Running Movies

The Games is definitely a classic. "Here take these baby." And "you can take your mother and go straight to hell" are great lines. Anyone know where I can get a copy?

ONeill wrote:

The Games is definitely a classic. "Here take these baby." And "you can take your mother and go straight to hell" are great lines. Anyone know where I can get a copy?

My favorite line, uttered by the old Eastern European running legend who was being ordered to return to competition in order to bring glory back to the Communist state: "My mind rebels. My body rebels."

And of course, I loved it when the skinny British milkman turned out to be a great runner, and women started thinking he was really sexy. That's EXACTLY what I experienced in my own running career.

"On the Edge" has two versions. One is a sexier version with Pam Grier, the other a PG13 version w/o her character even mentioned. Another good choice is "Lady Warriors" about the Hopi h.s girls xc team.

"On the Edge" actually has two versions. One has Pam Grier in a much sexier verison, the other has her character edited out. "Lady Warriors" is a doucmentary about a Hopi girls xc team is a good choice.

Lasse Viren.......Running is your Life. Not really a movie, but a documentary with tons of rare video footage like the Moscow Olympics, road races in the 70's in S.. America, Europe, etc that you would never probably see anywhere else. A classic! Man, that dude could "glide'!

fdfggdfg wrote:

Does anyone know where I could buy Lasse Viren: Running is your life?

fdfggdfg, e-mail me if you are interested in a copy of Lasse Viren

"Goldengirl" now thats a great early eighties movie. If I remember correctly there was also a good Buck Rodgers episode where Buck and Wilma compete in a futuristic track meet. Now that was some good tv, none of that reality crap back them.

"The Jericho Mile" I remember seeing a TV movie about 20 years ago starring a incarcerated runner trying to break 4. Peter Strauss played a bad-ass mutha named "likity-split." Strauss looked the part, sinewy and defined and trained in hi-top Cons around the jailyard. Anybody else remember this flick?

"Goldengirl" starred Susan Anton, I believe. I never saw it, although I do remember Anton's photo on the cover of Runner's World. It was one of RW's earliest cheesecake photo covers.

I never managed to sit through a full episode of "Buck Rodgers," but I do remember that Wilma was hot.

I mentioned "The Jericho Mile" earlier. A lot of runners seem to like that one.

oldguy wrote:

Excellent site.

The Ryan O'Neal movie was "The Games."

Another one: "The Lonely Runner."

I've been looking for "The Games" for years. It comes to TV once in a while, and I usually catch the last half-hour of it. Would like a copy of a tape if anyone has it. Willing to pay $$$$$$$.

oldguy wrote:

It's reaching, but "Marathon Man" has some clips of Abebe Bekila (sp.?). Best scene, though, is Hoffman in the dentist's chair, and Olivier as the sadistic dentist. ("Is it safe?")

I like the scene where they're chasing Dustin Hoffman (barefoot)on the FDR Drive ramps under the Brooklyn Bridge. In the book, that scene is set on the West Side Highway, but by the time they made the movie, the highway had collapsed, so they had to move to the east side.

Apparently, Dustin Hoffman is a big method actor. For the part, he stayed awake several nights consecutively, ran lots of miles, and starved himself. Laurence Olivier saw what he was doing and said, "Why don't you just try acting instead?"

I watched my tape of the Jehrico mile last week. Great movie.

Personal best has some great slo-mo scenes of training on sand dunes, but I agree, "Without Limits" (with Billy Crudup and Donald Sutherland) is by far the best running-related movie I've seen.

Also, I have to mention "Silent Running" with Bruce Dern because of the title. Not much running in this movie, but coincidentally Bruce Dern was a real track runner (i.e. fast). I think he managed to get a running scene into almost every movie he ever made.

Actually, I was thinking of "The Loneliest Runner."

Do you mean "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner"?

That's a movie worth watching.

BL wrote:

Do you mean "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner"?

No. "The Loneliest Runner" was an American made-for-TV movie about a high school runner who was a bed-wetter. "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner" was a feature film, based on the short story by Alan Sillitoe about a lower-class British kid at a boy's reform school who enjoyed the escape that running provided to him. (That's a lame summary, I know.)

You went from being a British milkman to a US lawyer..not bad

Bruce Dern didn't do much running in The Cowboys. A John Wayne Classic from about 1970. The horse that dragged him to death ran pretty quick though.

"On the Edge" with Bruce Dern. It starts a bit slow, but the last 15-20 minutes of running are great!

If you love to run, really run, then you appreciate the joy of running. Nothing gets you closer to that true spirit than trail running, especially over beautiful terrain like that shown here. As I understand it, Bruce Dern is truly a devoted runner himself -- and he was chosen because no actor -- no matter how good otherwise -- who didn't really like to run, would be right. This film celebrates the Dipsea Race in Marin County, or the Double Dipsea -- a real event for some 40-50 years. It's not called that directly in the film, but otherwise the other things, the location, the handicapping by age, etc., is based on the Dipsea.. So, yes, it's a bit sappy, story-wise, but the sheer fun and adventure of the sport come through -- as opposed to the mad, adrenaline-driven competitiveness of track running (which has its place, too, God love it). The gloriousness of the scenery after running uphill for three or four miles

fatslowoldguy wrote:

You went from being a British milkman to a US lawyer..not bad

Well, I figured that, if a skinny British milkman can get a lot of hot babes, just think what a hunky American lawyer can do!!