Description:

A somewhat ironic, but very informative story about the origin, development and decline of the Ancient Greek Olympiad tradition, provided with the help of an off-screen commentary read by Z. Gerdt.

Ancient history is described in great and exciting detail. The art direction was guided by ancient Greek monuments, primarily vase paintings. Both characters and backgrounds were stylized based on them, including imitation cracks.The film contains many full-scale shots, and in particular it is interesting to frame the photographs of the bas-reliefs of the Pergamon altar shot by Yuriy Norshteyn. The film ends with documentary shots of the opening of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.

A good English-language analysis of the film and its historical portrayals can be read here.

Please note that although the contents of the film are educational and family-friendly, it depicts historically-authentic male nudity in its portrayal of the ancient Games, as well as some female nudity.