Is it worth two hours or whatever of my life?
Is it worth two hours or whatever of my life?
no, sadly.
clarify:
yes, I have seen it.
no, sadly it is not really worth the time, "Across the Tracks" is a similarly themed movie with better acting and more running.
I've seen it. OK at best.
It's based on a longish short story by the British writer Alan Sillitoe, one of the "angry young men." Americans sometimes don't get such stories because we have this fantasy that we live in a class-less society. The British have no such illusions. The plot is basic: a working class boy finds freedom in his chance to run--he's stuck in a quasi-penal educational institution--but then strikes out against authority by refusing to win a race he easily could win. (He stands by the finish line and lets others pass him while looking at the headmaster.) While it is true that other films have more running footage and are more serious about the science of running, the film (like the story) are very good in the context of their production, and good enough in their own right. If you were a juvenile deliquent, like I was, both speak to your experience.
The book is worth the time, but not the movie, IMHO.
I bought the movie a while back. Bad decision. Not very good. Don't waste your time.
I didnt really like that story because it seems advertised(the title) to be about running and its basically not about running in any way. Its like the one guy said its a book about social struggle/classes that happens to have a little bit of running in it.
gattaca wrote:
Is it worth two hours or whatever of my life?
No, but the book is worth 5 hrs.
I generally agree with what Mass Man wrote.
The movie does a great job of showing the joy and the escape that Smith gets from his running. How it’s the only honest thing, and how it helps him learn how to be truly honest with himself and with the reform school governor. The running footage that is there (not all that much) is excellent. I thought the movie being in black & white helped intensify the cold mornings as Smith headed out the gate alone, and also added drama to Smith’s eventually taking the lead in the final race.
My having read the book first, and being favorably inclined towards the story, definitely influenced my experience of the film.
Whether you think it’s a great “running movie” depends on your expectations. It’s really about the vacuity and the falseness of the standards that Smith feels he’s expected to aspire to. To me it’s not a running movie at all. But it’s a great movie, period.
Read the book, it is a very good read. Running is a just a metaphor for class struggle and rebelling against society, it is a great literary work. If you are looking to be "inspired" then you might want to try something else.
Read the book; one of the great short stories written. It reminds me a lot of The Catcher in the Rye. Disclaimer: some of you dorks might not like it as it isn't 100% about running.
Doesn't Iron Maiden have a song titled "The loneliness of the long distance runner?"
Yes they do. Probably influenced by the British class struggle theme of the book. They have a lot of songs based on literary works (Brave New World, etc).