Downhill Racer (1969)
Country: US
Technical: col 101m
Director: Michael Ritchie
Cast: Robert Redford, Gene Hackman, Camilla Sparv
Synopsis:
A farmer's boy from Colorado is selected for the U.S. skiing team, at the same time gaining his first view of life - and competition - in Europe. However, do his conceit and driving ambition make him a poor team player, or is he exactly what his country needs to win?
Review:
Redford has his work cut out convincing us he is the antithesis of the ivy league golden boy, so focuses instead on playing it cool, mardy or callous as the situation requires. Sparv's glamorous ski rep seems to function as the love interest there to avenge her sex, and Hackman's coach is a brilliant early performance. All told, Ritchie's narrative is of the loose sports reportage variety, with some voguish atonal jazz colouring on the soundtrack along with impressive ski footage, but the message would seem to be that winning, not playing, is what really counts (contrary to the thrust of the script), and this despite a last-minute glimpse of nemesis to come.
Country: US
Technical: col 101m
Director: Michael Ritchie
Cast: Robert Redford, Gene Hackman, Camilla Sparv
Synopsis:
A farmer's boy from Colorado is selected for the U.S. skiing team, at the same time gaining his first view of life - and competition - in Europe. However, do his conceit and driving ambition make him a poor team player, or is he exactly what his country needs to win?
Review:
Redford has his work cut out convincing us he is the antithesis of the ivy league golden boy, so focuses instead on playing it cool, mardy or callous as the situation requires. Sparv's glamorous ski rep seems to function as the love interest there to avenge her sex, and Hackman's coach is a brilliant early performance. All told, Ritchie's narrative is of the loose sports reportage variety, with some voguish atonal jazz colouring on the soundtrack along with impressive ski footage, but the message would seem to be that winning, not playing, is what really counts (contrary to the thrust of the script), and this despite a last-minute glimpse of nemesis to come.
Country: US
Technical: col 101m
Director: Michael Ritchie
Cast: Robert Redford, Gene Hackman, Camilla Sparv
Synopsis:
A farmer's boy from Colorado is selected for the U.S. skiing team, at the same time gaining his first view of life - and competition - in Europe. However, do his conceit and driving ambition make him a poor team player, or is he exactly what his country needs to win?
Review:
Redford has his work cut out convincing us he is the antithesis of the ivy league golden boy, so focuses instead on playing it cool, mardy or callous as the situation requires. Sparv's glamorous ski rep seems to function as the love interest there to avenge her sex, and Hackman's coach is a brilliant early performance. All told, Ritchie's narrative is of the loose sports reportage variety, with some voguish atonal jazz colouring on the soundtrack along with impressive ski footage, but the message would seem to be that winning, not playing, is what really counts (contrary to the thrust of the script), and this despite a last-minute glimpse of nemesis to come.