Rick’s Picks
By Rick Anderson
By the time the next Summer Olympic Games are staged, what could become the ultimate Olympic movie might finally be in production.
The Tokyo Olympics, postponed from late this month due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has been rescheduled for next summer. Meanwhile, a film adaptation of “The Boys in the Boat” remains in limbo.
Daniel James Brown’s book chronicles a Depression-era University of Washington crew that overcame formidable obstacles to earn a rowing gold medal in front of Adolf Hitler in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. It topped the New York Times best-seller list in 2013.
Brown’s richly detailed narrative reads like a movie screenplay. There’s even a strong Grays Harbor connection. Bob Moch, the crew’s coxswain and one of the book’s leading characters, was a Montesano High School graduate (and someone I was privileged to interview some 50 years after the Berlin Olympics).
Nevertheless, a big-screen version of the book has encountered choppier waters than are found on Lake Washington in midwinter.
The movie rights were initially optioned to producer Harvey Weinstein and British actor-director Kenneth Branagh. Since Branagh has specialized in Shakespearean epics and Weinstein is currently in prison after being convicted of rape and sexual abuse charges in a case that spawned the #MeToo movement, they might not have been the ideal creative team for the project.
More recently, it was reported that actor George Clooney would direct the story. That announcement came in March — just before the movie industry went on hold due to the pandemic.
Clooney’s presumed involvement is no guarantee of success. Two historical films he directed, the football comedy “Leatherheads” and the World War II drama “The Monuments Men,” were uneven at best.
If a belated film version of “The Boys in the Boat” fails to reach its potential, it would be consistent with Hollywood tradition. For all the quality sports films that have been produced in the past 30 years, very few have focused on the Olympics.
But while Olympic movies have seldom struck gold, a handful have been worthy of silver or bronze medals. Here are three (including a controversial Academy Award winner) worth checking out to fill the Olympic void.
“Race” (2016)
The saga of Jesse Owens, the Black track star who won four gold medals in the Berlin Olympics, would seem to translate into a can’t-miss movie.
It doesn’t miss, exactly. Director Stephen Hopkins checks the appropriate action and sociological boxes and receives fine performances from Canadian actor Stephan James, as Owens, and Jeremy Irons, as a somewhat sanitized U.S. Olympic chief Avery Brundage.
Yet there’s a curious lack of emotion in much of the film. The most powerful scene, in which Owens is required to ride a service elevator at a posh American hotel to a testimonial dinner in his honor (shamefully, a true incident) comes across as something of an anti-climax.
“Miracle” (2004)
Another apparent can’t-miss story, this film details arguably the greatest upset in sports history: the American men’s hockey team’s gold medal in the 1980 Winter Olympics.
Director Gavin O’Connor made the unorthodox decision to hire largely unknown actors who could skate to portray the players and focused on their relationship with no-nonsense coach Herb Brooks (played by Kurt Russell).
This approach produced mixed results. None of the players made much of an impression. Russell, however, is truly exceptional — steadfastly refusing to make the prickly, demanding Brooks more likable.His performance and the upbeat story make the movie worth seeing — provided you aren’t secretly hoping for the Russians to win this time.
“Chariots of Fire” (1981)
British sprinters Harold Abrahams (played by Ben Cross) and Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson) overcome discrimination and religious conflicts to win gold medals in the 1924 Olympics.
This film’s Best Picture Academy Award, over such other nominees as “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Atlantic City” and “Reds,” is regarded as one of the biggest Oscar surprises of the past half-century. Many film historians now consider the award to be a mistake.
A contemporary view of this film depends largely on one’s level of expectations.
If you expect it to be more entertaining than “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” you’ll likely be disappointed. There’s too little action and too much depiction of the British class structure to fully engage American audiences.
But the filmmakers do a remarkable job of making viewers care about largely forgotten athletes played by two relatively obscure actors (both of whom are excellent).
In short, “Chariots of Fire” is a darned good movie. Almost as good as “The Boys in the Boat” (assuming it ever reaches the screen) should be.
Rick Anderson, retired sports editor of The Daily World, now is a contributing columnist. Reach him at rickwrite48@gmail.com.
