On the latest episode of Cinematic Underdogs, we welcome Cows in the Field's one & only Justin Khoo back onto the pod to discuss Kon Ichikawa's monumental Tokyo Olympiad (1965). Commissioned by the Japanese government, this subversively playful and poetic depiction of the '64 Olympic games is a tour de force of cinematic techniques: filled with freeze-frames, still photograph montages, image masking, temporal intercutting, rack focus, fragmented close-ups (transforming athletes into abstract figures), smash cuts, animated transitions, Technicolor and black and white shots, shadow / telephoto shots, disruptive zooms, associational edits, and slow motion.
Instead of venerating Japan's resurrection after WWII, the film concentrates on the game's oddities and idiosyncrasies: an umbrella in the crowd, a pastiche of elderly mens' gullets, a lemon placed on the race track, the food served at the Olympic Village cafeteria. It is also as concerned with the sting of defeat and the despairing fatigue of athletes who faltered as it is with the triumph of victors. Focused on peripheral elements and isolating specific limbs with metonymic humor and wit, Tokyo Olympiad is truly a tribute to the "tiny things that quicken the heart" (to take a quote from Chris Marker's Sans Soleil).
Praises aside, the tension between the filmmaker and the financiers make for an interesting viewing. Interspersed throughout are orthodox sports moments, sloppy edits, and incongruous bouts of jingoism. Edited down for over 70 hours of footage, the end product feels a bit slapdash and haphazard. Nevertheless, with endless style and panache and a commitment to seeing the aesthetic formalism lurking underneath the hegemonic narrative of competition, Tokyo Olympiad is infinitely engaging and a must see for any fan of cinema or Olympics sports. It is currently streaming on HBO Max as we speak - so there's no excuse not to check it out! If you love art-house moviemaking and unique historical documents, you will thank us wholeheartedly.
Finally, we apologize for getting to Tokyo Olympics content a month late. We got a bit too caught up watching all the live Olympic action on TV (which we talk about at length in this episode, as well). Nevertheless, for those suffering from an Olympics hangover (as we are) and for those who love experimental / daring avant-garde cinema (this is the first Criterion film we get to cover -- don't worry Rumble in the Jungle, you're still on the docket), this episode is not to be missed!
