Product Description

Synopsis: The inspiring story of Billy Mills the American Indian that overcame adversity to go on to win the 10,000 meter long distance race in the Tokyo Olympics.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14157 in DVD
• Brand: PEACE ARCH HOME ENTERTAINMENT
• Released on: 2005-05-31
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 106 minutes

From the Actor
Starring: Robby Benson, Graham Greene, Pat Hingle

Customer Reviews

Heavily edited broadcast tv version
The 1983 thatrical release tells the true but much abridged story of Billy Mills, the Oglala Sioux who came from obscurity to win the 10,000 meter race in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. The core of the movie focuses on Mills's stint as a student and runner at the University of Kansas,facing the overt racism of his teammates and the white community, and his personal conflict with his coach, played by Pat Hingle, over Mills's racing style. The racing scenes are some of the best on film (if you overlook the out of place football field at the Olympics), and "Running Brave" rises above the level of the other sports hero genre and other racing films.

I have given this DVD a 1-star rating because it is NOT the theatrical release, but the version that was re-edited for broadcast TV. (The movie was released as PG. This version, as noted on the DVD box, is rated G.) Several key scenes have been deleted, watering-down or eliminating much of the conflict. This DVD uses a 4:3 (TV) aspect ration, not the theatrical widescreen presentation. Quality of the video transfer is very poor.

Charming Bio Pic especially for Running Fans
Billy Mills' inspiring story is nicely told in this no-frills DVD version (not a great transfer FYI). The writing and acting border on the "Movie of the Week" genre, but the real appeal --especially for running enthusiasts-- will be the running sequences. Robby Benson gives a very charming, earnest performance as Mills and is completely convincing as a runner, too.

While it may not hold the interest of some audiences, it is definitely a nice one to add to your collection of films if you are a sports/running fan.

Classic
This movie may not be great cinema but it is redeemed by telling a great story. The movie opens with a series of running scenes that accurately capture High School cross country in all of it's glory and obscurity. As is always the case, the number of runners in each race vastly outnumber the spectators.

The movie then veers away from the running and focuses on the racial tensions and bigotry of the time. My initial reaction was that this was rather heavy handed, however the fact that few people even in the sport can name Billy Mills despite his gold medal in the 10,000 lends weight to the premise that he was overloooked because he was Sioux.

The strength of the movie is in the final race in Tokyo. The movie is worth every penney just for this footage alone. It is one of the greatest stories in all of track and field. The movie takes the time to actually show the whole race, seamlessly blending in actual footage from 1964. The movie is incredibly faithful to the actual events. Every time I see it I curse the current network morons who show us the opening several steps of an olympic distance event and then cut away for a commercial or something and then pat themselves on the back if they remember to come back and show the finish as if nothing interesting could possibly happen during the race itself.

Benson is plausible as a distance runner, and the filming of the races is very good.