O sport, ty - mir!

O Sport, You Are Peace! is a documentary about the 1980 Summer Olympics, which were held in Moscow. This Olympiad was significant for two reasons: it was the fist held behind the Iron Curtain, and as a result of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the games were boycotted by 66 countries (including the United States.) This movie, for the most part, is a pretty standard Olympics documentary. The first half hour is devoted to the set up of the games and the opening ceremony. There is also some cute animation about the history of the Olympics. The coverage of the events has some nice cinematography but seems a little haphazard. A couple events are covered in depth (such as the marathon and women's gymnastics) but most events are rushed through so fast that it is hard to get a sense of who is competing. My biggest objections to the movie though are the narration and the music, both of which are treacly and annoying. But if you can concentrate on just the visuals, this movie is worth watching.