The IX Olympiad in Amsterdam Part 1: A Review

THE IX OLYMPIAD IN AMSTERDAM, 

PART 1

We now return to the Olympic Films Series with a major piece. The IX Olympiad in Amsterdam is such a massive project that it was split into two documentaries. The IX Olympiad in Amsterdam covers approximately twenty-four events. They were mostly outdoor events and mostly male-oriented. The IX Olympiad in Amsterdam does cover a lot of the games. It is, like many of these early Olympic films, a particular time capsule which also shows that people truly are not that different from how we are today.

Despite the Ninth Olympiad taking place in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, the film itself has Italian title cards. After seeing His Royal Highness Prince Hendrik of Mecklenburg open the games in the name of his wife, Queen Wilhemina, we get to the featured events. 

The first is the Parade of Nations, where 47 nations have their competitors march onto the stadium. It is curious that here, we see how some flags have changed. The Canadian flag presented is vastly different from today's simple maple leaf. There is also a surprising participating nation: British India. This is also a time when South Africa was still participating, long before apartheid blocked their entry into the games. 

We see the various athletes in the following categories as presented in the film:

Shot Put

High Jump

10,000 Meter Race

Hammer Throw

Men's 400 Meter Hurdles 

Women's 800 Meter Race

Long Jump

Classic Men's 100 Meter Race

Men's 800 Meter Race

Pole Vault

Men's Discus Throw

Women's 100 Meter Race

Javelin Throw

Men's 4 x 100 Meter Relay Race

Triple Jump

Women's 4 x 100 Meter Relay Race

Men's 300 Meter Steeplechase

Men's 400 Meter Race

Men's 500 Meter Race

Men's 1500 Meter Race (though there is no footage from that category, just a mention)

Marathon

Men's and Women's Pummel Horse/Gymnastics

Women's Pummel Horse

Women's Diving Board

Men's Diving 10 Meter Platform and 

Boxing

As noted, the film of the Amsterdam Summer Olympic Games had very few female events chronicled. I understand that it is more than just sexism in this case. The modern Olympic Games were slow in having female athletes included. These games marked the debut of women's gymnastics and various track & field events. As such, The IX Olympiad in Amsterdam really did capture history in the making when we saw the women race. 

While the actual director of The IX Olympiad in Amsterdam is lost to history, he (I presume that a woman did not put the film together) had some leaps in the presentation. Of particular note is the aquatic events sequence. While most of the shots are static, either shot from the side or the top of the diving board, the film does feature a slow-motion section that shows the smoothness of the various dives.

We also see some slow motion during the javelin throws. Here, we see just how difficult the event is. So many athletes, most of whom we already saw at other events, constantly struggle to stay within the designated area. It is hard for them to move forward given how so many of the athletes go over the line.

The javelin throw event has a surprising amount of visual inventiveness. We have the aforementioned slow-motion. The film also shows a curious point-of-view at this event. We are given a ground-eye view, where we see the various athlete's legs racing towards the line away from us. It makes for interesting viewing. 

As also mentioned, we see the same athletes repeatedly go for the gold. Case in point is Japan's Mikio Oda. He appears often in The IX Olympiad in Amsterdam. Oda was a very skilled athlete who participated in various track & field events. It is to the point where one almost ends up rooting for him. Oda does emerge triumphant at the long jump. By the time he does win the gold, the audience has seen him often in the film.  

There are also close-ups of winners of the Men's 3000 Meter Steeplechase. During the high jump event, we get many good shots from the front and side of the various jumpers. I do not think that the names listed actually matched the athletes, however.

I was also surprised at how clumsy some of the Italian crew were when it came to the title cards. When they mentioned the winners, there were some curious spelling choices. The Americans Edward Hamm and Henry Russell won the gold in the long jump (individual) and 4 x 400-meter relay respectively. The IX Olympiad in Amsterdam spells their surnames as "Ham" and "Russel". 

The athletic events were the main attraction. What one also sees in The IX Olympiad in Amsterdam is a world so curiously different and yet, similar to our own. In the first few minutes, we see Prince Hendrick in his carriage on his way to the Games. The surprising, downright astonishing sight here is how there was virtually no security around the Prince Consort. As his carriage passes by, we see pedestrians walk right after he passes. We also see how the gymnastics events, held outdoors, almost look like ballet performances. The women look like they are performing at a recital. To be fair, the men also seem to be choreographed.

That is on the different side of things. Right before the long jump, the film shows various fans in the stadium bleachers. Here, we see these men and women all cheering and, in some cases, performing for the camera. Some of the athletes too at times almost seem to do their version of photo bombing. The film shows us a universal truth: enthusiasm and joy at seeing athletic skills never goes out of style.

The IX Olympiad in Amsterdam has been updated by the Criterion Collection. Maud Nelissen wrote the accompanying score. It is, like many early Olympic films released for the massive Criterion box set, piano dominated. The pole vault sequence in particular has an Erik Satie-type feel to the music. To be fair, it has been a long time since I have seen an Olympic film. This one, however, I think is the first to have sound effects. In the Marathon, we hear a gunshot firing to start the race. During the race, we also hear sustained applause and cheering, presumably from the stands. The diving events also feature the sound of splashes. These were not part of the actual film. It is a credit to Nelissen and Frans de Rond for the use of these sound effects.

The score also features percussion, which I think is also a slight departure from past Criterion Olympic films. Bart Nelissen supplies the percussion, which stands out in the Men's 800 Meter Race when we hear tapping wood beating out during the race. The javelin throws sequence features discorded piano strings, perhaps to emphasize the repeated failure to stay within the marked line.

The IX Olympiad in Amsterdam is a good chronicle of these Olympic Games. While the film itself is still bound by the technology of the time, it made some interesting steps forward.  

DECISION: B+

Next Olympic Film: The IX Olympiad in Amsterdam, Part 2