Challenge in the Snow

Claude Lelouch, François Reichenbach, and a team of cameramen shoot the Winter Olympics by day, the city by night, in this fine impressionistic documentary.

You'll be surprised at how many ways there are to shoot skiers, and the funniest one is the speed course, where a cameraman on skis stays close on the tail of his subject, ice flying onto the camera lens. There are also the pensive ice hockey players, and as for the skaters, their precision is emphasized by intercutting with computers. Francis Lai offers a romantic and exciting score, and the townfolk of Grenoble have a great time.