General

The First Olympics: Athens 1896

The inspiring story of a rag-tag team of amateur American athletes that stunned the sports world comes to life in this dramatization of the first modern Olympic games revived in 1896. Veteran Actor Louis Jourdan stars as Baron Pierre du Coubertin, a relentless visionary who sets out to renew the ancient Olympic games after 1500 years. Dr. William Sloane (David Ogden Stiers) is the Princeton professor who pulls together the first American team with 13 unlikely boys and a meager supply of sports equipment. Competing in events that had never been seen in the United States before the Americans went on to Athens and secured the winner's post despite almost insurmountable odds.

Chariots of Fire

The come-from-behind winner of the 1981 Oscar for best picture, Chariots of Fire either strikes you as either a cold exercise in mechanical manipulation or as a tale of true determination and inspiration. The heroes are an unlikely pair of young athletes who ran for Great Britain in the 1924 Paris Olympics: devout Protestant Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson), a divinity student whose running makes him feel closer to God, and Jewish Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross), a highly competitive Cambridge student who has to surmount the institutional hurdles of class prejudice and anti-Semitism. There's delicious support from Ian Holm (as Abrahams's coach) and John Gielgud and Lindsay Anderson as a couple of Cambridge fogies. Vangelis's soaring synthesized score, which seemed to be everywhere in the early 1980s, also won an Oscar. Chariots of Fire was the debut film of British television commercial director Hugh Hudson (Greystoke) and was produced by David Puttnam. --Jim Emerson

Do You Believe in Miracles? The Story of the 1980 U.S. Hockey Team

You don't need to know anything about hockey to be moved by this hourlong documentary about one of the greatest upsets in sports history: the United States' defeat of the vaunted Russian Olympic hockey team at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. The film recounts the David vs. Goliath matchup between the Americans (essentially a group of college kids molded into a team by coach Herb Brooks, also the U.S. hockey coach in the 2002 Olympic games) and the Russians, professionals who had won four straight Olympic golds. The story is retold in interviews with the people who lived it, including Brooks and several of the American players, sportscaster Al Michaels (who uttered the title line as the game ended), and key Russian players. Do You Believe in Miracles? is a solid blend of sports and history that focuses on the human element in one of the great underdog victories of all time. --Marshall Fine

OLYMPIA -The LENI RIEFENSTAHL Archival Collection

This limited edition 2-disc set features the complete original version of OLYMPIA presented for the first time on DVD.Part 1: (Festival of the Nations) -Disc 1Riefenstahl shot a documentary that celebrates the human body by combining the poetry of bodies in motion with close-ups of athletes in the heat of competition. Includes Jesse Owen's sprint races at the 1936 Olympic games and Adolf Hitler looking on in amazement as Owens wins an unprecedented four Gold Medals.Part 2: (Festival of Beauty) -Disc 2Riefenstahl captures the grace of the athletes during field hockey soccer bicycling equestrian aquatic and gymnastic events. Highlights are the Pentathlon and the Decathlon which was won by American Glenn Morris; it ends with the triumphant conclusion of the games.Special Features:Two disc limited edition containing over 5 hours of material including JUGEND DER WELT ( Youth of The World ) Official Documentary of the 1936 Winter Olympics at Garmisch-Partenkirchen DIE KAMERA FAHRT MIT ( The Camera Goes Along ) 1936 Documentary by Bavaria-Filmkunst featuring footage from Leni Rifenstahl s films OLYMPIA and TRIUMPH OF THE WILL. Deleted Scenes Biography Still Gallery German and English languages with ON/OFF English subtitles Dolby 2.0 audio Essay.System Requirements:Running Time: 204 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/MISC. Rating: NR UPC: 825307915990 Manufacturer No: PH-91599

The Olympic Series: Golden Moments 1920-2002

Fire on the Track: The Steve Prefontaine Story DVD

Collector s Edition DVD of Fire on the Track: The Steve Prefontaine Story boasts three and a half hours of bonus behind-the-scenes interviews with insiders including Bill Bowerman, Phil Knight and many more. The two-disc DVD featuring the original 1995 documentary winner of the 1996 New York Festival World Silver Medal.

Pre embodied the spirit of athletic excellence. He had a belief in self and sport that transcended all but the outer reaches of human speed and endurance. As a freshman, he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, which hailed him as America's Distance Prodigy;. By the time he died in a tragic auto accident at the age of 24, Pre held all 7 American records between 2,000 and 10,000 meters. Off the track, he fought relentlessly for the rights of amateur athletes to prosper for their sacrifices.

Narrated by Ken Kesey, Fire On the Track is the story of this young lion's life, as told through rare footage and the memories of those who knew him best - his teammates, coaches, family and friends.

Interviews include David Bedford, Frank Shorter, Ian Stewart, Bill Bowerman, Jeff Galloway, Dick Buerkle, Lasse Viren, Dana Carvey, Mac Wilkins, Kenny Moore, Dave Wottle, Alberto Salazar, and many more.

Joe Louis: America's Hero... Betrayed

In the true Olympic spirit HBO Sports presents JOE LOUIS: AMERICAS HERO BETRAYED a profile of Joe Louis the greatest heavyweight boxer of his time who transcended not only his race but also the sport of boxing to personify Americas struggle with the Nazis during WWII.System Requirements:Running Time: 75 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS UPC: 883929025251 Manufacturer No: 1000037910

Living Landscapes: The World's Most Beautiful Places [HD DVD]

The LIVING LANDSCAPES series offers high-definition photography of the world's most beautiful places set to atmospheric surround-sound music for a relaxing armchair experience.Format: DVD HD Genre: MISCELLANEOUS/SPECIAL INTEREST UPC: 741319475652 Manufacturer No: LLWMP-HD

Joel Harper's Fit Pack - Nine Short Workouts

From NYC celebrity trainer and creator of the YOU ON A DIET WORKOUT Joel Harper
9 Fat burning and muscle building workouts
170 minutes of workout time
no weights*no balls*no bands*
beginner-intermediate-advanced

From the creator of the YOU ON A DIET WORKOUT, this easy to follow workout program is perfect for all fitness levels. Whether you're a novice or want to take your workout to the next level, FIT PACK contains 9 short invigorating workouts targeted to specific body parts-chest, shoulders, legs, back, abs, buns, cardio and a combo workout for a complete and exhilarating total body conditioning.

No barbells, no dumbells, no ankle weights, no machines, no bands, no balls, and most of all, no excuses! With FIT PACK if you've got the desire to get fit and stay fit then you can shape, sculpt, and tone your body in a fast, fun and innovative way. And the best part of all is that reaching your fitness goals is as easy as popping it into your DVD player.

The First Olympics - Blood, Honor, and Glory (History Channel)

The First Olympics: Blood, Honor, and Glory includes three exciting History Channel documentaries about ancient roots of the Olympics in fact and myth. Curiously, the first two films, "The First Olympics" and "Blood and Honor at the First Olympics," are essentially the same, with slightly different narration, editing, and chapter titles. Of the two, "Blood and Honor" is a little more streamlined and is voiced by Leonard Nimoy, but the material is compelling enough to check out both works over time. Among other things, one learns that the first Olympians competed in the nude for all sports, that winning was everything and penalties for fouls and bribes were severe, and that there has been an Olympics committee--and Olympics competition every four years--since 776 B.C. "The Greek Gods" is a fine supplemental work introducing us to Zeus, in whose honor the Olympics were born, and the other divinities on Mt. Olympus. --Tom Keogh