The Highest - Arthur Penn

From the Munich Olympics film "Visions of Eight," a 13-minute masterpiece by Arthur Penn, RIP.
Some background: after the shot of the torch, the remaining competitors are the medalists, Americans Jan Johnson and Bob Seagren and East German Wolfgang Nordwig. The exchange between Seagren and the official after Seagren's last vault relates to an eleventh-hour ruling banning the Americans' then-new carbon-fiber poles.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Arthur Penn
• pole vault

[jamesmcquillen]

This is the original. The Mancini soundtrack was for the Michael Pfleghar segment, "The Women."

[jamesmcquillen]

I don't. Other Olympic documentaries (such as Olympia and Tokyo Olympiad) include pole vault footage, but none quite like this.

[Autostade67]

Is this exactly as it appears in the original film or is this some special cut from DVD special edition or something? The reason I ask is that I saw the original years ago and I seem to remember there was voice over and a soundtrack by Henry Mancini. Not to take away from this version which, with it's minimal sound, is stunning.

[MsCarlettina]

bob seagren è l'uomo più bello mai esistito, the most handsome man ever existed

[MsCarlettina]

he was not correct to avoid seagren to use his pole, he would surely won, and it is a pity that he left track and field after Muenchen, He could become the greatest pole vaulter of the history

[larryjessee]

Bob Seagren would have won easily with his own poles, he was given a pole that was too light ( not strong enough) for his speed and strength. The same for Jan Johnson. Three years later in an exhibition, he vaulted 5.74 meters, almost 15 cm above the listed World Record. I have no doubt, had he not turned professional to do Superstars, he would have been the first man to pole vault 5.80m ( 19'_

[MsCarlettina]

bob seagren un grande atleta, oltre ad essere bellissimo, dolcissimo simpaticissimo e anche modesto

[uovo33]

Классика жанра!!!

[MsCarlettina]

have you got other documentaries with bob seagren?

[themousy]

Amazing! Do you have any more old time videos of pole vaulting.