Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

I just got done watching the DVD of the 1984 NBC Mini Series, The First Olympics and I want to say that I thought it was very thoroughly researched. The details concerning the life of Spiridon Louis may or may not have been true. That's because the details in his life have never been made quite clear. Edwin Flack had, in fact, already finished college by the Games the had commenced and was employed by the accounting form of Price, Waterhouse, and Company. The facts surrounding Robert Garret's participation in the Discus Throw were also 100% accurate, though I don't ever remember reading about a similar incident involving the Shot Put ever having taken place. I supposed some amount of "Literary License" had to be granted in making this fine and historically accurate (for the most part) film.

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.

I remember watching this mini-series the first time in 1984 with a growing sense of anger and indignation. Having read the comments on this title, I must agree with those from the people in Greece. This was produced to coincide with the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and, to me, it seemed like nothing more than an exercise in jingoistic, flag-waving American nationalism in which the American athletes are glorified at everyone else's expense. Some other nationalities would have every right to feel deeply insulted at the way they were portrayed in this series. It may, however, help to explain the way in which many American spectators behaved at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and the TV coverage which seemed only interested in events that Americans were likely to win.

I sat last night to see this film being played in Greek television because of the upcoming Olympic Games hosted by my city.Knowing that it is an American film, i had already expected it to focus more on the American athletes story.And i was really ready for it. But what i saw was..., too much!I mean, when a movie has such a title ("First Olympics: Athens 1896"), even being of American origin, you would not expect it to be so propagandizing and, on the same time, ignorant towards other countries' athletes and efforts.The American athletes seem to have all the gifts of nature (strength, smartness, generosity, kindness, politeness...), in contrast to their "sin-athletes" in the Games, who seem being unable even to... speak their thoughts or express feelings.The number of times the American anthem is played during the film must be an all time record in filmography.Megalomania at it's best!It even uses fictionalized facts which ridicules the Greek nation, such as Greek citizens serving the foreign Marathon athletes with wine, in order to help the domestic ones win the race.So much for the Olympic spirit.Think of it.Being a Greek and putting a bad mark to a movie whose title is also Greek is something that doesn't make me happy at all.But according to what i have seen, i cannot give it more than 4 out of 10 (being pretty generous actually).