It’s Olympics time again with athletes from around the world vying for gold.
The Summer Olympics has a long history dating back to the first modern Olympics held in Athens in 1896 and, since the first games, world history has been reflected on the playing fields.
For those with an interest in the history behind the games, Race is the perfect Olympic movie.
Released this year, it tells the true story of Jesse Owens, a black American who took four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympic games.
Having faced racial prejudice at home to stake his place on the USA’s track and field Olympic team, Jesse must face more racial tension in Hilter’s Germany where both he and his Jewish teammates were unwelcome.
Despite the Nazi’s preference that a black man not win (his teammates were not even allowed to compete), the anti-Nazi views of ordinary Germans come through in the sportsmanship shown by Jesse’s greatest rival on the field, Germany’s Carl ‘Luz’Long.
Having lost to Jesse in the broad jump, Luz not only congratulates him on his win, doing a lap of honour with Jesse, but encourages him to win every event both as a testament to Jesse’s abilities but also as a means of publicly showing his disapproval of the Nazi regime.
Race is an uplifting movie which pays homage to the true intentions of the Olympic Games – to bring nations together and forge international friendships with Jesse and Luz remaining friends until Luz’s death during World War II.
Whether you enjoy the history behind the games or the sportsmanship on the field, Race is a movie that will appeal to a diverse audience.
