I think one can't and shouldn't make movies about running. The drama of training and racing is it's own theater. One can make movies about plot, character, and action in a running setting but if one tries to make a movie to show the viewer how it feels to race, and how it feels to watch a race it will always fail when compared to the real thing. Tom Derderian ----- Original Message ----- From: "Edward Koch" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, December 20, 2001 4:08 AM Subject: Re: t-and-f: Track Movies (was Bruce Dern)
> We had another thread about track/running movies some time back and I went > to my latest edition of Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide to check the star > ratings of the movie's mentioned. Here is what I came up with: > > 4 stars: Lonliness of the Long Distance Runner > Olympia ( re1936 Olympics) > > 3.5 Stars: Chariots of Fire > Gallipoli > Personal Best > Million Dollar Legs (W.C.Fields, not Betty Grable) > > 3 Stars: Blackbeard's Ghost > Bob Mathias Story > Walk, Don't Run (Cary Grant) > Without Limits > World's Greatest Athlete > Yank at Oxford > > 2.5 Stars: Billie (Patty Duke as HS runner) > Jim Thorpe - All American > Running Brave (re Billy Mills) > > 2 Stars: Goldengirl > On the Edge (Bruce Dern) > Prefontaine > Revenge of the Nerds (the Javelin Scene) > Visions of Eight (re 1972 Olympics) > > 1.5 Stars: The Games (screenplay by Eric Segal) > Meatballs (the race scene) > Running (Michael Douglas) > > Maltin does not give stars to television movies. Instead, he rates them as > Above Average, Average, or Below Average. He rates The Jesse Owens Story as > Above Average. > > If anyone has other films, I'll be glad to look their ratings up. > > I found it interesting that a critic with no track-orientation (to my > knowledge) came within a half star of how I would rate most of the above > that I have seen. I would, however, lower Personal Best a star, and raise > Visions of Eight a star. I would put Chariots of Fire at the top of the > list. As for Best Comedy, I'd choose between Million Dollar Legs, Walk, > Don't Run, and Blackbeard's Ghost. the latter is a typical Disney comedy but > I have a soft spot in my heart for any film in which the track coach wins > the girl over a football coach. > > Ed Koch > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Monday, December 17, 2001 9:25 AM > Subject: t-and-f: Bruce Dern (was Famous people in T&F) > > > > > >In a message dated 12/16/01 8:35:24 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > > > >>Bruce Dern went to college at Penn and may have competed on the track team > >>but it was before my time. > > > >He did in fact compete and was a good half miler, but quit the team his jr. > >year in a dispute w/ the coach (Ken Doherty? - I think the time frame is > >pre-Tupp, but it's before my time as well) over having to trim his > sideburns. > > > >Incidentally, I recall reading in an interview that his film contracts > >stipulated that he had to have at least one scene in which he was running > >(and I think that's true). IMHO, his movie based on the Dipsea (I think > it's > >titled "Running Free") is one of the Top 10 running flicks ever, partly b/c > >Dern looks so believable as a runner. If you watch it and don't want to go > >out for a hard 10 mile trail run, you need to check your pulse. > > > >Jim Gerweck > >Running Times >
