What an incredibly lame documentary. Seven of the eight film makers would have you believe that this particular Olympics was notable for...pole vaulting! Or weight lifting! Only John Schlesinger, to his eternal credit, deals with the 800 lb terrorist in the room. It's as if Ken Burns, somewhere in the middle of "The Civil War", were to have one of his talking heads make the offhand remark that the conflict was fought over slavery and then immediately turn back to Matthew Brady's photos or Clara Barton's nursing. Simply amazing. And depressing. C minus.

Eight filmmakers are tasked with capturing the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics. The first seven segments have these filmmakers do their artistic efforts with the games. It's a lot of close-ups and slow-motion. It's not always the most compelling. Some are more interesting visually than others. I'm not expecting a wall-to-wall documentary about the terrorist disruption especially considering the probable involvement of the IOC. John Schlesinger's last segment does tackle the elephant in the room but mostly as the backdrop affecting the marathon runners. The race is delayed and they have to keep their mind on the competition. It's not the biggest swing but the terrorism is too big to ignore. In the end, the film has to stay on course and put the ugliness behind it instead of facing it head-on.

Visions of Eight does exactly what its title implies. The little known film documents the Olympics held in Munich, Germany in 1972. This was the second time the summer games would be hosted in germany, after the 1936 games which were conducted under nazi rule. Unfortunately, this entire piece of history will always be overshadowed by an act which took place during its second week. Terrorists from the organization calling itself Black September killed 11 athletes competing for the israeli team. This was because the group wanted revenge for palestinians being held hostage in israeli prisons. This film does not really cover this massacre until it's almost over, and has a much greater focus on the games instead, which is kind of the whole point anyway. The title comes from the fact that this movie is a combined effort between 8 different filmmakers who shot footage during the games, with each man covering a separate topic. These segments focus on the decathlon, the sprinters, the weightlifters, the pole vaulters, the contributions women made to the games, the preparations, and even how losing athletes dealt with their frustration after finding out they wouldn't win. While watching, you can't help but notice that only those in top physical condition can compete in events as grueling and demanding as these. Towards the beginning, we see weightlifters bench pressing metal bars with 3 or 4 thick, metal weights on either side. In total, I would estimate the weight at around 400 pounds. One wrong move and the competitor could easily drop the weights or pull a muscle. There's also an important mental aspect to it, since losing your concentration suddenly can be just as detrimental in a sporting event. Another standout for me is when they show the people pole vaulting, and one guy causes the bar to fall, meaning he's disqualified. He throws it at one of the technicians, eliciting a strong "boo" from the whole crowd. The Munich olympics also took plenty of food and other necessities to keep it going, and they even state how hundreds of thousands of steaks were cooked to make sure people didn't run out of energy. I also enjoyed the sequence that depicts the runners during the sprint event, since it is filmed 4 times slower than normal speed. Things you might otherwise miss now come into view. In all, the USSR would win the most gold medals at Munich and the most medals, period. When compared to other films centered on the olympics I have watched so far, such as Leni Riefenstahl's Olympia, Visions of Eight is a solid alternative, but I still prefer the former due to its straightforwardness. Olympia does have different segments dedicated to different events (like this film),but it feels more focused when it comes to the games themselves. Visions of Eight has a few parts that aren't really about the events, and focus on preparations or the terrorist attack instead. Still, this film is an important watch for those who wish to learn more about an interesting sporting event whose significance was sadly dwarfed by a horrible act of violence.