Without Limits

Although I agree they could have done a better job with Pres biopic, the logic you use to condemn it would condemn almost every single biographical movie ever made. If the movies stuck completely to the facts they would be documentaries. If thats what you want, then watch fire on the track and quit bitching.

Actually, buddy, uhhhh, I was there "filming". It certainly did happen.

Actually a lot of that film was very accurate. It was filmed in Oregon at Eugene and the screen play was written by Kenny Moore. Bowerman, Tyson, Mary Marckx, and many of his teammates submitted their experiences with Pre for the movie. Also, Crudup did a great job and really looked a lot like Pre.

It obviously went Hollywood some, but I think it had some solid roots.

Wannabe Shoe Guy wrote:

So I made the mistake of tuning into "Without Limits" on WGN last night and was rudely reminded of what a piece of crap that movie is. That whole business of Pre injuring his foot while dropping the hammmer on a nimble gymnast was simply ridiculous.

Memo to screenwriters: If a person's life isn't interesting enough for film based on its own merits, stay away from the biographical genre.

a few things are added for the sake of entertainment, but I think overall it was pretty true to Pre/Bowerman/etc. I mean, c'mon, it was co-written by Kenny Moore, who was Pre's teammate at the time...also some of Pre's closest friends were shown it and they were said to have approved, including Bowerman himself(pp.409-414 of Bowerman and the Men of Oregon...I only know this because I read it last night)

whoops, didn't see the previous guy's post. and yeah, I left out the part about his acquaintances submitting experiences.

also, am I the only one who JUST noticed that frank shorter plays fred long in this movie?

oh yeah, and does anyone know what kind of training Crudup was doing for this movie? he looks pretty fit, I wonder how fast he was actually running in most of those scenes--impressive for as comfortable as he looks at least...

Got money, I got a tape wrote:

Actually, buddy, uhhhh, I was there "filming". It certainly did happen.

I suppose I should go back and re-read Kenny Moore's book. Perhaps I've forgotten, but I always thought the foot injury depicted in "Without Limits" actually occurred when Pre stepped on a sprinkler head or something.

Judging by the other opinions on this thread, I guess my assessment of the film was to harsh. Heck, now I can't believe it didn't make the AFI's Top 100.

I read somewhere that Crudup was actually in pretty solid shape, albeit not as a distance runner. Supposedly he was running at actual race pace in the racing scenes, which isn't that unbelievable given that no shot would ever call for more than 200 meters of running. it think i remember reading that he broke 60 secs in a time 400. not that impressive, but still...

dt

dtbrooklyn wrote:

I read somewhere that Crudup was actually in pretty solid shape, albeit not as a distance runner. Supposedly he was running at actual race pace in the racing scenes, which isn't that unbelievable given that no shot would ever call for more than 200 meters of running. it think i remember reading that he broke 60 secs in a time 400. not that impressive, but still...

dt

yeah, I assumed he was probably running close to if not at race pace, but what surprised me was that he looked comfortable doing it...

shadow puppet wrote:

oh yeah, and does anyone know what kind of training Crudup was doing for this movie? he looks pretty fit, I wonder how fast he was actually running in most of those scenes--impressive for as comfortable as he looks at least...

I worked as an extra during the filming of a few of the Hayward scenes. I timed him during the OT 5000 scene. I clocked him going 32.something for 200 meters. This was after he broke from the field and didn't have the help of the experienced runners to pace him along. I was impressed.

These are the runners I recognized during that Munich scene:

Pat Porter, Steve Ave, Brad Hudson, Tom Ansberry,

plus I think I saw Jeff Atkinson sitting in the bar?

Anybody else notable?

sergio wrote:

These are the runners I recognized during that Munich scene:

Pat Porter, Steve Ave, Brad Hudson, Tom Ansberry,

plus I think I saw Jeff Atkinson sitting in the bar?

Anybody else notable?

Check here:

Damn, I see Jimmy the Ho in the credits. Didn't notice that before.

I once asked Shorter (who appears as a commentator in Without Limits) about the film and he said that it's for the most part completely accurate.

[quote]Wannabe Shoe Guy wrote:

[quote]Got money, I got a tape wrote:

I suppose I should go back and re-read Kenny Moore's book. Perhaps I've forgotten, but I always thought the foot injury depicted in "Without Limits" actually occurred when Pre stepped on a sprinkler head or something.

an exposed bolt on the diving board at the hotel swimming pool.

sergio wrote:

These are the runners I recognized during that Munich scene:

Pat Porter, Steve Ave, Brad Hudson, Tom Ansberry,

plus I think I saw Jeff Atkinson sitting in the bar?

Anybody else notable?

Atkinson was hired as a technical adviser, which means he was hired to coach the running scenes to make them look realistic. In addition to being Crudup's stand in, I believe he was either Steve Bence or Wade Bell in other scenes.

Brad Hudson was cast as Alvarez. Jimmy the Ho was Kvalheim.

I always thought that Jared Leto in "Prefontaine" could have beaten Billy Crudup in "Without limits" in, let's say, a two-mile.

my high school kids are always quick to point out that the girl with whom he's having relations is the pink power ranger