Plot

Eight film artists from different countries are given carte blanche to make a collection of short documentaries on the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics, offering unexpected, original and often humorous perspectives.

Eight acclaimed filmmakers bring their unique and differing perspectives to the 1972 Summer Olympic Games held in Munich. The segments include Claude Lelouch's take on Olympic losers and their struggle to remain dignified even in the face of bitter disappointment and defeat; Mai Zetterling's dramatic exploration of the world of weightlifting; and Michael Pfleghar's piece on young Russian gymnast Ludmilla Tourischev's majestic performance on the uneven bars.

Visions of Eight is a film about the personal dreams which make the Olympic Games transcend the physical into the spiritual. when granted the authority to record the 1972 official film of the Games, the Wolper Organization elected to eschew the traditional documentary approach in favour of the human stories spelled out during the contests. Although the cameras recorded the tragic events surrounding the death of the Israli athletes, the film remains a non - political tribute to all the contestants and to the spirit of the Olympic Games.. Previous Olympic films were essentially sports reportage, an area now amply covered by television. This film is seen through the eyes of eight great directors, each of whom interpreted that part of the Olympiad spectacle that interested them most