:03 FROM GOLD {THREE (3) SECONDS FROM GOLD} (TV)
Summary
This documentary focuses on the basketball competition during the Summer Olympics of 1972 (Munich, Germany), an event which pitted two ideologies and two superpowers -- the capitalist Americans and the communist Soviets -- against each other. The story is told via archival footage and modern-day interviews with the participants mentioned below. The program begins by situating the Munich Games in the world as it was in 1972, at the height of the Cold War. The history of Olympic basketball is also discussed, noting that the United States had never lost an Olympic basketball game up to that point. Next, the Soviet team is explored: Viktor Gusev, a broadcaster for Russian National Television, and Sergei Belov, a guard on the 1972 team, discuss Russian athletic programs and the importance of sport in the country; the coach of the team, Alexander Gomelsky, notes how he used to spy on the U.S. team to get tips, and how he was provided with great basketball knowledge by American legends Bob Cousy and Bill Russell; Alexander Boloshev, the team's star forward, talks about the formation of the 1972 team as well as the expectation that the U.S.S.R. would win a silver medal.
Next, the American side is detailed: players Kenny Davis and Mike Bantom talk about the grueling trials that formed the twelve-man team; Doug Collins talks about the team's less-than-fun practices in Hawaii. In archival footage from before the Games, coach Hank Iba discusses his hopes for his young team. Next, the documentary shifts focus to the Olympics, detailing the road that each of the two teams took to reach the gold medal game, with highlighting clips and commentary. The game began at thirty minutes before midnight and Ed Ratleff of the U.S. team notes how that led to a slow pace of play, which favored the Soviets. Referee Artenik Arabadjian talks about the dirty play that led to ejections from both sides. The Soviets dominated most of the game until a late run by the Americans amazingly gave them their first lead of the entire game -- with just six seconds left, Collins made a remarkable steal leading to the tying and then go-ahead foul shots. Down one, with three seconds to play, victory and the gold medal seemed to be all but in the hands of the Americans, until controversy erupted, and the gold was, according to Olympic filmmaker Bud Greenspan, "shamelessly stolen from (them)."
Details
- NETWORK: HBO
- DATE: June 18, 2002 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:59:28
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:82785
- GENRE: Public affairs/documentaries; Sports
- SUBJECT HEADING: Olympic Games, 1972, Summer, Munich; Sports; Olympics
- SERIES RUN: HBO - TV, 2002
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Rick Bernstein … Executive Producer
- Ross Greenburg … Executive Producer
- George Roy … Producer
- Erik Kesten … Associate Producer
- Elyse Foley … Associate Producer
- Steven Stern … Writer
- Brian Keane … Music by
- Liev Schreiber … Narrator
- Artenik Arabadjian
- Mike Bantom
- Sergei Belov
- Alexander Boloshev
- Doug Collins
- Bob Cousy
- Kenny Davis
- Alexander Gomelsky
- Viktor Gusev
- Bud Greenspan
- Hank Iba
- Ed Ratleff
- Bill Russell