Monday, 12 October 2009

Athletics Movies

I sent an email round some of the club members asking for any films on athletics that they could think of or had seen because there doesn't seem to be too many around. I wasn't wanting folk to do a lot of research - that would defeat the object of general awareness of such films. On that ground I eliminated one guy who listed 'The World's Greatest Athlete', 'Running', 'Personal Best' and 'Across the Tracks' which are about (a) an athlete who can outrun a cheetah in full belt, a guy's struggle to make the Olympics, a group of women trying to make the Olympics and two brothers (a good one and a bad one), I was even given the date of release! If anyone has actually seen any of these let me know. Films that came up were 'The Marathon Man', 'Chariots of Fire', 'The Games', 'The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner' (like 'Marathon Man' it's not really about athletics although the sport does play a significant part in the plot), and two about Steve Prefontaine the American college student who died in a car crash (that I added in myself) - 'Prefontaine' and 'Without Limits' which was made by Walt Disney Studios. I also liked 'The Jericho Mile' about the convict who trained every chance he got and on the verge of making the Olympic team he was barred because he was a prisoner and 'Running Brave' which was about American Indian Billy Mills who won the Tokyo Olympic 10000 metres is one of my favourites: one athlete that I coached watched it ten times (ie 10 times!) in one night! This one is on TV from time to time. There are also the Olympic films - I have seen Leni Riefenstahl's one about the Berlin Olympics in 1936 and there is the excellent 'Tokyo Olympiad' with excellent shots of the marathon among others.
The one that most folk should see, is the very inspirational made for TV 'The Terry Fox Story' about the young Canadian sportsman who was very seriously injured and lost a leg in a car crash. For various reasons he he decided to run across Canada. He got almost 3,500 miles done before he died. He covered approximately 24 miles a day - what's 24 into 3500? 24 miles a day for nearly 150 days? If I'm wrong somebody will correct me. It is also often on TV somewhere late at night and is worth recording and watching. Any more that have been missed?

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