Olympics Movie Reviews

At age 15 Grinkov was paired with fellow Russian skater, 11-year old Ekaterina Gordeeva. Though the two were different ages and heights (he was about 2 heads taller than she), they became the greatest pairs team in the history of the sport. In 1986, their first year in senior competition, they won the World Championships. Two years later, at ages 16 and 21, they became Olympic gold medalists in Calgary. The world was introduced to, and fell in love with, Gordeeva and Grinkov - G&G.

Two years later the duo turned pro, got married, and won the hearts of fans the world over. Through Stars on Ice, they reached American audiences with their graceful and emotional routines, always consummately performed with style. When they returned to Olympic competition in 1994, there was no doubt that they would win gold again -- and they did. Within two years, however, Sergei was dead, and skating would never be the same.

Told through the eyes of Grinkov's partner and widow, Katia Gordeeva, this documentary is a joyous and touching film, as it reveals the life and loss of one of skating's greatest athletes.

Whenever I feel down, I throw this movie in the VCR and 1-1/2 hours later I feel much better. It's great therapy. Try it.

Prefontaine:

Acting
I thought the acting in this movie could have been much better. The principle actors were decent, but it was a long drop off to the secondaries as far as acting talent. I felt Leto was more brash, cocky and arrogant. In comparison to Crudup, it made me feel Pre was this way on many occasions more out of fear or a need to be arrogant, as opposed to true belief in himself. More like a prima donna.

Facts
Given that these are movies and not documentaries, I really don't care about the small ones such as how close a race was, etc. But would like to get the truth on the the bigger issues such as personal relationships, how he hurt his foot (there either were witnesses, or there were not), and how directly he was involved in the fight against the AAU. I liked the added details in Munich and his life after Munich, showing his continued successes. These details were great from an informational perspective, but it certainly made the direction seem choppy. Without input from Pre himself, so many aspects of his friendship and love life are skewed by the perspective of the person that is recounting it, and can be questioned in both movies. To observe it is to change it, as they say. I would certainly say if you asked for the story of my uneventful life from 2 different ex-girlfriends, you would probably get 2 completely different stories.

Racing
This movie seemed a little shallow in this area. It seemed like all it did to teach the audience about strategy and Pre's abilities was to say, "You are too slow to sprint, so you have to push the pace faster to make the kickers tired". Maybe that is as much detail as the common viewer wants, but I would have liked to have seen more. I thought the race sequences in both films were good.

The interviews mixed with tradional story telling might have worked better if the casting had been better. Production quality was not as good as WL.

Without Limits -

Acting
By FAR the superior movie. Crudup and Sutherland's relationship just felt so much more real. And a million times more mature. You have to question authenticity of course, but their philosophical conflicts truly drive this movie and make the overall product much more mature.

Facts
This is not meant to be a documentary, and I can understand having to summarize 3-4 events into 1 event to make an accurate point - whether you are talking about Pre's love life or his races - for the sake of drama or time. I still would have liked to seen at least a few minutes talking about Pre's races after Munich instead of leaving the new viewer to thinking that he only ran 1 meet after Munich, and he died later that night. To me this was a weakness in the film. It left a lot of places where you have to fill in the blanks - such as Bowerman's appointment as Olympic coach, the Pre graduated and was no longer a student, etc. Now that I've seen both films and have a stronger grip on the true facts, skipping these details aren't as big of a deal as they are merely background to what is happening to Pre - as long as you are already aware of them.

Racing
In addition to focusing on Pre's relationships, it spent more time on race strategy, introducing other athletes than just Viren, and seemed to engage the sport at a deeper level. As a former competitor, this interested me quite a bit. Prefontaince had more race sequences, but I thought the sound effects in WL were great to create the feel of the race. The tension felt of running in the pack was expertly done, and the acting of Crudup in these sequences was good. I would have liked to see a little more pain on their faces and a little less closed-mouth running. WL did a better job at showing exactly how fast a 63 second quarter is.

This movie went out of its way to focus on Pre, Mary, and Bowerman's relationships. This just felt more authentic and mature. I think it is a shame they had to sum up so many of Pre's races - before and after the Olympics - but this was a conscious decision made to embrace Pre's story by showing fewer of his races - which can be felt as redundant in this medium, and humanizing him more. Prefontaine did a great job showing Pre's drive and heart, but I thought WL was more rewarding by showing his struggles with himself and those close to him - which surely must have existed.

While both movies showed some sides of Pre that aren't always listed as 'good' characteristics, only in WL did it truly feel like reality. The dialogue in Prefontaine certainly felt more like a Disney movie and combined with delivery, it was all a little contrived.

Once again, I felt that Without Limits was more the thinking-man's version of the movie, while Prefontaine did an excellent job with the facts of Pre's racing career and had an emotionally high value throughout the movie. Both raw emotion and embracing a new philosophy can inspire someone, and they both succeed at this. I would probably choose Prefontaine to show to people that do not know Pre's story, but for my own viewing, I would probably watch Without Limits repeatedly to get to the heart of the human story and struggles with philosophy, passion, and desire.

"Do You Believe in Miracles?" follows the team from the tryouts in 1979 through the exhibitions they played, including the one against the Russians in Madison Square Garden, and finally, the triumph over the Russians and the Finns to win the gold medal. It includes interviews with head coach Herb Brooks and several players, including team captain Mike Eruzione, goalie Jim Craig, and defenseman Mike Ramsey.

But the documentary also does an excellent job chronicling the feeling of America before and after the U.S. won the gold, including the low feelings after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan and during the Iranian hostage crisis. One of the most fascinating interviews in the whole thing is with Barry Rosen, one of the hostages, who didn't find out about the Olympics until returning home months later.

Of course the highlight of "Do You Believe in Miracles?" is the victory over the Soviets. The documentary uses footage from the network telecast for the highlights, including the calls from Al Michaels (who is also interviewed here). If you don't tear up when Eruzione scores or when Michaels shouts "Do You Believe in Miracles?", something's wrong. The players reactions afterwards, even though this was done twenty years after the fact, are still very touching to watch.

Overall, I think this is one of those sports documentaries that transcends time. Years from now, people will still watch this documentary and still cry when they hear Al Michaels utter "Do You Believe in Miracles?".

Review: A film grossly undervalued. But understandably so. The characters within find meaning in existing; they are 'bound'-honor bound, duty bound, spirit bound, or tradition bound-but, in any case, bound. In our modern time, with its ennui and absurdity, this film is difficult to approach and appreciate. We are growing more and more comfortable among stagnation, decomposition, rot. Any thing, any life, with order, form, direction, faith, and beauty, is alien to us.
PS: This medium insults the art-try to obtain something in wide screen format.

What Critics Said Then:
'The whole contradictory bundle is unexpectedly watchable.' Jo Imeson, MFB
'A piece of technological lyricism held together by the glue of simple-minded heroic sentiment.' Pauline Kael
'A hymn to the human spirit as if scored by Barry Manilow.' Richard Carliss, Film Comment

Importance: Chariots of Fire is heroic/bold/romantic/strong-and other such things lower in our present value system. It is judged outdated, irrelevant. I believe it will hold an important place to those of us who are judged 'outdated' and 'irrelevant,' because we believe in something.

Further Viewing: Other heroic classics, I believe, are Casablanca, Gone with the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, On the Waterfront, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Raider's of the Lost Ark, The Prince's Bride, and Rocky.

Credits:
Writer: Colin Welland. Director: Hugh Hudson. Photography: David Watkin. Music: Vangelis. Actors: Ben Cross, Ian Charleston, Nigel Havers, Nicholas Farrell, Daniel Gerroll, Cheryl Campbell, Alice Krige, John Guilgud, Lindsay Anderson, Nigel Davenport, Ian Holm, Patrick Magee.

Awards:
Oscars: Best Picture, Screenplay, Score. Oscar Nominations: Director, Cinematography, Supporting Actor (Ian Holm). BAFTA Winner: Best Picture, Costume Design, Ian Holm.

Dedication: to Miss Laura Kristine Cate
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The movie itself is a rare combination of brilliant cinematography (for which it won the Oscar), an incredible score and a stirring story that can appeal to all kinds of people. It makes for a unique and awe-inspiring viewing experience. You'll be on your feet cheering by the end of the movie.

The only criticism is the criminal way in which the DVD was released. It is not in widescreen. The "extras" are the trailer, production notes and scene selection. The film itself hadn't been cleaned up for DVD release either. Like virtually all of the other reviewers said, this makes watching the DVD painful and enchanting simultaneously. You love the art, but the DVD is almost so bad that it lessens the greatness of this masterpiece.

Thanks, Kane!

Business Development

What a waste! I'll try the figure skating tape (which is what I'm interested in). But on VHS? Give me a break!