Best Official Winter Olympic Documentary?
by urbanemovies | created - 28 Jul 2021 | updated - 8 months ago | PublicOver the past 100 years, Olympic documentaries have gained a reputation as one of the more interesting subgenres in film. A distinction earned by being important chroniclers of sports history, by telling compelling stories and by attracting master directors. These films aim to capture the soul of the games, while also considering them in a broader social and cultural context. Directors Leni Riefenstahl and Kon Ichikawa are just two examples of directors who have used their Olympic opportunity to push the boundaries of filmmaking. Source: Criterion - Olympics 100 Years of Olympic Films: 1912–2012
Which of these select official documentaries about the Winter Olympic Games is the best, so far?
Discuss the topic here.
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. Crossing Beyond (2018)
102 min | Documentary, Sport
FIVE COMPETITORS. FIVE SPORTS. ONE AMBITION. The film follows the 5 athletes: an ice hockey player, a skeleton player, a skier, a snowboarder and a ski jumper who competed in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
Director: Seung-jun Yi | Stars: Akwasi Frimpong, Daniela Irschko-Stolz, Billy Morgan
Official Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic documentary
2. Rings of the World (2014)
184 min | Documentary, Sport
This is the official Olympic documentary of the Sochi 2014: XXII Olympic Winter Games.
Director: Sergei Miroshnichenko
Official Sochi 2014 Olympic documentary
3. Bud Greenspan Presents Vancouver 2010: Stories of Olympic Glory (2010 TV Movie)
TV-G | 116 min | Documentary, Sport
The final Olympics documentary produced by legendary filmmaker Bud Greenspan before his death at age 84 is this typically riveting, emotionally involving portrait of athletes competing at ... See full summary »
Director: Nancy Beffa
Votes: 53
Official Vancover 2010 Olympic documentary
4. Bud Greenspan's Torino 2006: Stories of Olympic Glory (2007 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 88 min | Documentary, Sport
Bud Greenspan looks back at the most interesting stories from the 2006 Olympic Winter Games.
Directors: Nancy Beffa, Bud Greenspan, Michael Schanzer, Andrew Squicciarini, Sydney Thayer | Stars: Kjetil André Aamodt, Shizuka Arakawa, Joey Cheek, Sasha Cohen
Votes: 53
Official Torino 2006 Olympic documentary
5. Salt Lake City 2002: Bud Greenspan's Stories of Olympic Glory (2003 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 119 min | Documentary, Sport
Award-winning sports chronicler Bud Greenspan delivers a powerful and emotional look at six individual stories in the official film of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. ... See full summary »
Director: Bud Greenspan | Stars: Stefania Belmondo, Bonnie Blair, Herb Brooks, George W. Bush
Votes: 78
Official Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic documentary
6. Olympic Glory (1999)
Not Rated | 42 min | Documentary, Short, Sport
A documentary covering the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, filmed for IMAX presentations.
Director: Kieth Merrill | Stars: Stacy Keach, Yayoi Swapp
Votes: 150
Official Nagano 1998 Olympic IMAX documentary
7. Nagano '98 Olympics: Bud Greenspan's Stories of Honor and Glory (1998 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 119 min | Documentary, Sport
A documentary covering the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano.
Director: Bud Greenspan | Stars: Lu Chen, Deborah Compagnoni, Kirstin Holum, Will Lyman
Votes: 60
Official Nagano 1998 Olympic documentary
8. Lillehammer '94: 16 Days of Glory (1994 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 209 min | Documentary, Sport
A documentary covering the 1994 Olympic Games in Lillehammer.
Director: Bud Greenspan | Star: Will Lyman
Votes: 95
Official Lillehammer 1994 Olympic documentary
9. One Light, One World (1992)
Not Rated | 104 min | Documentary, Sport
A documentary chronicling the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France.
Directors: R. Douglas Copsey, Joe Jay Jalbert | Star: Don LaFontaine
Votes: 48
Official Albertville 1992 Olympic documentary
10. Calgary '88: 16 Days of Glory (1989 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 202 min | Documentary, Sport
A documentary covering the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary.
Director: Bud Greenspan
Votes: 78
Official Calgary 1988 Olympic documentary
11. A Turning Point (1984)
Not Rated | 82 min | Documentary, Sport
A documentary covering the 1984 Olympic Games in Sarajevo.
Director: Kim Takal
Votes: 55
Official Saravejo 1984 Olympic documentary
12. Olympic Spirit (1980)
Not Rated | 27 min | Documentary, Short, Sport
A documentary covering the 1980 Olympic Games in Lake Placid.
Directors: Drummond Challis, Tony Maylam
Votes: 75
Official Lake Placid 1980 Olympic documentary
13. White Rock (1977)
Not Rated | 77 min | Documentary, Sport
Documentary about the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck 1976.
Director: Tony Maylam | Star: James Coburn
Votes: 152
Official Innsbruck 1976 Olympic documentary
14. Sapporo Winter Olympics (1972)
Not Rated | 167 min | Documentary, Sport
A documentary about the 1972 Winter Olympic Games in Sapporo, Japan.
Director: Masahiro Shinoda
Votes: 111
Official Sapporo 1972 Olympic documentary
15. Challenge in the Snow (1968)
Not Rated | 112 min | Documentary, Sport
A documentary about the Winter Olympics.
Directors: Claude Lelouch, François Reichenbach | Stars: Peggy Fleming, Jean-Claude Killy, Dalida, Charles de Gaulle
Votes: 153
Official Grenoble 1968 Olympic documentary
16. Snows of Grenoble (1968)
Not Rated | 97 min | Documentary, Sport
Film of the 10th Olympic Winter Games in Grenoble.
Directors: Jacques Ertaud, Jean-Jacques Languepin
Votes: 44
Official Grenoble 1968 Olympic documentary
17. IX Olympic Winter Games, Innsbruck 1964 (1964)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary, Sport
Theo Hörmann's official International Olympic Committee documentary chronicling the events leading up to, during and after the IX Olympic Winter Games held in Innsbruck, Austria in 1964.
Director: Theo Hörmann | Stars: Bob Beattie, Heinz Engelmann, Ernst Grissemann, Christl Haas
Votes: 64
Official Innsbruck 1964 Olympic documentary
18. People, Hopes, Medals (1960)
Not Rated | 93 min | Documentary
A documentary covering the 1960 Winter Olympic Games in Squaw Valley, California.
Director: Heribert Meisel | Stars: Bing Crosby, Tony Curtis, Heinz Fischer-Karwin, Janet Leigh
Votes: 56
Official Squaw Valley 1960 Olympic documentary
19. White Vertigo (1956)
Not Rated | 96 min | Documentary, Sport
A documentary covering the 1956 Olympic Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
Director: Giorgio Ferroni | Stars: Emma Albright, Renzo Alvera, Max Angst, Nikolai Anikin
Votes: 127
Official Cortina 1956 Olympic documentary
20. The VI Olympic Winter Games, Oslo 1952 (1952)
Not Rated | 103 min | Documentary, Sport
A documentary covering the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, Norway.
Director: Tancred Ibsen | Stars: Hjalmar 'Hjallis' Andersen, King Olav V
Votes: 77
Official Oslo 1952 Olympic documentary
21. Fight Without Hate (1948)
Not Rated | 84 min | Documentary, Sport
A documentary covering the 1948 Olympic Games in St. Moritz.
Director: André Michel | Stars: Gretchen Fraser, Finn Helgesen, Nils Karlsson, Reidar Liaklev
Votes: 71
Official Saint Moritz 1948 Olympic documentary
22. Jugend der Welt. Der Film von den IV. Olympischen Winterspielen in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (1936)
Not Rated | 38 min | Documentary, Short, Sport
This Nazi propaganda film covers the 1936 Winter Olympics that were held in Germany.
Directors: Herbert Brieger, Carl Junghans | Star: Adolf Hitler
Votes: 150
Official Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936 Olympic documentary
23. The White Stadium (1928)
Not Rated | 124 min | Documentary, Sport
A documentary about the 1928 St. Moritz Olympics.
Directors: Arnold Fanck, Othmar Gurtner | Stars: Sonja Henie, Alf Andersen, Bertel Backmann, Sherwin Badger
Votes: 210
Official Saint Moritz 1928 Olympic documentary
24. The Olympic Games Held at Chamonix in 1924 (1925)
Not Rated | 37 min | Documentary, Short, Sport
A documentary covering the Olympic Games at Chamonix in 1924.
Director: Jean de Rovera
Votes: 136
Official Chamonix 1924 Olympic documentary
25. Beijing 2022 (2023)
103 min | Documentary, Sport
Despite the global pandemic, international misunderstandings and skepticism, the Organizing Committees stuck to their mission and organized the Beijing 2022. This is a story of hard work, cooperation, competition, humanity and friendship.
Director: Chuan Lu | Stars: Chris Corning, Yuzuru Hanyu, Shaolin Liu, Ziwei Ren
Votes: 9
Official Beijing 2022 Olympic documentary
Tell Your Friends