Synopsis:
This documentary combines archive footage with new interviews with the amateur athletes who took part in the 1948 Olympics. Narrated by Alan Coren, this film is a humorous peek behind the scenes of the first post-war Games: the 1948 London Olympics. The Games brought hope to a world emerging from the darkness of war, but the 'Blitz Spirit' was still required to ensure their success.
Set against a back-drop of austerity, there were moments when London's last Olympiad was in danger of becoming an 'Ealing Comedy': British athletes got fit on jelly and custard, the women had to make their own kit, and no one could find the British flag for the Opening Ceremony. The film wryly charts how, against all the odds, London pulled off hosting what can only be described as A Very British Olympics.
Synopsis:
This documentary combines archive footage with new interviews with the amateur athletes who took part in the 1948 Olympics. Narrated by Alan Coren, this film is a humorous peek behind the scenes of the first post-war Games: the 1948 London Olympics. The Games brought hope to a world emerging from the darkness of war, but the 'Blitz Spirit' was still required to ensure their success.
Set against a back-drop of austerity, there were moments when London's last Olympiad was in danger of becoming an 'Ealing Comedy': British athletes got fit on jelly and custard, the women had to make their own kit, and no one could find the British flag for the Opening Ceremony. The film wryly charts how, against all the odds, London pulled off hosting what can only be described as A Very British Olympics.