Olympic Movies!

Olympia: A Leni Riefenstahl Film DVD 796.48 OLY
Documents the 1936 Summer Olympics, held in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany. It was the first ever documentary feature film of the Olympic Games and used advanced motion picture techniques, which later became industry standards.Warning: Controversial due to political context.



The First Olympics: Athens 1896  DVDP 5138

A look at the creation of the American team for the Olympics in 1896, and of their journey to get to Athens, where the games were being held. Rating: Not Rated

Miracle DVDP 6119 and DVDP 8665

Tells the true story of player-turned-coach Herb Brooks, who led the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team to victory over the seemingly invincible Soviet team. Rating PG

Chariots of Fire DVDP 7186
Two young British sprinters competing for fame in the 1924 Olympics. Eric, a devout Scottish missionary runs because he knows it must please God. Harold, the son of a newly rich Jew runs to prove his place in Cambridge society.
Rating PG


Cool Runnings DVDP 1392
Based on the true story of the first Jamaican bobsled team trying to make it to the winter Olympics. Rating PG

Backwards DVDP 9381

Based on the true story of a female rower who fails to make the Olympics for the second time and decides to take a coaching job at a school. Rating PG

Munich DVDB 0399
It's the 1972 Olympics and PLO terrorists have just kidnapped and murdered 11 Israeli athletes.  After several terrorists have gone free, the Israeli government recruits Avner a team to hunt down those responsible and eliminate them. Rated R

Downhill Racer DVDP 1388
A talented but self-involved downhill skier claims victory at the expense of emotional and family attachments. Rating PG



Jim Thorpe, All-American DVDP 3859

The triumph and tragedy of Native American Jim Thorpe, who, after winning both the pentathlon and decathlon in the same Olympics, is stripped of his medals on a technicality. Rating: Not Rated

Prefontaine DVDP 8333

The film features the true-life story of legendary track star Steve Prefontaine, the exciting and sometimes controversial "James Dean of Track." Rating PG-13

Chinese Whiskers by Aiyar Pallavi

While Chinese Whiskers can be appealing to both cat lovers and readers interested in Chinese socioeconomics and politics, I really feel it mostly appeals to feline fans. Two cats, the main characters, each speak to us in their point of view about their lives and experiences closely preceding the 2008 Beijing summer Olympic Games. Soyabean and Tofu begin life under drastically different circumstances, but come together when adopted by a foreign family living in China. Tofu begins life as a stray cat that lives in a dumpster. Soyabean’s life begins living with a grandmother who adores cats, but wishes to adopt him, her newest kitten, out. Once they come together they become caught up in exposing a poisoning scheme, and seeing that those responsible are brought to justice.

The tale touches upon the unfairness of the class structure in China. Tofu is rounded up to be euthanized when a disease believed to be caused by cats sweeps Beijing. When she is able to escape, she becomes acquainted with several poor workers who are hungry and making little money building the Olympic villages. Tofu relates to this man and wishes there was something she could do to stop injustice dealt to the poor by the hands of the extremely wealthy. Tofu and Soyabean both take down two rich, conniving men who threaten the lives of millions of cats in China; therefore, bringing hope to the impoverished people who constantly are brought down by rich companies and manufacturers.

Although the cats spend most of the book dealing with these problems, I still think it appeals more to cat lovers. Being someone who loves cats, it was a little hard to think too seriously about the story because it was told through the eyes of cats. Other bits cat lovers will enjoy is that the cats’ intense interest in the poisoning scheme involves cat food, and that there are cat gangs that roam the streets. Who couldn’t smile at a “devious” gang of cats whose main worries revolve around food? I recommend this book to anyone looking for a tale of an unlikely hero.

Interested in Chinese Whiskers? Call (856) 794-4244 ext. 4243 to put it on hold.

Kelly’s Book Review