Why do I have a terrible feeling about this?
Its gonna do for running what Invictus did for Rugby... (implying that Incivtus is good)
what were the head to head numbers/record?
4-3 in Coe's favour
1972 Eglish Schools x/c Championships
1. Kirk Dumpleton
2. Ovett
10. Coe
Men's 800m Final European Championships 1978
1. Olaf BEYER (GDR) 1.43.84
2. Steve OVETT (GBR) 1.44.09
3. Sebastian COE (GBR) 1.44.76
4. Anatoli RESCHETNJAK (URS) 1.45.79
5. Vladimir PODOJAKOW (URS) 1.46.20
6. Andreas BUSSE (GDR) 1.47.10
Men's 800m. Final. Olympic Games 1980
1. Steve OVETT (GBR) 1:45.40
2. Sebastian COE (GBR) 1:45.85
3. Nikolai KIROV (BLR) 1:45.94
4. Agberto GUIMARAES (BRA) 1:46.20
5. Andreas BUSSE (GDR) 1:46.81
6. Detlef WAGENKNECHT (GDR) 1:46.91
7. Jose MARAJO (FRA) 1:47.26
8. David WARREN (GBR) 1:49.25
Men's 1500m. Final. Olympic Games 1980
1. Sebastian COE (GBR) 3:38.40
2. Jurgen STRAUB (GDR) 3:38.80
3. Steve OVETT (GBR) 3:38.99
4. Andreas BUSSE (GDR) 3:40.17
5. Vittorio FONTANELLA (ITA) 3:40.37
6. Josef PLACHY (CZE) 3:40.66
7. Jose MARAJO (FRA) 3:41.48
8. Steve CRAM (GBR) 3:41.98
Men's 800m. Final. Olympic Games 1984
1. Joaquim CRUZ (BRA) 1:43:00
2. Sebastian COE (GBR) 1:43:64
3. Earl JONES (USA) 1:43:83
4. Billy KONCHELLAH (KEN) 1:44:03
5. Doanta SABIA (ITA) 1:44:53
6. Edwin KOECH (KEN) 1:44:86
7. Johnny GRAY (USA) 1:47:89
8. Steve OVETT (GBR) 1:52:28
Men's 1500m. Final. Olympic Games 1984
1. Sebastian COE (GBR) 3:32:53
2. Steve CRAM (GBR) 3:33:40
3. Jose ABASCAL (SPA) 3:34:30
4. Joseph CHESHIRE (KEN) 3:34:52
5. Jim SPIVEY (USA) 3:36:07
6. Peter WIRZ (SWI) 3:36:97
7. Andres VERA (SPA) 3:37:02
8. Omer KHALIFA (SUD) 3:37:11
Ovett DNF
1989 1500m AAA Championships
1. Sebastian Coe 3:41.38
2. Tony Morrell 3:41.93
3. Neil Horsfield 3:42.14
9. Ovett
Skuj wrote:
Why do I have a terrible feeling about this?
I'm with you on this one, brotha. Remember "First Four Minute"? Wow...!!! I thought Phoebe (from "friends") was running in the race at first.
Going to Vancouver at all to catch a glimps of the Big "O"?
Good job Bernstein!
"Los Angeles-based British writer William Davies, who worked on hits such as Johnny English, Twins and Flushed Away, will write the screenplay."
maybe the actors will be good? wrote:
"Los Angeles-based British writer William Davies, who worked on hits such as Johnny English, Twins and Flushed Away, will write the screenplay."
Yes, thats my concern too. It will probably go down the same line as Chariots of Fire and dwell on the differences between the two, rather than the great similarities between them.
If you do enough digging and researching on them, then you'll realise that their images portrayed at the time are really misguided.
Ovett, the "working class tough" actually went to Grammar School (close to a public school) and was an Art student at College, whereas the "Toff" Coe failed his 11 plus exams and went to a working class secondary modern school. Coe's father was from a very poor background in East London. One of my work colleagues actually went to the same school (Tapton in Sheffield) as Coe, and he was her prefect. She says that he actually used to manage to persuade some of his teachers to let him finish lessons early so that he could train during his lunch hour; having to make up any work missed after school.
I hope the film's script doesn't perpetuate the largely false images of them portrayed in the British press at the time.
Skuj wrote:
Why do I have a terrible feeling about this?
Did you even read the book?
From what i read it was going to be based off of the book, Perfect Distance. Which was excellent.
If it's based on Pat Butcher's book «The perfect ditance- Ovett & Coe : the record-breaking rivalry», then it's going to be really good.
Butcher's such a talented writer...
deanouk wrote:
maybe the actors will be good? wrote:"Los Angeles-based British writer William Davies, who worked on hits such as Johnny English, Twins and Flushed Away, will write the screenplay."
Yes, thats my concern too. It will probably go down the same line as Chariots of Fire and dwell on the differences between the two, rather than the great similarities between them.
If you do enough digging and researching on them, then you'll realise that their images portrayed at the time are really misguided.
Ovett, the "working class tough" actually went to Grammar School (close to a public school) and was an Art student at College, whereas the "Toff" Coe failed his 11 plus exams and went to a working class secondary modern school. Coe's father was from a very poor background in East London. One of my work colleagues actually went to the same school (Tapton in Sheffield) as Coe, and he was her prefect. She says that he actually used to manage to persuade some of his teachers to let him finish lessons early so that he could train during his lunch hour; having to make up any work missed after school.
I hope the film's script doesn't perpetuate the largely false images of them portrayed in the British press at the time.
Precisely!
meguro, yes, I read the book - it's great. But a film "based on" a good book does not = a good film. In movieland especially, there will be a great tendency towards what "sells", and goodie-two-shoes-Coe vs balding-press hatin-Ovett sold. Even I, a rabid teenage fan, bought it all, hook line and sinker, until I read the Ovett's bio. (Coe's bio pandered to the press.)
Nobby.....WOW. So great to hear from you, and really, I do mean that. Hate to say it, but Winter Olympics do nothing for me.
I am sure that if I was British I would feel differently, but as an American, I was bored out of my mind by the whole rivalry. I felt like their unwillingness to race each other was the start of the downfall of track and field popularity. This behavior was obviously continued with Carl Lewis and several others along the way.
Skuj wrote:
meguro, yes, I read the book - it's great. But a film "based on" a good book does not = a good film. In movieland especially, there will be a great tendency towards what "sells", and goodie-two-shoes-Coe vs balding-press hatin-Ovett sold. Even I, a rabid teenage fan, bought it all, hook line and sinker, until I read the Ovett's bio. (Coe's bio pandered to the press.)
You believe what you want to believe. How is Ovett's bio any more accurate -- and less biased -- than Coe's? Both make the case for "their" guy.
How silly is it that we read posters here whining about the lack of respect and publicity our sport gets. Then when the prospects for a major motion picture about two of our great athletes surfaces, these same posters whine about what MIGHT happen. Lets give it a chance, eh?
Skuj wrote:
meguro, yes, I read the book - it's great. But a film "based on" a good book does not = a good film. In movieland especially, there will be a great tendency towards what "sells", and goodie-two-shoes-Coe vs balding-press hatin-Ovett sold. Even I, a rabid teenage fan, bought it all, hook line and sinker, until I read the Ovett's bio. (Coe's bio pandered to the press.)
I disagree. I've read Ovett's bio and all 3 of Coe's, as well as Butcher's book, and there is a discernible change in Coe's attitude towards the press and Ovett, as one would expect with maturity.
Coe actually praises Ovett a lot in his 3rd book and makes the point that they had a lot in common. They are now very good friends and both quite modest about what they've achieved, when you see them on tv interviews or in the papers; Ovett especially.
I think Coe was made fully aware of what the press were capable of after his treatment by them in 83/84. He makes it very clear in the 3rd book that both Ovett and himself were nothing like what the press made them out to be. That is echoed in Butcher's book.
It comes out in Butcher's book that Ovett was far from the overtly confident runner his waving antics suggested. It also shows that he could be very kind but also quite moody. His relationship with his training partner, Matt Paterson, is very interesting.
Coe, who was meant to be disliked by his peers, is spoken well of by Walker, Scott, Wessinghage, etc. He is shown that despite being very focussed and sometimes solitary for the sake of his athletics, that he often mixed with club colleagues at Haringey AC. As with all humans, their personalities weren't all black or white.
The question is whether the film will go with the real truth or what the press proposed was the truth at the time.
Ovett had a 3-2 advantage prior to the 1984 Olympics, and I wonder what would have happened were it not for his allergies at the games. And it is a shame that Coe's career faltered right at its height, because of the toxic plasmosis. And then not sure what happened after the 84 games but he didn't perform well after them. The rivalry with Cram would have been epic in 1983 and on.
ridiculous that they didn't race once between the 1980 and 1984 Olympics. Coe's father in the BBC doc about them that's on youtube says that the 1980 Olympics results damaged their confidence because each lost at the distance at which he was supposed to be unbeatable.
Any idea why young British (and American) runners don't just adopt the exact playbooks of the great 70s/80s Brits? They clearly knew what to do in producing Coe, Ovett, Cram (world 1500 champ, 1:42 high 800m, 3:46.32 mile), Elliott (a 3:49 miler), Moorecroft (13 flat 5k), Crabb (3:33 1500?), et al.
Maguro or Meguro? :) (4:30am PST again.....sigh.....)
Most movies are dumbed down to the lowest common denominator. We'll see.....
jjjjjjjjjjjj wrote:
Ovett had a 3-2 advantage prior to the 1984 Olympics, and I wonder what would have happened were it not for his allergies at the games. And it is a shame that Coe's career faltered right at its height, because of the toxic plasmosis. And then not sure what happened after the 84 games but he didn't perform well after them. The rivalry with Cram would have been epic in 1983 and on.
ridiculous that they didn't race once between the 1980 and 1984 Olympics. Coe's father in the BBC doc about them that's on youtube says that the 1980 Olympics results damaged their confidence because each lost at the distance at which he was supposed to be unbeatable.
Any idea why young British (and American) runners don't just adopt the exact playbooks of the great 70s/80s Brits? They clearly knew what to do in producing Coe, Ovett, Cram (world 1500 champ, 1:42 high 800m, 3:46.32 mile), Elliott (a 3:49 miler), Moorecroft (13 flat 5k), Crabb (3:33 1500?), et al.
how long have you got?
I agree totally. These were two very talented athletes and exciting to watch but how in God's earth did they only manage to race each other on that small island only 7 times in their career (and not at least that many times in one season) is pathetic. Each one was too concerned about their carefully orchestrated string of victories. I enjoyed instead when milers races weekly against each other and put it out there, not worried about their precious image.
Class of 75 wrote:
I am sure that if I was British I would feel differently, but as an American, I was bored out of my mind by the whole rivalry. I felt like their unwillingness to race each other was the start of the downfall of track and field popularity. This behavior was obviously continued with Carl Lewis and several others along the way.