It was with some trepidation that I went to see this movie. Jesse Owens had been my sports hero since the eighth grade when I discovered that he still held the world broad jump record after 24 years, an extraordinarily long time for a 12-year-old to contemplate, and won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games. Aware of the all-to-obvious double-edged potential of a title like "Race," I had the nagging feeling that the biopic would devolve from the record-breaking years of a remarkable talent into one of those sanctimonious sermons about past mistreatment of African-Americans in general and Owens in particular, thereby presenting him more as a victim to be pitied rather than the glorious victor he was.
As it turned out, my fears were groundless and, as a one-time track and field competitor myself, I found the overall experience to be highly enjoyable.
That said, and despite my high rating, I think some judicious editing could have made the film even better. Director Stephen Hopkins tries to tell the narrative in the form of two separate stories that run parallel: one concerns the relentless drive for excellence by a very gifted athlete despite the prejudice and discrimination that surrounds him while the second focuses on the nefarious politics (both American and German) that led to the uneasy climate of the 1936 Olympic Games. They do not mesh easily. When the action is on the track, the scenes are a joy to behold, like poetry in motion, showing the beauty and grace of athletics. But when it reverts to the stuffed-shirted political arena of U.S. Olympic Association president Avery Brundage, German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, and German Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels, the film lapses into speculative talky scenes that generally go on and on to nowhere, not only distracting from the Owens story but unnecessarily padding the film's run time.
On the plus side, we have Canadian born Stephen James who does an admirable job in portraying Jesse Owens, thankfully keeping the emoting down to tolerable levels. He presents Jesse as a polite, respectful, family man with just enough bravado to appreciate his own God-given talents, my only qualm being that he does not smile enough which was one of Owens' most endearing traits. James' performances on the track (and in the broad jump), while hard to emulate the original, are convincing enough. Particularly good are the scenes showing him break or tie four world records at the Big Ten Conference Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on May 25th, 1935.
Jason Sudeikis, though, is not nearly as convincing as coach Larry Snyder. He may have been a difficult taskmaster, but he comes off as too boorish and too bombastic to be worthy of Owens' unwavering respect; consequently, their relationship is a bit of a stretch.
Another quibble is with the lackadaisical approach to small details which are, from a track afficionado's perspective, jarring speedbumps in what is otherwise a relatively smooth ride. For instance, in the scene where he and jumper Lutz Long get together after they had just finished competing, it is unlikely that they would talk politics. Equally off-putting was the repeated reference to Charlie Paddock's victory in the 1924 Olympic 100 meters. Paddock won in 1920. Harold Abrahams of Great Britain won in 1924, as shown in "Chariots of Fire", a film surely the inspiration for this one. And there never were - or are - 200 yard races. The correct distances are either 220 yards or 200 meters; in this case, 220 yards.
These annoyances aside, I cannot help but really like this movie. As a biopic, it is reasonably faithful to the general Jesse Owens narrative, the overall effect is stunning, the athletic sequences plentiful and exhilarating, and the settings evocative of the time period. If nothing else, "Race" serves to rekindle to memory a fading name which once inspired generations of young athletes to personal glory in running and jumping. All in all, a tribute memorable enough to make the DVD a nice keepsake.
As it turned out, my fears were groundless and, as a one-time track and field competitor myself, I found the overall experience to be highly enjoyable.
That said, and despite my high rating, I think some judicious editing could have made the film even better. Director Stephen Hopkins tries to tell the narrative in the form of two separate stories that run parallel: one concerns the relentless drive for excellence by a very gifted athlete despite the prejudice and discrimination that surrounds him while the second focuses on the nefarious politics (both American and German) that led to the uneasy climate of the 1936 Olympic Games. They do not mesh easily. When the action is on the track, the scenes are a joy to behold, like poetry in motion, showing the beauty and grace of athletics. But when it reverts to the stuffed-shirted political arena of U.S. Olympic Association president Avery Brundage, German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, and German Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels, the film lapses into speculative talky scenes that generally go on and on to nowhere, not only distracting from the Owens story but unnecessarily padding the film's run time.
On the plus side, we have Canadian born Stephen James who does an admirable job in portraying Jesse Owens, thankfully keeping the emoting down to tolerable levels. He presents Jesse as a polite, respectful, family man with just enough bravado to appreciate his own God-given talents, my only qualm being that he does not smile enough which was one of Owens' most endearing traits. James' performances on the track (and in the broad jump), while hard to emulate the original, are convincing enough. Particularly good are the scenes showing him break or tie four world records at the Big Ten Conference Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on May 25th, 1935.
Jason Sudeikis, though, is not nearly as convincing as coach Larry Snyder. He may have been a difficult taskmaster, but he comes off as too boorish and too bombastic to be worthy of Owens' unwavering respect; consequently, their relationship is a bit of a stretch.
Another quibble is with the lackadaisical approach to small details which are, from a track afficionado's perspective, jarring speedbumps in what is otherwise a relatively smooth ride. For instance, in the scene where he and jumper Lutz Long get together after they had just finished competing, it is unlikely that they would talk politics. Equally off-putting was the repeated reference to Charlie Paddock's victory in the 1924 Olympic 100 meters. Paddock won in 1920. Harold Abrahams of Great Britain won in 1924, as shown in "Chariots of Fire", a film surely the inspiration for this one. And there never were - or are - 200 yard races. The correct distances are either 220 yards or 200 meters; in this case, 220 yards.
These annoyances aside, I cannot help but really like this movie. As a biopic, it is reasonably faithful to the general Jesse Owens narrative, the overall effect is stunning, the athletic sequences plentiful and exhilarating, and the settings evocative of the time period. If nothing else, "Race" serves to rekindle to memory a fading name which once inspired generations of young athletes to personal glory in running and jumping. All in all, a tribute memorable enough to make the DVD a nice keepsake.