Very well executed

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Fresh and Exciting

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

I just wanted to point out a few things about the mini-series. It does indeed focus on the American team, but it represents the other countries rather well. It gives an especially good appearance to the Greeks, who are shown as being loyal, caring, and respectful people. Ironically, I think that this mini-series actually cast the worst light on America, who is shown as not even being willing to back up their team (the president at the time, and the ivy-league schools refuse to even back up the American Olympic Team), and at the same time, the Americans are shown with many of their own problems; they can't even manage to get along with each other through most of the mini-series.On a completely different note, for those who are looking for it, the series was just released a few days ago in DVD format.

This is one of my favorite sports films.It has lots of historically accurate information much like a documentary but is presented in an entertaining narrative format with good story and plot.Purists may be annoyed that the casting of the actors doesn't always respect the look of typical athletes in each discipline but it's otherwise pretty realistic.The anecdotes around the discus event are hilarious and unforgettable.Now if it could only come out on DVD I would buy it instantly.-Ben

I first saw this as a two-part mini-series in Australia just prior to the 1988 Olympics. I was extremely impressed by it, especially with regards to the role played by Edwin Flack, the Australian runner. It is because of Flack that Australia is one of the very few countries to have competed in all the modern Olympics. While it may not be historically accurate in EVERY detail, I believe the film goes a long way to depict the feeling of adventure and excitement that must have prevailed during those times. My one regret is that I find I am unable to purchase a copy (in any format). If anyone can help me out in this regard - no matter what the cost - I would be most appreciative.

Without going into a lot of details, let me say that I regard "First Olympics" as one of the finest I have seen in my 70 years. The only problem I had was that it kept bringing tears to my patriotic American eyes!Having first seen this film when it was shown on TV in 1985, I many years later special ordered a copy of it for my personal collection. That was one of the best investments I ever made!