Salute
Dir: Matt Norman
2008
****
Quite a remarkable story about the simplest of gestures that had such a huge impact. The ramifications are quite startling but the heartwarming tale of the 'other' guy, the White guy who didn't salute but gave his full support to the cause is fascinating. This film was made by Peter Norman's family, so it's no surprise that it is mainly about his angle but the facts are explored fully and Tommie Smith & John Carlos have nothing but the nicest things to say about him also. I've seen the image but I never knew the story, the full story and what happened after. It's amazing to see that only just over 10 years ago at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, Peter Norman was still banned from attending, even though one of the main themes in the opening ceremony was an apology and recognition of the native Aboriginals. Says a lot for the so called 'Spirit of the Olympics' but says more so for the simple and symbolic (and more importantly non-aggressive) things we can do to take a stand. A remarkable documentary.