Play to win

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Movie
German title Play to win
Original title Glory Road
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 2006
length 118 minutes
Age rating FSK 6
Rod
Director James Gartner
script Chris Cleveland ,
Bettina Gilois
production Jerry Bruckheimer
music Trevor Rabin
camera Jeffrey L. Kimball ,
John Toon
cut John Wright ,
Jason Hellmann
occupation

Spiel auf Sieg (originally Glory Road ) is an American drama directed by James Gartner from 2006. The screenplay is based on a true story in 1966. It premiered on April 6, 2006 in Germany.

action

In 1966 Don Haskins was a basketball coach at Texas Western College in El Paso . The budget for the team is very limited, so you can hardly sign players with a scholarship. Haskins plans to find the best players in the country to build a powerful team for the national championship. Some of the players Haskins and his assistant coach are hiring come from remote areas like Indiana, Michigan, and New York. Most of them are talented, but the majority are street players who have difficulty defending and controlling the ball. Ultimately, the Texas Western Miners team consists of seven black and five white players. Those in charge at the university are not enthusiastic about the high proportion of black players, but Haskins ignores that and begins with tough training. He wants to turn the athletes into a homogeneous group who pursue a common goal. He also has to talk the players out of their trips across the nearby Mexican border. In addition, the captain has heart problems and is in danger of death with every game.

Haskins begins the games with three black and two white players. After the opening wins, he realizes that he needs to give his black players more space on the field. The team's game is becoming more and more artistic, there are slam dunks and an extremely creative passing game. The more racist statements the team perceives, the more furious they play and win. The hatred of the black players soon becomes apparent: Haskin's family is threatened, a player is knocked down on the street, and the team's motel room is devastated during a game. The black players lose their enthusiasm, the last game of the season is lost. The Miners finished the 1965-66 season with a record 23-1 wins and were inducted into the NCAA in 1966.

After victories in the first two rounds, the Midwest Regional Final against the University of Kansas takes place. The match does not go well, center David commits too many fouls. But in extra time the white Jerry can tempt the opposing star player to make a mistake, whereupon Texas wins with 81:80. Now the team is qualified for the final of the NCAA. There they meet the favorite Kentucky, which is led by the legendary coach Adolph Rupp. Rupp, who only has whites in his team, the Kentucky Wildcats, believes the opponents don't stand a chance. On the eve of the final, Haskins leads his team into the empty hall. He reveals to them that he wants to start with an all-black team. The other two black players should gradually rotate into the team. The team is surprised, the best white player accepts the decision as the right one.

After just a few minutes of the game, team captain Harry Flournoy had to pass with a foot injury. The game is very close, but with a brilliant defense and quick counterattacks in the second half, Texas can win the final 72:65. The players fly back to El Paso after the match, where they will be celebrated.

Reviews

“Conventionally staged according to the familiar rules of the sports film genre, the film hardly capitalizes on the fact that it tells the authentic story of the USA's first multiracial team. Instead of including a political-historical assessment, he relies exclusively on emotions, bombast and action, which especially non-fans of basketball can tire. "

- Lexicon of international film

“In his screen debut, commercial filmmaker James Gartner attached great importance to sixties authenticity, from the choice of colors to the Motown soundtrack. Nevertheless, the film annoys with "sweat, blood and tears" speeches and too many sports film clichés. "

- Cinema :

"The (film) is filmed quite nicely, but handled too pathetically and boldly and quickly disappeared from the film memory."

- DVD portal outnow.ch :

“Based on the true rise of the first almost exclusively black college team and their coach Haskins, film mogul Jerry Bruckheimer produced a sports film that was conventional in all respects. Driven by his success with Against Every Rule , he put a newcomer on the director's chair and placed mostly young, unused faces in front of the camera. While the story would have been enough to make a gripping screen drama, the adaptation seldom rises above mediocrity and is also sweetened by a penetrating sticky soundtrack that drowns the numerous heroic speeches in pathos. "

- Lars Tuncay on filmstart.biz :

Awards

In 2006 the film received the ESPY Award for best sports film.

Historical background

The film reconstructs the 1966 NCAA finals . As shown in the film, the Texas Western College team beat the University of Kentucky 72:65. The special thing about the game was that Texas was the first team to play exclusively black players.

The people portrayed in the film are not fictional. The original 1966 Texas Western College team consisted of: David Lattin, Bobby Joe Hill, Willie Cager, Willie Worsley, Jerry Armstrong, Orsten Artis, Nevil Shed, Harry Flournoy, Togo Railey, Louis Baudoin, Dick Myers, David Palacio and Anthony Derrer . The coach was Don Haskins , the coach of the final opponent Adolph Rupp .

Cinematic background

The film grossed approximately $ 42.6 million in the United States.

For James Gartner, who previously shot commercials, it was the directorial debut of a feature film. It was also the first work on a movie for actors Schin AS Kerr and screenwriters Chris Cleveland and Bettina Gilois. The real Don Haskins has a cameo as a gas station attendant.

The technical advisor for the film's sports sequences was Tim Floyd, current coach of the University of Southern California men's basketball team .

DVD release

In September 2006 the film was released on DVD in Germany via Buena Vista Entertainment (ABN: B000GAL4ZO).

Soundtrack

  • Sweet Music by Alicia Keys (MBK / J Records)
  • Uptight by Stevie Wonder (Universal Music Enterprises)
  • Woo-Hoo by Rock A-Teens (Rhino Entertainment Company)
  • Rave On by Buddy Holly (Universal Music Enterprises)
  • Kaw League by Hank Williams (Universal Music Enterprises)
  • If We Never Needed the Lord Before We Sure Do Need Him Now by Mahalia Jackson (Columbia Records)
  • I Can't Get Next to You by The Temptations (Universal Music Enterprises)
  • I'm Blue by The Ikettes (Atco Records)
  • Last Night by The Mar-Keys (Atco Records)
  • Shake It Up Baby by The Isley Brothers (King Records)
  • My Guy by Mary Wells (Universal Music Enterprises)
  • Function at the Junction by Shorty Long (Universal Music Enterprises)
  • My Home is on the Delta by Muddy Waters (Universal Music Enterprises)
  • Can You Do It by The Contours (Universal Music Enterprises)
  • Burnt Biscuits by The Triumphs (Atco Records)
  • I'm on My Way to Canaan by Mahalia Jackson (Columbia Records)
  • Baby Love by The Supremes (Universal Music Enterprises)
  • Jordan River by Shirley Cesar (Liquid 8 Records)
  • Green Onions by Booker T. & the MGs (Atlantic Recording)
  • I've Been Loving You Too Long by Otis Redding (Atco Records)
  • Ain't That Good News by The Meditation Singers (Specialty Records)
  • Going to a Go-Go by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (Universal Music Enterprises)
  • Shotgun by Junior Walker & The All Stars (Universal Music Enterprises)
  • You're a Wonderful One by Marvin Gaye (Universal Music Enterprises)
  • Get Ready by The Temptations (Universal Music Enterprises)
  • Ain't That Peculia by Marvin Gaye (Universal Music Enterprises)
  • Down in the Boondocks by Billy Joe Royal (Columbia Records)
  • The Ballad of the Green Berets by Barry Sadler (RCA Records)
  • Road Runner by Junior Walker & The All Stars (Universal Music Enterprises)
  • Dancing in the Street by Martha & The Vandellas (Universal Music Enterprises)
  • These Arms of Mine by Otis Redding (Atco Records)
  • People Get Ready by The Impressions (Universal Music Enterprises)
  • People Get Ready by Alicia Keys and Lyfe Jennings (MBK / J Records and Sony Urban Music)
  • I Will Make the Darkness Light by Alicia Keys (MBK / J Records)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Play to win. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  2. ↑ Critique on cinema.de
  3. ^ Criticism on outnow.ch
  4. ↑ Critique on filmstart.biz
  5. ↑ Gross profit on imdb.com