Salute – A Flashback to 1968 and Some Rough Aussie Honesty

So, Salute! If you’re expecting action, explosions or a bunch of ghouls, hahaha, nah, this one’s a totally different beast. This is a 2008 documentary by Matt Norman, who, fun twist, is actually the nephew of Peter Norman. (Yeah, that Aussie guy in the famous 1968 Olympics photo, sandwiched between Tommie Smith and John Carlos throwing up those Black Power fists.)

Alright, famous faces – honestly, nobody like Tom Hanks or Brad Pitt here since it’s documentary stuff, but you do get a bunch of interviews with people who really matter to this story. The director, Matt Norman, is pretty passionate – maybe a bit messy with the timeline at times? But I dunno, his heart’s in the right place, för tusan. You feel it.

You get this sticky feeling in your hands and in your throat watching those old black-and-white Olympic reels, you know? All that sweat, the noise from that mega stadium – made me remember school sports day at the gamla IP in Helsingborg, in like 1971 or so, when my mate Lasse turned up with a home-sewn protest badge and the gym teacher pretty much had a fit. Same vibes.

But do I think Salute always works? Ärligt talat, sometimes the talking heads get a bit dry. If you don’t care about sports or politics you might tune out. But here’s the thing: it sneaks up on you, like a lördagsgodis sugar rush. Suddenly you’re thinking about guts, about standing up when it’s a bloody bad idea. I think we could use a bit more of that these days? I dunno. Sometimes you have to just stick your neck out.

Take a peek with a mate, maybe argue a bit about who had the most guts in history over a cup of kaffe. That’s how it should be watched.

watch the full movie on Mavshack Movies on YouTube

please note that there may be geographical blocking implemented.