16 Days of Glory

Synopsis

Presenting a distinctive narrative approach, the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics are captured in an unparalleled photographic account, providing an intimate portrayal "from within" by delving into the lives of the participants, featuring the insights of David Perry and the melodic vocals of Plácido Domingo. Unveiling a perspective rarely witnessed by television viewers, this one-of-a-kind storytelling method encompasses the entire spectrum of the Olympic Games, from the grand opening to the majestic closing ceremonies.

Production

In November 1982, 20th Century Fox acquired rights to document the 1984 Olympic Games, paying the International Olympic Committee $1 million in royalties for “exclusive film, cable, videocassette, disc and other exploitation rights.” Fox then held a luncheon in February 1983 for 56 Olympic gold medallists, where they announced that Bud Greenspan had been hired to produce and direct the documentary, assigned a budget of $3 million, with his wife Cappy Petrash Greenspan serving as a writer and associate producer. Although the couple intended to immediately start interviewing athletes training for the games, Cappy died of cancer less than four months later on June 3, 1983; the documentary was dedicated to her memory.

By July 1984, apparently fearing that the budget would balloon over the allotted $3.5 million, Fox had transferred rights to the project to Greenspan and Milt Okun, each of whom reportedly funded $2.7 million out of their own pockets, with Greenspan deferring director's fees; the amount spent was revealed to be $1 million for film rights and an additional $4 million in production costs. Athletes were interviewed in eleven countries, and 150 technicians shot over 200 hours of footage spanning over a million feet of film using 18 cameras at the Olympic Games’ 21 Los Angeles area venues.

Releases

There are multiple versions of the film, including a theatrical version running almost 2.5 hours, and a six-hour TV version that was shown on PBS as a six-part mini-series beginning July 20, 1988.

The film premiered at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California on July 29, 1985. In February 1986, Paramount Pictures acquired distribution rights to the documentary. It had a two-week Oscar qualifying run at the Monica 4-Plex in Santa Monica, California beginning October 23, 1985, and opened in New York City on March 7, 1986, grossing $84,000. A ten-hour-long cut was also made, the second half of which premiered on the Disney Channel on June 20, 1987.

References

References

1. {{mojo title. 16daysofglory
2. "Announcing 100 Years of Olympic Films". Criterion.
3. "Film: '16 Days of Glory,' On Los Angeles Olympics". [[The New York Times]].
4. {{AFI film. 58370
5. Robbins, Jim. (September 20, 1985). "Olympics Docu Entering Race For Oscar Gold".
6. Archerd, Army. (August 1, 1985). "Just For Variety".