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From: Remi
Category: Films
Date: 03 April 2005
Didn't see all this film, but I liked what I saw. He was a middle distance runner in the U.S. The film re-creates the 1972 Munich Olympics. Lots of moustaches and sideboards, and atmosphere. We hear gunfire, Steve Prefontaine wakes up. The phone rings; his coach answers. It's the Israeli coach, he asks for help, and is then shot dead. There were plenty of interjections like this, we were thrust into his world. He was kind of grumpy, but interesting to watch nonetheless. Snazzy editing from real footage helps the running sequences. Comraderie fills the screen. He came fourth, after a lot of to-ing and fro-ing. That's still really good. Not for 'Pre'. I thought I was watching to much TV, so switched off. But after retiring to my bedroom I was very keen to learn what happened next, as they say. Back in Oregon, Pre lives in a trailer park. A nice one, with Monkees-esque memorabilia. More running, more hair. On TV he objects to amateurs' lack of independence. They have a 'meet' at the university. The Finns come to race. He comes first. It looks good for Montreal in 1976. But after a party, his car overturns and he dies. No more running. But, his funeral car receives a standing ovation from his fans in the stadium. Steve Prefontaine lives on in many ways, as I learnt from google. It made me want to run.
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