Olympics 40

Olympics 40
Directed by	Andrzej Kotkowski
Written by	Michał Komar Andrzej Kotkowski
Starring	Mariusz Benoit
Cinematography	Witold Adamek
Release date	23 June 1980 (1980-06-23)
Running time	96 minutes
Country	Poland
Language	Polish

Olympics 40 (Polish: Olimpiada 40) is a 1980 Polish drama film directed by Andrzej Kotkowski.^[1] The film was selected as the Polish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 53rd Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.^[2]

Plot

The film is based on actual events from World War II. During August 1940, prisoners of war celebrated a "special Olympics" called the International Prisoner-of-War Olympic Games at Stalag XIII-A in Langwasser, near Nuremberg, Germany. An Olympic flag, 29 by 46 cm in size, was made of a Polish prisoner's shirt and, drawn in crayon, it featured the Olympic rings and banners for Belgium, France, Great Britain, Norway, Poland, and the Netherlands. Olympics 40 tells the story of these games and of one of the prisoners of war, Teodor Niewiadomski.^[3]

Cast

• Mariusz Benoit as Piotr
• Jerzy Bończak as Jacques
• Tadeusz Galia as Leon
• Krzysztof Janczar as Andrzej
• Ryszard Kotys as Schlappke
• Wojciech Pszoniak as Schulz

See also

• 1940 Summer Olympics
• List of submissions to the 53rd Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
• List of Polish submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

References

1. "Olimpiada 40". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 3 October 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
2. Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
3. Grys, Iwona (April–May 1996). "The Olympic Idea Transcending War" (PDF). Olympic Review. 25 (8): 68–69. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 September 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.

External links

• Olympics 40 at IMDb