White Rock

1977 1h 16m EN

😐

5.4

MID

⭐

7.2

IMDB

★5.4TMDB · 7★7.2IMDB · 167

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

British documentary filmmaker and producer Tony Maylam reinvigorated the sports documentary genre with WHITE ROCK, an idiosyncratic and utterly engaging account of the XII Olympic Winter Games Innsbruck 1976. He did so by placing music (by organ and synth wunderkind Rick Wakeman) front and center, and by using Hollywood star James Coburn as a "guide for the uninitiated."

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

James Coburn
James Coburn

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tony Maylam
Writers: Tony Maylam
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 76-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

49 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Part of the "100 Years of Olympic Films: 1912–2012" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tony Maylam, shot by Arthur Wooster. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Gordon Swire shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0076916 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 7 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tony Maylam directs. Arthur Wooster behind the camera. Gordon Swire cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 76-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
249 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "100 Years of Olympic Films: 1912–2012" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Tony Maylam, shot by Arthur Wooster. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Gordon Swire shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7IMDB entry: tt0076916 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 7 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Arthur Wooster
Editing: Gordon Swire
Runtime: 76 min · 1h 16m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: White Rock (1977)
IMDB rating: 7.2/10 · 167 votes
MPAA: Not Rated

Awards

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award1 nomination total

Part of

100 Years of Olympic Films: 1912–2012

Spanning fifty-three movies and forty-one editions of the Olympic Games, 100 Years of Olympic Films: 1912–2012 is the culmination of a monumental, award-winning archival project encompassing dozens of new restorations by the International Olympic Committee. The documentaries collected here cast a cinematic eye on some of the most iconic moments in the history of modern sports, spotlighting athletes who embody the Olympic motto of “Faster, Higher, Stronger”: Jesse Owens shattering world records on the track in 1936 Berlin, Jean-Claude Killy dominating the Grenoble slopes in 1968, Joan Benoit breaking away to win the Games’ first women’s marathon in Los Angeles in 1984.