C'mon guys, it wasn't THAT bad. The beginning was kind of weird, but you had to respect the guy at the line smoking the cigar. We need more of that in track now-a-days! The great thing is that stuff like that was normal in those days. I was talking to a guy that ran in high school in the early 50's, and he told me a story of when someone spit chew on him the last 100 meters of the 440. Apparently that was a tactic. Awesome.
bannister had crappy form. get over it. everyone back then had bad form. I mean, Zapotek (or however you spell the guys name) was described as having terrible, terrible form, and he won the 5k 10k and marathon at the olympics. Bad form was standard, i thought the actor did a standup job. the movie rocked, F you all.
I pulled out some great coverage of Bannister in the "Miracle Mile" against Landy, and the first Sub-4 race. The actor actually did an awesome job copying Bannisters form.
To all the people complaining about the movie, look in the mirror and say "Get a Life" 100 times. Then try and get a life.
take a look for yourself. i would say the actor did a pretty good job of approximating bannister's form. i think people need to realize that not all "good" runners have beautiful form.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/6/newsid_2511000/2511575.stm
Take a look at Paula Radcliffe for less-than-perfect form...yet she seems to get where she needs to go in plenty of time!
You guys must not realize that Bannister didn't have good form and these guys didn't really look much like runners back then.
ESPN Classic showed an old piece of 4 Min mile with newsreel clips and interviews before the movie.
The footage of the race was awesome. Very inspiring.
No, it wasn't a great movie, but it was enjoyable and I think captured the climactic moment in an effective and moving way. All movies have to have a "cornball" factor or they wouldn't be "movies". If you're a runner and didn't tear up or get a lump in your throat when the announcer says in "3 minutes" and then pauses, I don't think you're being honest.
Although I will admit that one of his pacers was built more like a wrestler than a miler!
It was just great to see this accomplishment get some accolades, it was too long in coming. I'ts still a mindboggling achievement that this guy was able to be the first under those very far from optimum conditions (crappy track, crappy weather, no competition, and undertrained)
It begs the question how fast Bannister could have gone if he had really dedicated himself properly. Ironically, he probably get underrated in historical terms because now his time is only good. I bet he could have gone at least 3:55 or maybe a bit better if he had kept going and hadn't retired.
The movie was fine. It won't win any Oscars, but be glad they made it, you don't know how long it might be before there is another running movie made by ESPN.
typical of so many- complain about not getting any attention from ESPN, then when they make a movie about T&F the bash it. Beggers can't be chosers. We are lucky that ESPN even recognizes T&F as a sport. Believe me, we need them more than they need us. Anything- even a fairly lame movie should be appreciated.
The guy who played Chataway definitely looked like a wrestler, running with his chest all puffed out.
NikeXC wrote:
The guy who played Chataway definitely looked like a wrestler, running with his chest all puffed out.
Yeah, that was one thing that bothered me. Sort of funny, though. But I'm not complaining. I'm glad they made it.
I don't see what's wrong with complaining about a sub-par product. I'm glad it was on, I enjoyed watching it, but all in all it was still a pretty bad movie and it wouldn't have taken much effort to really improve it. I kept a running diary if anyone's bored enough to read it...
....basically it blew chunks then?
People are pissed because the sport already looks lame enough as it is. This sport is damned.
If we don't complain about this s*** they'll just keeping making it. That is why there are three or more movies about Pre.
This movie was hilarious. The treadmill scene with the second love interest was amazingly funny and horribly directed. Bannister climbs up behind her and walks in pace with her and they felt it necessary to pan up from the legs to their crotches and hold it there for two seconds like "see, he's rubbing his crotch on her ass...see? get it?" Also, the way they just sort of tacked his parents on as if they were all of a sudden remembered as being alive at the time was funny.
I was at a bar when ESPN2 was showing it last night. I missed most of it, but it had Chariots of Fire look to it. No sound though; the actor did look like Roger Bannister.
Zatopek. He ran as if he'd been stabbed in the chest. But no, bad form was not "standard."
I didn't buy the 59/60 sec. quarters on what looked like a 200m, unbanked indoor track.
I think the actor who played Chataway was the same actor who played the fat guy who stole Pee Wee's bike in Pee Wee's Big Adventure.
16 wrote:
I think the actor who played Chataway was the same actor who played the fat guy who stole Pee Wee's bike in Pee Wee's Big Adventure.
POST OF THE DAY!!!