Sapporo Winter Olympics

1972 2h 48m JA

👍

6.9

SOLID

⭐

7.1

IMDB

★6.9TMDB · 7★7.1IMDB · 124

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An artistic and unconventional approach to winter sports, using striking visuals, sound design, and a focus on both the spectacle and the human element—including behind-the-scenes figures like ice maintenance workers—to create an intimate and aesthetically unique portrayal of the Olympics.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Cast

Masaya Takahashi
Narrator (voice)
Kyôko Kishida
Narrator (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Masahiro Shinoda
Writers: Nobuo Yamada, Taeko Tomioka, Mushiake Aromu
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

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

Clocks in at 168 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

54 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

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

Original score by Masaru Satō. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Masaya Takahashi and Kyôko Kishida carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0069222 — 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

Masahiro Shinoda directs. Masaru Satō scores. A long sit — settle in. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Clocks in at 168 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.
254 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
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.
5Original score by Masaru Satō. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Masaya Takahashi and Kyôko Kishida carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0069222 — 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

Original score: Masaru Satō
Runtime: 168 min · 2h 48m
Status: Released
Original language: JA
IMDB: Sapporo Winter Olympics (1972)
IMDB rating: 7.1/10 · 124 votes
MPAA: Not Rated

Awards

1 nomination

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.