| Opening Ceremonies: 1920 Cinema Olympics: Paris, France. |
| Ah, summer time in Paris, and what a perfect time for a dose of world harmony, Cinema Olympics style. The European continent has just finished a nasty war of unprecedented brutality, and with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles scarcely a year past in this very city, the wounds are far from healed. But the Olympics are seen as a time for nations to put differences aside and compete in the spirit of International brotherhood. This first Cinema Olympics will surely put that notion to test. Among the nations vying for Olympic Gold and Special Awards are the United States, France, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Russia, Denmark and Great Britain. There is certainly enough bad blood to go around. (In an interesting diplomatic side note, The Russian empire has fallen but both nominated films (The Cameraman's Revenge & Death of a Swan) were made prior to the Revolution. If either should win, the medal would go to a Country that for all practical purposes, is no longer in existence.) |
| Welcome to Paris: But you're here to have fun, and we have just the host city to do it in! Post War Paris is on the cutting edge, as Cinema Olympics participants and viewers alike cram the Cafes of Montparnasse, join the young Parisians and throw their arms in the air and exclaim "The war is over, the world as we knew it has ended: Screw it. Let's party!" Your Faithful Olympic Chairman is certainly doing his share, flitting from wine-bar to cafe at all hours of the night, spreading Olympic goodwill with French diva Musidora on one arm and screen queen Gloria Swanson on the other (Alright, alright, stop stepping on my fantasy already!) So join the international set of new thinkers and young artists, poets and musicians and dive into post war Paris. Join us for the Olympic parties at the Moulin Rouge and rub shoulders with Pablo Picasso, Igor Stravinsky, James Joyce, Guillaume Apollinaire, Marcel Duchamp and myself, your Ever-Humble Olympic Chairman! Anything goes. Let the Games begin! |
| Preview of the 1920 Games: On December 28th, 1895 the Lumiere brothers, Auguste and Louis, premiered their new invention, the Cinematograph in front of 33 paying customers at the Grand Cafe in Paris, the first public film screening. It's only fitting that these first Olympics, celebrating the first 25 years of Cinema (1895-1919) be held were it all began. This Olympics will feature medal competition in 10 categories: Film editing, visual design (sets, costumes etc.), cinematography, writing, directing, lead and supporting performances male, lead and supporting performances female and best overall film. There will also be a number of honorary medals given out for outstanding contributions in areas that are not covered by the main competitive categories. During this first Olympics many of these will be going to pioneers from the earliest days of cinema. Due to the large number of years being covered in these first games, there have been major technological advances and we have seen the recent advent of ever longer, feature length films. This gives the films of the last 5 years or so of this period a major advantage. After all, how can you compare a 40 second Lumiere film with D. W. Griffith's 3 1/2 hour epic Intolerance or Les Vampires, the popular French serial that clocks in at around Seven hours in all its installments? While the early greats are certainly eligible in any competitive category, they will also be given a number of the honorary medals to insure their story is told and contributions noted. |
| So, where's the smart money? In any competitive event, the most interested parties are the competitors, the fans and the bookies. While the Cinema Olympics are an event fostered on goodwill, togetherness, sportsmanship and all that other shiny happy mumbo jumbo, and your Wholesome Olympic Chairman would never officially advocate such nefarious goings on, here's a look at some of the films that people are buzzing about coming into the competition. (And if you happen to remember this info on your next trip to support your friendly neighborhood bookmaker, or when setting up your Cinema Olympics office pool, well, all I can say is: What your Prim and Proper Chairman don't know won't hurt him!) The United States seems poised to take home some major hardware. Many European nations had their filmmaking efforts severely curtailed because of that pesky little war. If you want to look to early favorites, there are only two names you need to know: Griffith and Chaplin. All three of D. W. Griffith's major films (The Birth of a Nation, Broken Blossoms and Intolerance) are among the frontrunners, and there is a smattering of support for some of his early short films. Many people consider Griffith to be the inventor of modern cinema. (One of the loudest of the chorus being old D. W. himself.) Charles Chaplin has the distinct advantage of being perhaps the most beloved performer the world has ever known. He is perhaps best served by Shoulder Arms. This "in the trenches" comedy is especially timely given recent world events. But don't count out his other great films such as A Dog's Life, Easy Street or The Immigrant. Also worth watching from the States are the films by a pair of up and coming bad boys who are already raising the hackles of studio hacks with their extravagance; Erich "the man you love to hate" von Stroheim (Blind Husbands) and Cecil B. DeMille (The Cheat & Male and Female). It would be a mistake to count out the host nation, however. Those pesky French have a rich film history. Beginning with the early Lumiere films, extending to the great master of the imagination, Georges Melies (A Trip to the Moon) and the films from pioneering studio boss Charles Pathe. In recent times the French have produced a pair of major contenders in Louis Feuillade (the master of popular serials, who is by far the local peoples favorite) and Abel Gance (a young artist, who with J'Accuse, many think has taken Griffith's advances even beyond Griffith.) Both could reap major home town havoc on the Americans. While the Germans aren't on too many people's most favored nations list at the moment, they have a couple of outside contenders for most favored film. The Student of Prague is a wonderful horror film that takes its cue from the legends of Faust and the Doppelganger myth, and The Oyster Princess is a delightful sophisticated comedy from Ernst Lubitsch. (Did I say German and Comedy in the same paragraph? What's the world coming to?) Finally, many people are bucking the odds and betting heavily on The Outlaw and His Wife, an awesome film from Sweden by Director/Writer/Star Victor Sjorstrom, and the Italians are thumping their chests and demanding respect for the early epic Cabiria (as Italians are wont to do.) Well, the Olympic torch has been lit by that most delightful of Frenchmen, Georges Melies (who we are sure to see more from later) so the only thing to do is: LET THE GAMES BEGIN! |