I saw this movie when it was on TV and have looked for it ever since.What amazes me is they do not show it more. THE GOOD news is NETFLIX now has it on DVD (2 disc).1984 does not date this film but should be popular today, maybe around current Olympic season.This movies has everything, some funny things but not a comedy. Facts, pretty good, great Directing, great acting, great Scenery.The actors are very real as today, with modern physical training, they are 'beefed' up but these kids look like what the kids in college looked like in 1896 but were no professional but just good athletes.The part about them thinking they were to be nude like the original Olympians is worth watching. And that Greek story about the USA National Anthem was great.If you have never seen, you are missing a great treat.Come on Sony, get with it. Bring it back to the public.

Just 10 days before the Athens 2004 Olympics games, I spent my evening watching this film inspired by the title. In the beginning I thought of the movie as a historical description of the first modern olympic games. Unfortunately a more accurate title would be "The American olympic team during the 1896 Olympic games" since this movie is all about it and nothing else. Four hours of lame dialogues, poor acting, historical inaccuracies and the infinite number of the US national anthem add up to one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Minimum comments for the achievements, the training and the difficulties the other athletes came across.

This is a terrific miniseries, a wonderful story splendidly told. The origins of everything from the starting position for sprinters to the impulsive selection of the Star Spangled Banner as the national anthem, this story of the first Olympics in 1500 years is filled with drama, wit, and unforgettable characters.

Without going into a lot of details, let me say that I regard "First Olympics" as one of the finest I have seen in my 70 years. The only problem I had was that it kept bringing tears to my patriotic American eyes!Having first seen this film when it was shown on TV in 1985, I many years later special ordered a copy of it for my personal collection. That was one of the best investments I ever made!