100 Years of Olympic Glory.

For those who haven't been inundated by the hype already, 1996 is an Olympic year. There are few better ways to whet one's appetite for this summer's Centennial Games than by reviewing highlights of the past century since the Olympics were revived in 1896. This video, produced, written, and directed by Bud Greenspan, the acknowledged master of sports documentaries, spans the years from the modern Olympics' rebirth in Athens to Barcelona's 1992 Games, placing them in perspective with world history and the politics that frequently triggered interruptions, but mostly--and rightfully--concentrating on the athletes that manage to rise above the turmoil.

Following the Olympic ideals of "swifter, higher, stronger," most of the stories deal with the renowned winners of the Summer Games, many of them legendary names. Films of Paavo Nurmi, the Flying Finn; swimmers Johnny Weissmuller (who would become the best-known movie Tarzan) and Mark Spitz; sprinter-long jumper Carl Lewis; British runners Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddel, immortalized in the Academy Award-winning film, "Chariots of Fire"; and Czech distance runner Emil Zatopek salute the victors. Considerable footage, though, is devoted to those who gamely challenged, but fell short, nevertheless to be honored for their efforts.

Interviews with former Olympic athletes looking back at their years of competition are fascinating as they put their efforts into perspective. Perhaps the most engrossing is that of Alain Mimoun, the little Frenchman who, in spite of leg...