A Step Away
Encyclopedia
A Step Away is an Official Olympic Film, a documentary filmed during the VIIIth Pan American Games
held in San Juan
, Puerto Rico
, from July 1 to July 15, 1979. It was produced and directed by Roberto Ponce and co-directed by Marcos Zurinaga
. The English language narrator was Orson Welles
and de Spanish language narrator was Carlos Montalban. The film was remastered in 2010, and for the first time, is now available in a Collector's Limited Edition, at www.astepaway.tv.
; legendary Cuban
track and field
athlete Alberto Juantorena
; Mexican diver
Carlos Girón
; American diver, Greg Louganis; and the Puerto Rico national basketball team
, among others. At the end of the movie, these athletes expressed their hopes of being "a step away" from the 1980 Olympics Games; however, these hopes were shattered by the political crisis and the eventual USA-led boycott
to the Olympic Games
held in Moscow
in 1980.
Pan American Games
The Pan-American or Pan American Games are a major event in the Americas featuring summer and formerly winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Pan American Games are the second largest multi-sport event after the Summer Olympics...
held in San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, from July 1 to July 15, 1979. It was produced and directed by Roberto Ponce and co-directed by Marcos Zurinaga
Marcos Zurinaga
Marcos Zurinaga is a cinematographer born and raised in Puerto Rico. Among the several movies that he has directed is "La Gran Fiesta", a movie about the last grand party at the old "Casino de Puerto Rico" building in Old San Juan before it was turned over to military use as the United States was...
. The English language narrator was Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
and de Spanish language narrator was Carlos Montalban. The film was remastered in 2010, and for the first time, is now available in a Collector's Limited Edition, at www.astepaway.tv.
Plot and Summary
Documentary focus on the performance of various elite athletes during the PanAmerican Games held in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Athletes showcased in the documentary include USA team swimmer of Puerto Rican origin Jesse VassalloJesse Vassallo
Jesse Vassallo , is a Puerto Rican Olympic and World Record holding swimmer. He swam in international competitions for the United States and qualified for two-Olympic teams: 1980 and 1984. In 1997, he became the first Puerto Rican to be inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame...
; legendary Cuban
Cubans
Cubans or Cuban people are the inhabitants or citizens of Cuba. Cuba is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete Alberto Juantorena
Alberto Juantorena
Alberto Juantorena Danger is a Cuban former track athlete. At the 1976 Summer Olympics, he became the first and so far only athlete to win both the 400 and 800 m Olympic titles....
; Mexican diver
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
Carlos Girón
Carlos Girón
Carlos Armando Girón Gutiérrez is a Mexican diver. He competed in four consecutive Summer Olympics, winning one medal....
; American diver, Greg Louganis; and the Puerto Rico national basketball team
Puerto Rico national basketball team
The Puerto Rico men's national basketball team represents Puerto Rico in international basketball competitions such as the Olympics, the World Championship, and the Americas Championship...
, among others. At the end of the movie, these athletes expressed their hopes of being "a step away" from the 1980 Olympics Games; however, these hopes were shattered by the political crisis and the eventual USA-led boycott
American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics boycott of the Moscow Olympics was a part of a package of actions initiated by the United States to protest the Soviet war in Afghanistan...
to the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
held in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
in 1980.