enjoyed this movie so much when it first aired that I taped it when it aired again on the Disney channel. I have watched it at least a dozen times since. I am so glad it is finally released on DVD.

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	Patricia H.

1 out of  1  people found this review helpful

This is a fun and exciting peek at what the first modern Olympic may have been like. There is a dash of romance and self discovery as you see their struggles from many different points of view. It's a great movie that will make you laugh, cry and cheer them on.

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	Aharon G.

0 out of  0  people found this review helpful

We rented this as a backdrop to the 2008 Olympics. We were amazed that we didn't know any of the story behind the creation of the modern Olympic games. It was a huge effort by a small group of people at a time when international travel and even international communications were not to be taken for granted. This is a made-for-tv series, so know what to expect. It's tv level production, but the actors are good and some of them have done quite well in the 25 years since this series was produced. It's very long, but the story and the drama are set up to be watched over multiple sittings. If you are a fan of the games, it is well worth sitting through this long docu/drama to get some perspective on the games.

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	Michael J.

0 out of  0  people found this review helpful

Blockbuster mailed me the second half of this movie first. I am waiting for the first half. The second half obviously contained all I really needed to know about the first olympics. Lots of amatuer acting by all, including Louis Jordoun . Definately at film made for tv. There was an earlier film about the subject that was much better. Some interesting facts (if true) concerned the American anthem and some of the Olympic equipment used by the participants.

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	VAL S.

0 out of  0  people found this review helpful

A BEAUTIFULLY CRAFTED AND ACTED HISTORICAL MOVIE SHOWING THE TENUOUS BEGINING, AND ULTIMATE TRIUMPH OF THE INITIAL MODERN GAMES. CHEER FOR THE FLEDGING AMERICAN TEAM, AND THE ILLETERATE GREEK PEASANT MARATHON RUNNERI DON'T MISS IT!!!!

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	Thomas B.

0 out of  0  people found this review helpful

This was a made for TV mini-series. There are two parts on two discs. The first disc is 90 minutes long and ends in a cliff-hanger of sorts. The second disc is almost 2 1/2 hours long so plan your viewing according. I found the first disc very interesting. The Olympics did not receive any publicity in the United States. The track and field team was made up of a dozen volunteers from Harvard and Princeton. They were not allowed to practice at the schools which frowned on sports and they had to use a girls boarding school. That provided for some brief romances in the movie. They did not even know the rules and used old pictures from the original games and taught themselves. There was one coach and each man competed in multiple events. There were back stories about the financial problems, travel to Greece, a bad Englishman, a good Australian and the Greek hero. I think they could have shorten the second part but it was still a great tribute to these first Olympic athletics.

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	Robert S.

0 out of  1  people found this review helpful

"One of the greatest movies of all time?" Hardly! It was OK, and the acting was so-so. But some of the settings were obviously fake (mountain scenes and vegetation). If you have a keen interest in the Olympics - you'll probably like the movie. If not - skip it.

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