Rediscovered 1964 Tokyo Paralympics film

Festival of Love and Glory…

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Tomoka: I was so surprised using the smart glasses, wherever you looked the subtitles moved around the screen.

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Kaneko: And you could switch subtitle languages too. It felt odd watching an old movie with modern technology.

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Tomoka: Yes, a black and white movie. The commentary and music made it seem like I was caught in a time-warp.

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Kaneko: But you could see what society was like back then. You know some disabled people were kept in institutions.

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Back then

Tomoka: And the wheelchairs they used then for sports events were just ordinary ones. Not special sports ones.

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Kaneko: Right. And the Paralympians attitude was more casual. Like “I’m not expecting a medal, but I’ll do my best.” Now Paralympics is more competitive.

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Tomoka: Yes, and the events are more hyped up with music and decoration and entertainment.

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Kaneko: I hope that after the 2020 Paralympics barrier-free develops further.

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Tomoka: And the attitude of people towards disabled people becomes more understanding.

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Voice-over

The first use of the expression “Paralympics” was from the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Having Tomoka Igari, a disabled entertainer, and Kaneko Yamamoto, a researcher from Sophia, come on stage at Tokyo International Film Festival and talk about their impressions of the film before its screening added depth to the event.

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