'Race': More depth than previewed . . .

Films/DVD Asylum

Movies from comedy to drama to your favorite Hollyweird Star.

After seeing the trailer a half dozen times I was pretty convinced this was going to be a dumbed down, sappy inspirational film for black youts. Well, it had more depth than that. The trailers I saw never showed Jeremy Irons, William Hurt, or Carice Van Houten. Yes, the film was about the young JC (not Jesse) and his transition into college and his relationship with the mother of his daughter and his coach (Sudeikis).

Jesse goes to college at Ohio and wows the coach in short order. But, the coach had to train him to be an athlete and "medal winner" and not just a "natural". While away on track meets Jesses (Stephan James) fell in with a more worldly woman who distracted him from his woman in Cleveland. Soon the Olympics appear on the horizon and he faces the pressure not to compete from Americans and the NAACP.

About 30% of the movie involves the conflict with actually sending athletes to Berlin in '36. Hurt leads the charge for non-attendance while Irons (Avery Brundage) pushes for attending. Irons visits Germany and meets with Goebels and other officials to see if he could convince them to tone down their racial rhetoric in order to facilitate a favorable decision. As the Olympics grew nearer, Brundage visited again and Goebels offered him a contract for building a new embassy in DC. He accepts and we learn at the end that came back to haunt him but not preclude his tenure as Olympic chairperson.

The Olympic story is compelling with the rebuffs by Hitler, the selling out of the two USA Jewish athletes, and the open friendship that developed between Owens and Germany's top athelete, "Luz".

This film covered a lot of ground and did it in a compelling way. I expected some drama then swarms of unicorns but there was a LOT more drama and less unicorns. I recommend it whether by cable, disk, or even walking in. Not a critical masterpiece but good storytelling with good performances all around.

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Topic - 'Race': More depth than previewed . . . - Billy Wonka 00:10:23 02/23/16 (8)

Who played Hitler? (nt) - Mike B. 10:54:14 02/25/16 (6)

Ralph Nader. Nt - geoffkait 03:28:41 02/27/16 (2)

RE: Nader, yeah, the guy who killed the Corvair... - user510 12:00:43 03/01/16 (1)

Pretty sure Nader was guest cadaver on CSI. Nt - geoffkait 16:39:50 03/02/16 (0)

Who else?... - musetap 21:41:54 02/26/16 (0)

Guest cameo....he was in an iron lung from Argentina. * - Billy Wonka 14:38:18 02/26/16 (0)

Hitler. He's still alive, you know... - oldmkvi 07:31:06 02/26/16 (0)

RE: 'Race': More depth than previewed . . . - Bill the K 18:39:09 02/23/16 (0)

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