00:00
/
00:00
Pieces of Eight - A Quest for Gold
Television (Full Length) – 1984
This documentary follows the efforts of the New Zealand rowing eight to win gold at 1984’s Los Angeles Olympics. The eight, coached by the legendary Harry Mahon, had won the past two world champs and were expected to repeat the triumph of the 1972 Kiwi eight at Munich. Amongst training at home, the infamous six minutes of pain — the “erg test” — is featured; one of the most demanding trials in sport. The action then shifts to LA for the Olympic finals. The film offers a gripping insight into the extreme lengths the amateur athletes go to in their quest for gold.
I’m glad that race is finished ... it shows we’re all human I suppose.– A member of the eight after the Olympic final
Key Cast & Crew
See all 11 credits
Categories
More Information
More from the Black Gold Collection...
The Glow of Gold
This film comprehensively surveys Kiwi Olympic success...
Peter Snell, Athlete
This NFU classic tells Peter Snell's story, up until...
Pieces of Eight - A Quest for Gold
This documentary follows the efforts of the New...
1990 Commonwealth Games promo - Join Together
This epic Lee Tamahori-directed promo for the 1990...
Lovelock
Jack Lovelock won New Zealand’s first Olympic...
On the Run
This film showcases legendary running coach Arthur...
Games 74
This chronicle of the Christchurch Commonwealth Games...
This is Your Life - Peter Snell
In September 2000 New Zealand's greatest athlete was...
The Games Affair
Set amidst the 'friendly' 1974 Commonwealth Games,...
This is Your Life - John Walker
After days of elaborate subterfuge, host Bob Parker,...
Remember '74
In this TVNZ doco — made for the 1990 Auckland...
Pictorial Parade No. 123
"New Zealand congratulates Peter Snell, one of the...
Join Together - The New Zealand Commonwealth Games Story
This TVNZ doco chronicles New Zealand’s...
1950 British Empire Games
Now known as the Commonwealth Games, the 1950 British...
Pictorial Parade No. 24
Members of the NZ team for the 1954 Vancouver Empire...
This is Your Life - Mark Todd
Olympic champion Mark Todd is the first recipient of...
2 for Todd - A Profile of Mark Todd
In this documentary from 1991, two-time...
The Years Back - 3, The Thirties (Episode Three)
Bernard Kearns looks at New Zealand life in the 1930s...
John Walker - The 3.49.4 Man
On the eve of the 1976 Montreal Olympics, this Keith...
The Right Track
This instructional film for runners — fronted by...
Triumph of the Human Spirit
Fronted by Paul Holmes, this documentary looks at the...
Via Satellite
The first movie written and directed by playwright...
Turn of the Century
This documentary comprehensively traces the history of...
Pictorial Parade No. 124
This Pictorial Parade visits the Auckland...
Attitude Special - The Journey of the Wheel Blacks
Attitude is a weekly series looking at the...
Pictorial Parade No. 131 - Top o' the Town Race
This excerpt from a 1962 edition of the National Film...
Weekly Review No. 350 - New Zealanders for the Olympics
This National Film Unit magazine film meets the NZ...
Alex
Alex Archer is a champion teenage swimmer, determined...
The Golden Hour
This documentary tells the story of New Zealand...
Weekly Review No. 431
This edition of the NFU’s long-running...
Twelve Days Of Glory - The Forgotten Athletes
Presented by Paul Holmes, this documentary follows the...
Pictorial Parade No. 77
The race to build a new hotel at Mount Cook to replace...
Join Together - performed by Steve Allen
The 1974 Christchurch Commonwealth Games were a huge...
This is the Moment
"Make it easy to sing" — that was the...