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Review #9368 - Dated: 26th of August, 2013 Author: Jopukeko |
My father's biggest passion is middle and long distance running so I was brought up hearing the names Peter Snell, Murray Halberg and Arthur Lydiard as his heroes. This documentary was made for people like my dad. It is all about The Golden Hour at the 1960 Rome Olympics when New Zealand won two gold medals on the track.
This is a dramatised documentary. It contains interviews with Snell, Halberg, other athletes, and reporters as well as reenactments of the build up to the Olympics. There is a huge emphasis on Lydiard's controversial training methods. I was quite surprised the documentary wasn't dedicated to him given that he died in 2004. There is also a focus on the politics behind the sport especially when it came to selecting athletes to represent us at the games.
I thought it was incredible how Halberg (and the actor represented this very well) managed to not only compete but win with the use of only one arm. To me this makes him even more of a sporting legend. I found the last part of the DVD (where they were competing in Rome) very emotional and used several tissues. It was definitely a proud Kiwi moment even watching it over 50 years later.
I believe the makers of The Golden Hour have done a brilliant job capturing one of New Zealand's top sporting moments. The DVD is a great gift for any athletics fan and well worth watching.
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