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Baseball
- Baseball movies bibliography
- American Pastime (2007)
- Director: Desmond Nakano. Cast: Gary Cole, Leonardo Nam, Aaron Yoo, Masatoshi Nakamura, Judy Ongg, Sarah Drew, Jon Gries.
Set against the Japanese-American internment camps during WWII, Japanese-American families, now faced with a country that doubts their loyalty, turned to baseball as a way to handle their plight and find the strength to stand up for themselves. Based on true events, also tells the story of a minor-leaguer and guard at the Topaz Internment Camp who, amidst all the conflict, is hoping for one last shot at the Major Leagues. Special features: "Go for broke: behind American pastime" making-of featurette; theatrical trailer. 105 min. DVD 8668
 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Bang the Drum Slowly (TV, 1956)
- Cast: Paul Newman, Albert Salmi, Rudy Bond, George Peppard. A television drama of a terminally-ill baseball player trying to play just one more season, and of his friend on the team who tries to help him. The hard nosed professional team learns the meaning of friendship and death when it finds out about the player's illness. Based on the novel by Mark Harris. Original live television broadcast from September 26, 1956, on the U.S. Steel Hour. 60 min. Video/C 9662
- Baseball Bugs (1946)
- Directed by Friz Freleng. Animated short. At a baseball game between the Gashouse Gorillas and the Tea-Totallers, a heckling Bugs Bunny is forced to play all positions against the brutish Gorillas. Naturally, their muscle is no match for Bugs' wit and pitching skill. 7 min. DVD 2073
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Batty Baseball(1944)
- Directed by Tex Avery. Animated short. DVD 8505
- The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976)
- Directed by John Badham. Cast: Billy Dee Williams, James Earl Jones, Richard Pryor, Rico Dawson. The adventures of an outlaw barnstorming black baseball team in 1939, who take on their own League's unfair rules as they steal cars, food and home base -- anything to keep their pitching and catching the best and boldest. 111 min. 999:2776
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Blake Ball(1988)
- Animated short, Hubley Studios. William Blake's poetry comes to life through the world of baseball! 16 min. DVD 1411
- Bull Durham (1988)
- Directed by Ron Shelton. Cast: Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Trey Wilson, Robert Wuhl. This romantic comedy deals with a very minor minor-league baseball team and three of its current constituents; an aging baseball groupie that beds one player each season, a cocky foolish new pitcher, and the older, weary catcher brought in to wise up the rookie. 108 min. DVD 2273
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Casey at the Bat (1946)
- Directed by Jack Kinney. Animated short. Walt Disney Pictures. Narrator: Jerry Colonna. The over-confident Casey comes to the plate for Mudville in this animated version of the classic baseball poem. 86 min. DVD 2888
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Damn Yankees (1958)
- Directed by Stanley Donen & George Abbot. Cast: Gwen Verdon, Ray Walston, Tab Hunter. Joe Boyd, an armchair athlete, would give anything to watch his sad-sack Washington Senators murder those invincible New York Yankees and grab the American League pennant--even sell his soul to the devil. He succumbs and the devil interferes in the fortunes of the failing baseball team. 111 min. DVD 5707; vhs 999:777
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Eight Men Out (1988)
- Directed by John Sayles. Cast: John Cusack, Clifton James, Michael Lerner, Christopher Lloyd, Charlie Sheen, David Strathairn, D.B. Sweeney. Based on the real-life scandal in 1919 involving the Chicago White Sox, the film tells the story of eight baseball players who plan to throw the world series for money, and the scorn and anger which errupts when the scandal explodes, ripping the cover off America's favorite pastime. 105 min. DVD 2272
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Felix Saves the Day(1922)
- Animated cartoon by Pat Sullivan. "Felix acts as mascot for his friend Willie's ball team, the Nifty Nine, when they play the opposing Tar Heels. When Willie hits a policeman with one ball, he's thrown in Juvenile Hall; Felix has to take over for him and hits a fantastic home run." Features innovative mix of live action and animation. [From Big Cartoon Database] 7 min. DVD 7218
- Field of Dreams(1989)
- Directed by Phil Alden Robinson. Cast: Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones, Timothy Busfield, Ray Liotta, Burt Lancaster, Gaby Hoffman.
Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella is inspired by a voice he can't ignore to pursue a dream he can hardly believe. Supported by his wife, Ray begins the quest by turning his ordinary cornfield into a baseball diamond, a place where dreams can come true. Bonus materials: Disc 1. From father to son: passing along the pastime; deleted scenes with commentary; audio commentary by director Phil Alden Robinson and director of photography John Lindley. Disc 2. Round table with Kevin Costner, George Brett and Johnny Bench; Galena, IL pinch hits for Chisholm, MN; The diamond in the husks; Bravo special: from page to screen; America's stadium trivia. 106 min. DVD X208
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Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- For Love of the Game(1999)
- Directed by Sam Raimi. Cast: Kevin Costner, Kelly Preston, John C. Reilly, Jena Malone, Brian Cox.
An aging baseball pitcher, faced with the breakup of a relationship with his girlfriend, makes the most important decision of his life during the course of his last game. Special features: Spotlight on location, deleted scenes, the perfect game, on the mound, theatrical trailer. 138 min. DVD X209
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Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Jerry Maguire (1996)
- Directed by Cameron Crowe. Cast: Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Renee Zellweger, Kelly Preston, Jerry O'Connell, Jay Mohr, Bonnie Hunt.
A sports agent suddenly discovers his scruples and promptly loses his job. But with the help of one loyal colleague and one outrageous client, he learns that loving well is the best revenge. Special features (Disc 1): Audio commentary with Director Cameron Crowe, Tom Cruise, Renee Zellweger and Cuba Gooding Jr. -- (Disc 2): Video commentary ; deleted scenes with director and editor commentary ; rehearsal footage with director and editor commentary ; "My first commercial" by Rod Tidwell ; Drew Rosenhaus, sports agent ; music video "Secret Garden" by Bruce Springsteen ; making-of featurette ; theatrical trailers. 139 min. DVD X1088
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- A League of Their Own(1992)
- Directed by Penny Marshall. Cast: Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna, Lori Petty, Rosie O'Donnell, Jon Lovitz, David Strathairn, Garry Marshall, Bill Pullman.In 1943, Jimmy Dugan, a washed-up ballplayer whose big league days are over, is hired to coach in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League while the male pros are serving in WWII. Reluctant at first, he finds himself drawn back into the game by the heart and heroics of his team. Based on the true story of the pioneering women who blazed the trail in the 1940s for future generations of famale athletes. 127 min. DVD 2265
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Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Mighty Casey(Twilight Zone (TV), 1960)
- A broken-down baseball team soars when a new player, a human-looking robot, pitches shut-out after shut-out. He must be altered to become more human, but how will this affect his superhuman skills? DVD 549
- The Natural (1984)
- Directed by Barry Levinson. Cast: Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger, Wilford Brimley, Barbara Hershey, Robert Prosky, Richard Farnsworth. Nothing was going to stop Roy Hobbs from fulfilling his boyhood dream of baseball stardom. As a 14-year old he fashions a baseball bat from an oak tree and soon impresses major league scouts with his ability. His talent also catches the eye of a sportswriter who eventually becomes instrumental in Hobbs' career. The appearance of a mysterious woman, however, shatters his dream. Years later Hobbs reappears as a rookie for the New York Knights and has an opportunity to share in their race for the pennant. 138 min. DVD 5605
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Hunter, Latham "What's 'Natural' About It?": A Baseball Movie as Introduction to Key Concepts in Cultural Studies
Film & History 35:2 (2005) p. 71-77
 UC users only
- Porky's Baseball Broadcast(1940)
- Directed by Friz Freleng.. Warner Brothers. Animated short. It's the Giants vs. the Red Sox in the final game of the World Series, and Porky's doing play-by-play for the radio audience. The umpire is blind; the bat boy is, literally, a bat, and the catcher's a fast-talking turtle. The Giant's pitcher is literally a giant. And of course, as with any New York-Boston matchup, the Giants win. Included on DVD X200
- The Pride of the Yankees (1942)
- Directed by Sam Wood. Cast: Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright, Walter Brennan, Babe Ruth, Dan Duryea, Bill Dickey, Bob Meusel, Bill Stern. Tells the inspiring story of Lou Gehrig, the New York Yankee's great first baseman and the son of poor immigrants, who rose to heights of baseball fame -- only to be cut down at the peak of his career by an incurable disease known as ALS. 128 min. DVD 5650
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Reel Baseball
- A collection of two feature films (The Busher and Headin' home) and eleven short films from the silent movie era on baseball. Also includes a documentary essay (Early reel baseball) by Rod Edelman. Contents:
Disc 1. Headin' home / featuring Babe Ruth (1920, 73 min). -- Babe Ruth Kinogram (Undated, 1 min.) -- His last game (1909, 12 min.) -- The ball player and the bandit / featuring Harold Lockwood ; directed by Francis Ford (1912, 12 min.) -- Early reel baseball / by Rob Edelman. -- Disc 2. The busher / featuring Charles Ray, Colleen Moore, and John Gilbert ; directed by Jerome Stern (sic) (1919, 55 min.) -- Casey at the bat or, The fate of a "rotten" umpire (1899, 1 min.) -- How the office boy saw the ball game (1906, 5 min.) -- Hearts and diamonds / featuring John Bunny (1914, 33 min.) -- One touch of nature / by Peter B. Kyne ; featuring John J. McGraw (1917, 18 min.) -- Felix saves the day / animated cartoon by Pat Sullivan (1922, 7 min.) -- Casey at the bat / featuring DeWolf Hopper (1922, 6 min.) -- Butter fingers / featuring Billy Bevan and Andy Clyde ; produced by Mack Sennett ; directed by Del Lord (1925, 16 min.) -- Happy days / with Ethelyn Gibson and Billy Butts ; directed by Arvid Gillstrom (1926, 14 min.) DVD 7218
- Rookie of the Year (TV, 1955)
- TV drama directed by John Ford. Cast: John Wayne, Vera Miles, Ward Bond, Patrick Wayne, James Gleason. A reporter recognizes a hot young baseball player as the son of a former infamous ballplayer who was accused of throwing the World Series. Originally produced in 1955. Video/C 9666
- The Stratton Story (1949)
- Directed by Sam Wood. Cast: James Stewart, June Allyson, Frank Morgan, Agnes Moorehead, Bill Williams. The true story of Chicago White sox pitcher, Monty Stratton. Stratton suffers a devastating hunting accident which leads to the amputation of one leg. Learning to walk with an artificial limb, he struggles to resume his career. 102 min. DVD 6172
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Who's on First?
- Early comic performances of the comedy team Abbott & Costello taken from the popular television show of the 1950's, the Colgate Comedy Hour. This volume which includes special guest stars Lon Chaney and Sid Fields, features Abbott & Costello's classic skit, "Who's On First?," along with "Don Juan Costello," "Two Tens for a Five," and other hilarious routines. Starring: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Lon Chaney, Jr., Sid Fields. 104 min. DVD 906
- Transcript of "Who's on First" rountine (Baseball almanac)
- The Winning Team (1952)
- Directed by Lewis Seiler. Cast: Doris Day, Ronald Reagan, Frank Lovejoy.
Grover Cleveland Alexander is the Hall of Fame pitcher whose baseball victories paralleled triumphs in his personal life. Suffering from alcoholism, double vision and fainting spells, Alexander sees his career bottom out. But, helped by his wife, he makes a successful return that reaches its peak in the 1926 Yankees/Cardinals World 93 min. DVD 6172
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Basketball
- Above the Rim (1994)
- Directed by Jeff Pollack. Cast: Duane Martin, Leon, Tupac Shakur, Marlon Wayans. Kyle Lee Watson is an inner-city high school basketball star torn between college and the lure of the streets. During an important championship play-off game, Kyle grandstands to catch the attention of a Georgetown college scout. Instead, he impresses Birdie, a powerful gang leader who is assembling a team to compete in the neighborhood Shoot-Out contest, a high-stakes street basketball tournament for the bragging rights of the city. 97 min. DVD 5715
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Basketball Diaries (1995)
- Directed by Scott Kalvert. Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Bruno Kirby, Lorraine Bracco, Ernie Hudson, Patrick McGaw, James Madio, Mark Wahlberg. Based on the novel by Jim Carroll. Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Bruno Kirby, Lorraine Bracco, Ernie Hudson, Patrick McGaw, James Madio, Mark Wahlberg. Teamed with his friends Mickey, Neutron and Pedro, high school student Jim Carroll seems headed for a bright basketball career. But when pressures from his coach, his mom, and school seem to mount, Jim finds solace in all the wrong places, and the dark streets of New York begin to tear him apart. 102 min. DVD 5979
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- He Got Game (1998)
- Directed by Spike Lee. Cast: Denzel Washington, Ray Allen, Milla Jovovich, Rosario Dawson. With promises of a reduced sentence, Jake Shuttlesworth (Washington) is granted temporary release from state prison in order to persuade the nation's top college basketball recruit, his estranged son Jesus, to play ball for the Governor's alma mater! But just as the son faces intense pressures and irresistible temptations contemplating his big decision, the father is also forced to consider not only what's best for himself but what's best for his son. 136 min. 999:2135
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
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- Hoop Dreams.
- This dramatization of the true life story of Arthur Agee and William Gates follows the high school careers of these two young men from inner-city Chicago as they pursue their dream of playing professional basketball. 1994. 176 min. DVD 3802; vhs 999:1198
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Movie Review Query Engine
- "O"(2001)
- Directed by Tim Blake Nelson. Cast: Mehki Phifer, Josh Hartnett, Julia Stiles, Elden Henson, Andrew Keegan, Rain Phoenix, John Heard, Anthony "A.J." Johnson, Martin Sheen. A provacative tale of jealousy, seduction and betrayal. A controversial modern-day version of Shakespeare's classic "Othello". "O" is the schools' best basketball player and NBA hopeful. He is adored by all including his coach and a beautiful classmate. "O" has a troubled friend, who is the coaches' son and he is deeply resentful of his fathers preference to "O" on and off the court. The seeds of mistrust are sown and it sets into motion a disturbing chain of events. 94 min. DVD 1080
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- White Men Can't Jump(1992)
- Directed by Ron Shelton. Cast: Woody Harrelson, Wesley Snipes, Rosie Perez, Cylk Cozart, Kadeem Hardison, Ernest Harden, Jr.
Comedy about a pair of basketball hustlers- one black, one white - who team up to play their way across the courts of Los Angeles. To add to their problems, Billy owes money and is being chased by a pair of gangsters. 115 min. vhs 999:3848
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Boxing/Wrestling
- Boxing movies bibliography
- Ali (2001)
- Directed by Michael Mann. Cast: Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight, Mario Van Peebles, Ron Silver, Jeffrey Wright, Mykelti Williamson, Jada Pinkett Smith, Nona M. Gaye, Michael Michele, Joe Morton. Dramatic biography of boxing great Muhammad Ali, which focuses on the ten-year period of 1964-1974. In that time, the brash, motor-mouthed athlete quickly dominates his sport, meets and marries his first wife, converts to Islam (changing his name from Cassius Clay), and defies the United States government by refusing to submit to military conscription for duty in Vietnam. His world heavyweight championship title thus stripped from him entirely for political reasons, the champ sets about to win back his crown, culminating in a legendary unification bout against George Foreman in Zaire, dubbed the "Rumble in the Jungle." 157 min. DVD 1231
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
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- Bad Blonde (aka The Flanagan Boy)(UK, 1953)
- Directed by Reginald Le Borg. Cast: Barbara Payton, Frederick Valk, John Slater, Sid James, Tony Wright. A scheming blonde seduces a fighter and convinces him to murder her husband, a fight manager who is promoting the young man's career. 84 min. DVD 6021
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Bao (2002)
- Directed by William D. Mar & Johnny Joo. Cast: Dana Lee, Tc Chang, Monica Baber, E. J. Cage. Winston has turned his mathematical brilliance into a successful career as a professional gambler. His lifestyle however has cost him his family and he has alienated himself from his son, Sammy. To escape his father's ominous shadow, Sammy has trained for two years in a boxing gym with an ex-pro, Dipper, who also acts as his surrogate father. Soon Winston's values collide with Sammy's goals and dreams and neither is prepared for the confrontation that will profoundly change them forever. 84 min. 999:2436
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Battler(TV, 1955)
- Cast: Dewey Martin, Paul Newman, Phyllis Kirk, Frederick O'Neal, Richard Collier. A television drama about a young man leaving home to go "on the bum," who meets a crazed punch-drunk fighter and his giant companion. The story of how the fighter and his companion met and how the fighter went downhill fast after his wife left him creates a starkly realistic portrait of a way of life. Originally presented on Playwrights 56, October 18, 1955, NBC-TV. Based on the short story The battler by Ernest Hemingway. 60 min. Video/C 9688
- Be Yourself! (1930)
- Directed by Thornton Freeland. Cast: Fannie Brice, Robert Armstrong, Harry Green, Gertrude Astor, Marjorie Kane.
A nightclub singer falls in love with a boxer and becomes his trainer. When he becomes successful, will it be the beginning or the end for this lovestruck pair? 66 min. DVD 8364
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Beautiful Boxer (Thailand, 2003)
- Directed by Ekachai Uekrongtham. Cast: Asanee Suwan, Sorapong Chatree, Orn-anong Panyawong, Kyoko Inoue, Sitiporn Niyom. Based on the true story of Thailand's famed transvestite kickboxer, this action drama punches straight into the heart and mind of a boy who fights like a man so he can become a woman. Believing he's a girl trapped in a boy's body since childhood, Parinya Charoenphol (affectionately known as Nong Toom in Thailand) sets out to master the most masculine and lethal sport of Muay Thai (Thai boxing) to earn a living and to achieve his ultimate goal of a sex-change operation. Funny and packed with breathtaking Thai kickboxing sequences, the film traces Nong Toom's childhood, teenage life as a traveling monk, and grueling days in boxing camps. 118 min. DVD 1948
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Body and Soul (1947)
- Directed by Robert Rossen. Cast: John Garfield, Lilli Palmer, Hazel Brooks, Anne Revere, William Conrad, Joseph Pevney, Lloyd Goff, Canada Lee. Charley has become the middleweight champion of the world by winning a "fixed" fight. In his devious climb to the top, Charley has become hard and arrogant, and has estranged both his mother and the girl he loves. 80 min. DVD 164
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Casty, Alan. "The Films of Robert Rossen."
Film Quarterly Vol. 20, No. 2 (Winter, 1966), pp. 3-12UC users only
- Casty, Alan. The films of Robert Rossen. New York, Museum of Modern Art; distributed by New York Graphic Society, Greenwich, Conn. [1969]
(MAIN: PN1998.A3 R673; Storage Info: B 3 569 727)
- Grindon, Leger. "Body and Soul: The Structure of Meaning in the Boxing Film Genre." Cinema Journal Vol. 35, No. 4 (Summer, 1996), pp. 54-69
UC users only
- Neve, Brian. "The Hollywood Left: Robert Rossen and Postwar Hollywood." Film Studies Volume 7, Winter 2005, pp 54-65
- The Boxer (1997)
- Directed by Jim Sheridan. Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Emily Watson, Brian Cox, Ken Stott, Gerard McSorley, Kenneth Cranham. When Danny Flynn returns to his Belfast neighborhood after 14 years in prison, all he wants is to find peace, resume his career as a boxer and reclaim the love of the woman who has remained etched in his mind. As they slowly embrace the possibilities of renewed romance, they realize cultural taboos stand in the way and fighting for love could cost them their lives. 114 min. DVD 164
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Champ (1931)
- Directed by King Vidor. Cast: Wallace Beery, Jackie Cooper, Irene Rich, Roscoe Ates. Wallace Beery plays a washed-up prizefighter making a ring comeback to provide for his son. Nine-year-old Our Gang comedy star Jackie Cooper is Dink, as devoted a son as ever stood in any man's corner. 86 min. DVD 5065
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Champion (1949)
- Directed by Mark Robson. Cast: Kirk Douglas, Marilyn Maxwell, Arthur Kennedy. Midge Kelly is a fun-loving former navy man whose life is made complex by his sudden rise to fame in professional boxing. He becomes popular after months of training and a series of fixed fights. But the champion falls from the top when he beats the prize fighter, Johnny Dunne, when he has been instructed by the syndicate to lose the fight. 100 min. DVD 165
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Cinderella Man (2005)
- Directed by Ron Howard. Cast: Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, Paul Giamatti, Craig Bierko, Paddy Considine, Bruce McGill, David Huband. During the Great Depression, an everyday common-man hero, James J. Braddock was to become one of the most surprising sports legends in history. With the Depression going strong in the early 1930s, the impoverished ex-boxer was seemingly as broken-down and out-of-luck as the rest of the America. Driven by love and determination, he returned to the ring. He did not have much of a shot, but James was fueled by something beyond mere competition. He kept winning and suddenly, the ordinary working man became an icon who carried the hopes and dreams of the disenfranchised on his shoulders. Eventually, he rose through the ranks and went on to fight the heavyweight champ, the unstoppable Max Baer. 145 min. DVD 5208
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- City for Conquest(1940)
- Directed by Anatole Litvak. Cast: James Cagney, Ann Sheridan, Frank Craven, Donald Crisp, Frank McHugh, Arthur Kennedy, George Tobias, Jerome Cowan, Elia Kazan, Anthony Quinn, Lee Patrick. Ex-golden gloves fighter Danny Kenny turns pro to bankroll his brother's dream of writing a symphonic paean to New York City. Life changes quickly when he's blinded during a brutal 15-round welterweight title bout. 104 min. DVD 5836
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Count Me Out(1938)
- Directed by Ben Hardaway, Cal Dalton. Animated short. "Country bumpkin Egghead receives some junk mail from ACME Correspondence School of Boxing. He sends for the lessons via air mail and receives an immediate response: boxing equipment and 10 recorded lessons on how to fight. After earning his diploma, Egghead challenges champ "Biff Stew" in the ring. He takes along his record player with the final lesson so that he will be sure and win. Biff Stew proceeds to beat him to a pulp." [Big Movie Database] Included on DVD X514
- Fight Club (1999)
- Directed by David Fincher. Cast: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf Aday, Jared Leto.A ticking-time-bomb insomniac and a slippery soap salesman channel primal male aggression into a shocking new form of therapy. Their concept catches on, with underground "fight clubs" forming in every town, until an eccentric woman gets in the way and ignites an out-of-control spiral toward oblivion. 139 min. DVD 219
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Foul King (Banchikwang)(South Korea, 2000)
- Director, Ji-woon Kim. Cast: Song Kang-ho, Chang Chin-y?ong, Pak Sang-myon.
In this Korean comedy office grunt Im Dae-ho, nagged by his father and secretly in love with a female colleague, finds solace in wrestling and the so-called "foul kings," or championship wrestlers who will do anything to win a match. He decides to try his luck with the sport, and after becoming the accidental victor of his first fight, he prepares for a tag match against reigning champion Yubiho who wants an easy win to further his career in Japan. 112 min. DVD 1480
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Gatica, "el Mono" (The Magic Gloves) (Argentina, 1993)
- Directed by Leonardo Favio. Cast: Edgardo Nieva, Horacio Taicher, Virginia Innocenti, Eva Gatica.
A dramatization of the life of Argentinian world boxing champion Jose Maria Gatica from his rise to his tragic death. Jose Maria Gatica was born in extreme poverty in the capital of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He learned to fight in the streets and was discovered by Nicolas Preziosa who turned Gatica into "El Mono" and made him the nations greatest boxing idol of the mid 1940s & early 1950s. Noted for his "hurricane" style of punching, Gatica racked up an impressive knockout streak and became the toast of the country. Eventually he faded from the scene after having scored a remarkable 72 knockout victories. He ended up broke, selling nic-nacs in the street and died at age 38. 138 min. DVD 6910
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Gentleman Jim (1942)
- Director: Raoul Walsh. Cast: Errol Flynn, Alexis Smith, Jack Carson, Alan Hale, John Loder, William Frawley, Minor Watson, Ward Bond, Medeleine LeBeau, Rhys Williams, Arthur Shields, Dorothy Vaughan.
Because boxing is a considered an illegal and disreputable enterprise in 1880's San Francisco, wealthy and influential members of the prestigious Olympic Club vow to make the sport a "gentlemanly" one. They sponsor a brash, extroverted young bank clerk named Jim Corbett, who quickly becomes an accomplished fighter under the new Marquis of Queensbury Rules. Based on the life of James J. Corbett
Special features: "Warner night at the movies 1942" short subjects gallery: vintage newsreel, sports shorts "Shoot yourself some golf" (with Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman) and "The right timing," classic cartoon "Foney fables," trailers of Gentlman Jim and 1942's "The male animal;" audio-only bonus: radio show adaptation with Errol Flynn, Alexis Smith and Ward Bond. 104 min. DVD 8053
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Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Girlfight (2000)
- Director, Karyn Kusama. Cast: Michelle Rodriguez, Jamie Tirelli, Paul Calderon, Santiago Douglas. Diana Guzman is always fighting, whether at home in the housing projects with her abusive dad or at high school. She finds a new outlet for her anger at her brother's boxing gym. With hard-core training from veteran boxing coach Hector, Diana learns she has the guts and talent to be a contender. 110 min. DVD X891; vhs 999:3117
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Golden Boy (1998)
- Directed by Rouben Mamoulian. Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, William Holden, Adolphe Menjou, Lee J. Cobb, Joseph Calleia, Sam Levene. Joe Bonaparte fought poverty and discouragement to become a great violinist, but to this impatient artist success comes to slowly. On the day his father presents him with a rare and expensive violin, Joe announces that he is giving up music to be a prizefighter. 90 min. 999:1816
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Great White Hope (1970)
- Directed by Martin Ritt. Cast: James Earl Jones, Jane Alexander, Lou Gilbert, Joel Fluellen, Chester Morris.
Based on the life of African American boxer Jack Johnson, this fictional account of his rise to fame chronicles the battles that the flamboyant champion fought in and out of the ring. Refusing to live within the boundaries deemed acceptable by society, this renowned hero and the woman he loved chose to live their lives the way they wanted-- something which evoked great fury from a narrow-minded world. 102 min. DVD 8059
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1943)
- Directed by Alexander Hall. Cast: Robert Montgomery, Claude Rains, Evelyn Keyes, Rita Johnson, Edward Everett Horton, James Gleason, John Emery, Donald MacBride, Don Costello.
Joe is a boxer who is headed for a championship fight when he is killed in a plane crash. Unfortunately for Joe, he was not supposed to die in the crash, but was instead brought up to heaven too soon by an overeager angel. It is now up to Mr. Jordan, the angel's boss, to find Joe a new body and give him another chance to fight for the title. Joe meets an idealistic young woman to whom he is immediately smitten, and she gives him a reason to live beyond prize fighting. From the play "Heaven can wait" by Harry Segall. 94 min. DVD X53
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Hurricane(1999)
- Directed by Norman Jewison. Cast: Denzel Washington, John Hannah, Deborah Kara Unger, Liev Schreiber, Vicellous Reon Shannon, David Paymer, Dan Hedaya, Harris Yulin, Rod Seiger. Based upon true events, this is the story of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, an African American boxer who was wrongfully convicted of murder. Sentenced to life in prison, Carter's published memoir, The sixteenth round, inspired a teenager from Brooklyn and three Canadian activists who believed in the truth, to join forces with Carter to prove his innocence. 166 min. 999:2827
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Kid Dynamite(1943)
- Directed by Wallace Fox. Cast: Leo Gorcey, Bobby Jordan, Huntz Hall, Gabriel Dell, Bobby Stone, Pamela Blake, Benny Bartlett "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison. The East Side boxing champ, Muggs McGinnis, challenged to a fight with the West Side's hero, is kidnapped and when Mugg's pal Danny is substituted, confusion reigns. 67 min. DVD 2387
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Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Kid Gallahad(1937)
- Directed by Michael Curtiz. Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Wayne Morris, Jane Bryan, Harry Carey, William Haade.
When a bellhop knocks out fighter Chuck McGraw, promoter Nick Donati realizes he's a potential champ. "Kid Galahad" justifies Nick's confidence, but Nick's mistress Fluff falls for him; in turn, the Kid falls for Nick's young sister. Now overprotective brother Nick turns against his new fighter, leading to a near- disastrous title fight and a murderous confrontation. Special features: Commentary by historians Art Simon and Robert Sklar; Warner Night at the Movies 1937 short subject gallery: vintage newsreel; comedy short "Postal Union;" Your true adventure series short "Alibi Mark;" classic cartoons "Egghead rides again," "I wanna be a sailor" and "Porky's super service;" trailers. 101 min. DVD X512; vhs 999:3864
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Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Knockout (aka Counted Out; The Pugilist)(1914)
- Cast: Charlie Chaplin, Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle. Charlie as a small town yokel takes on a boxing champ to impress his girl. DVD 14
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Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Million Dollar Baby (2004)
- Directed by Clint Eastwood. Cast: Clint Eastwood, Hillary Swank, Morgan Freeman, Anthony Mackie. Frankie is a former boxing manager, who initially refuses to train Maggie due to her gender and age. With her talent and his coaching the spirited young fighter rises through the ranks of women's boxing, the pair form a touching bond in the process. 132 min. DVD 4170
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Mr. Moto's Gamble (1938)
- Directed by James Tinling. Cast: Peter Lorre, Keye Luke, Dick Baldwin, Lynn Bari, Douglas Fowley, Jayne Regan, Harold Huber, Maxie Rosenbloom.
Mr. Moto comes out fighting when a brutal boxing match turns into cold-blooded murder. Assisted by detective-in-training Lee Chan, Moto sets out to track down the killer based on a single ominous clue: a poisoned boxing glove. 72 min. DVD 7544
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Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Porky and Daffy (1938)
- Directed by Bob Clampett. Animated short. "Daffy is a looney boxer and Porky is his manager. Porky arranges a big bout for Daffy for a $500 prize at a packed arena. His opponent, the Champ, appears to be a tall, wimpy chicken. However, when the chicken disrobes, he displays powerful drumsticks. Daffy turns chicken and runs for his life. The killer chicken decks him, but Porky clamps a metal lid on his head and rings his bell. Daffy becomes a tiger and defeats the chicken." [Big Cartoon Database] Included on DVD 3512
- Raging Bull (1980)
- Directed by Martin Scorsese. Cast: Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty. Robert DeNiro stars as Jake LaMotta, the controversial prize fighter of the 1940's who rose from the streets of the Bronx to the heights of his sport, only to find disillusionment and corruption as well as fame. 129 min. DVD 137; VHS 999:870
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Requiem for a Heavyweight (TV, 1957)
- Directed by Ralph Nelson; produced by Martin Manulis; written especially for Playhouse 90 by Rod Serling. Cast: Jack Palance, Keenan Wynn, Kim Hunter, Ed Wynn, Max Baer, Maxie Rosenbloom. Host: Eddie Cantor. A television drama about a heavyweight fighter who, as a broken man at the end of his fighting career, reluctantly agrees upon the demand of his manager to surrender what is left of his pride and to participate in a fixed wrestling match. Produced in 1957 in the television series Playhouse 90. 90 min. Video/C 8294
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Article about Rod Serling from the Encyclopedia of Television
- Mayerle, J. "'Requiem for a heavyweight' and Playhouse 90. An age had come to an end." Journal of Popular Film and Television Vol XVII nr 2 (Summer 1989); p 57-66
- Ramirez, Arthur. "Anglo View of a Mexican-American Tragedy: Rod Serling's Requiem for a Heavyweight." Journal of Popular Culture. 13: 501-04. 1980.
UC users only
- Winchell, Mark Royden. "Rod Serling's Requiem for a Heavyweight: A Drama for Its Time." Studies in American Drama, 1945-Present. 8 (1): 13-20. 1993.
- Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962)
- Directed by Ralph Nelson; produced by Martin Manulis; written especially for Playhouse 90 by Rod Serling. Cast: Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason, Mickey Rooney, Julie Harris, Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay), Jack Dempsey.
Drama about a heavyweight fighter who, as a broken man at the end of his fighting career, is coerced by his manager into participating in staged wrestling matches. Boxing fans should look for champs Muhammad Ali in the electrifying opening sequence and Jack Dempsey in a nightclub scene. Film adaptation by writer Rod Serling and director Ralph Nelson of their Emmy winning "Playhouse 90" television production. 86 min. DVD 8763
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Mayerle, J. "'Requiem for a heavyweight' and Playhouse 90. An age had come to an end." Journal of Popular Film and Television Vol XVII nr 2 (Summer 1989); p 57-66
- Ramirez, Arthur. "Anglo View of a Mexican-American Tragedy: Rod Serling's Requiem for a Heavyweight." Journal of Popular Culture. 13: 501-04. 1980.
UC users only
- Winchell, Mark Royden. "Rod Serling's Requiem for a Heavyweight: A Drama for Its Time." Studies in American Drama, 1945-Present. 8 (1): 13-20. 1993.
- The Ring (UK, 1927)
- Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: Carl Brisson, Lillian Hall-Davis, Ian Hunter, Forrester Harvey. A silent film with musical soundtrack about a carnival fighter trying to make it as a professional to please his girlfriend. DVD 153
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Ringside(1949)
- Directed by Frank McDonald. Cast: Carl Brisson, Lillian Hall-Davis, Ian Hunter, Forrester Harvey. Bantam-weight Don Barry stars as Mike, who forsakes a musical career for the boxing ring when his pugilist brother is blinded in a bout. Mike intends to confront the fighter who caused his brother's sightlessness, then "legally" kill the man in the ring. He is eventually talked out of this deadly strategy by his brother's girlfriend Janet. Based on the story Daniel Ullman. 63 min. DVD X912
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Rocky(1976)
- Directed by John G. Avildsen; Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith. Rocky Balboa, a Philadelphia club fighter who seems to be going nowhere, gets his million-to-one shot at love, self-respect and the world heavyweight boxing crown--and comes out a winner. 119 min. DVD 6557; vhs 999:2049
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Rocky II(1979)
- Directed by Sylvester Stallone. Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith. Rocky, having sustained massive injuries in his win against heavyweight champion, Apollo Creed, announces his retirement. But he soon realizes he can't escape his true calling, and prepares for the fight of his life. 119 min. DVD X1096
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Rocky III(1982)
- Directed by Sylvester Stallone. Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith, Tony Burton, Mr. T. Rocky Balboa is now the heavyweight champ and spends his restless idle time participating in charity wrestling matches. The careless Rocky is beaten by a ruthless challenger, Clubber Lang. After Rocky acquires the needed hunger to win, he is ready for the brutal and nail-biting rematch with Lang. 100 min. DVD X1097
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Rocky IV(1985)
- Directed by Sylvester Stallone. Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Brigitte Nielsen, Dolph Lundgren. Rocky Balboa, a Philadelphia club fighter who seems to be going nowhere, gets his million-to-one shot at love, self-respect and the world heavyweight boxing crown--and comes out a winner. 91 min. DVD X1098
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Rocky V(1990)
- Directed by John G. Avildsen. Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Tommy Morrison, Sage Stallone, Burgess Meredith. Rocky and his family must move to their old, low-rent neighborhood after all their money is lost by an an unscrupulous financial advisor and injuries force his retirement from the ring. As Rocky tries to resolve the resentment held by his son, a young boxer Rocky trained publicly taunts his mentor, and Rocky realizes he must fight once more. 111 min. DVD X1099
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Rocky Balboa(2006)
- Directed by Sylvester Stallone. Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Burt Young, Antonio Tarver, Geraldine Hughes, Milo Ventimiglia. When he loses a highly publicized virtual boxing match to ex-champ Rocky Balboa, reigning heavyweight titleholder Mason Dixon retaliates by challenging the Itallian Stallion to a nationally televised, 10-round exhibition bout. To the surprise of his son and friends, Rocky agrees to come out of retirement and face an opponent who's faster, stronger and thirty years his junior. Special features: Deleted scenes and alternate ending; boxing's bloopers; skill vs. will: the making-of Rochy Balboa; reality in the ring: filming Rochy's final fight; virtual champion: creating the computer fight; commentary by Sylvester Stallone; trailers. 102 min. DVD DVD X1100
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Set-Up (1949)
- Directed by Robert Wise. Cast: Robert Ryan, Audrey Totter, George Tobias, Alan Baxter, Wallace Ford. An over-the-hill boxer thinks he can still win a bout, despite doubts from his wife and his manager. He goes into his next fight determined to beat his opponent, not realizing his manager has taken money for a 'dive' from a tough gambler. 72 min. DVD 2719
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Soigne ton gauche(France, 1936)
- Directed by by René Clément starring Jacques Tati. "A boxer is out in the country with his entourage, training for his next fight. Meanwhile, on the farm nearby, Roger is neglecting his chores. As he watches the boxer and his sparring partners at work, Roger starts to fantasize about being a boxer himself. Then, when none of the boxer's sparring partners can continue, he is asked to fill in, although he doesn't know anything about how to box." [IMDB] 20 min. Included on DVD 894
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Spirit of Youth(1938)
- Directed by Harry L. Fraser. Cast: Joe Louis, Edna Mae Harris, Mantan Moreland, Mae Turner, Clarence Muse, The Big Apple Dancers.
World heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis stars in Spirit of Youth. Often mistakenly referred to as a biography of Louis, the film is actually the fictional story of aspiring boxer Joe Thomas, who hopes to make millions in the ring. He does, but as a consequence falls into the hands of a predatory nightclub singer. Only after the femme fatale stomps on Joe's heart does he return to his virginal childhood sweetheart. Initially aimed at the "all-colored" theaters of the era, The Spirit of Youth proved popular enough to receive bookings in white movie houses. 66 min. DVD X29
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Steel (Twilight Zone, TV. 1961)
- Lee Marvin's boxing robot breaks so he must enter the fight disguised as his own robot. DVD 2599
- They Made Me a Criminal (1939)
- Directed by Busby Berkeley. Cast: John Garfield, the "Dead End" Kids, Claude Rains, Ann Sheridan, May Robson, Gloria Dickson. Wanted for a murder he didn't commit, high-living prizefighter Johnny Bradfield flees to avoid arrest. While hiding out on a ranch in Arizona, he meets up with a group of juvenile delinquents (The Dead End Kids). Bradfield takes it upon himself to set the kids straight, as a detective closes in on the boxer. 92 min. DVD 2388
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Triumph of the Spirit (1989)
- Directed by Robert M. Young. Cast: Willem Dafoe, Edward James Olmos, Robert Loggia. Based on a true story that took place in 1939 about one man's attempt to save himself and his family when the Nazis occupy Greece and they are sent to the Auschwitz death camp. Each boxing match this middleweight champ fights sends the loser to the gas chamber, and he wonders how he can continue to save himself, his family, and his sanity. 120 min. DVD 3051
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Undefeated (HBO, 2003)
- Directed by John Leguizamo. Cast: John Leguizamo, Clifton Collins, Jr., Vanessa Ferlito, Omar Benson Miller, Nestor Serrano, Robert Forster. A Latino boxer must navigate the path between his newfound fame, with all its seductive trappings, and his humble yet proud roots growing up on the hard, mean streets of Jackson Heights, Queens. Surrounded by his childhood friends and an old-school trainer, Lex Vargas endures a devastating personal loss before turning professional, eventually signing with a high-profile promoter. Ultimately his fame and fortune threatens to undermine the longtime bonds he shares with his buddies from the old neighborhood. 92 min. DVD 2411
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Wrestler (2008)
- Directed by Darren Aronofsky. Cast: Mickey Rourke, Marissa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Mark Margolis, Todd Barry, Wass Stevens, Judah Friedlander, Ernest Miller. Back in the late '80s, Randy 'The Ram' Robinson was a headlining professional wrestler. Now, decades past his prime, he barely gets by working small wrestling shows in VFW halls and as a part-time grocery store employee. He faces health problems that may end his wrestling career and is attempting to come to terms with his life outside the ring. He struggles with his new life and an offer of a high-profile rematch with his 1980s arch-nemesis, 'The Ayatollah,' which might just be his ticket back to stardom. Special features: "Within the ring:" a no-holds-barred one-on-one with real wrestlers and filmmakers; "The Wrestler" music video by Bruce Springsteen. 109 min. DVD X1644
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Car Racing
- Fast Company (Canada, 1979)
- Directed by David Cronenberg. Cast: William Smith, John Saxon, Claudia Jennings, Nicholas Campbell, Cedric Smith. The story of a corporate-sponsored racing team and the explosive obsessions that speed them through lives of fast cars, fast cash and fast company. 93 min. DVD 4963
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Fireball 500 (1966)
- Directed by William Asher. Cast: Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Fabian, Chill Wills, Harvey Lembeck, Julie Parrish.
Stock car racer Dave Owens plays into the hands of whiskey runners by agreeing to drive in a cross-country road race. He is assisted by Jane Harris and Sonny Leander Fox. Soon Dave and Sonny begin a friendly rivalry for Jane.
92 min. DVD 8376
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Genevieve (UK, 1954)
- Director, Henry Cornelius. Cast: Kenneth More, Dinah Sheridan, John Gregson, Kay Kendall, Geoffrey Keen, Joyce Grenfell, Michael Medwin.
Film revolves around the adventures of a young couple and their ancient car "Genevieve" who become involved in a car rally. In a wager with the owner of another car, they must race each other from Brighton back to London in the veteran vehicles. Developing into a furious free-for-all, the cars race to the finish. 86 min. DVD X287
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Grand Prix (1966)
- Directed by John Frankenheimer. Cast: James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, Yves Montand, Toshiro Mifune, Brian Bedford, Jessica Walter, Antonio Sabato, Francoise Hardy. The pure adrenaline rush of high-speed auto racing is brilliantly captured in this high-octane adventure that follows the rivalry of four top Grand Prix drivers as compete in the nine grueling competitions that will crown one of them the best in the world. Features actual Grand Prix footage filmed on racetracks from Monaco to Monza. 176 min. 999:3604
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Race for Life (aka Mask of Dust) (UK, 1954)
- Directed by Terence Fisher. Cast: Richard Conte, Mari Aldon, George Coulouris, Peter Illing, Alec Mango.
An idol of auto-racing fans attempts a comeback after serving in the Air Force. When his former rival lies dying in the hospital, he must decide whether to continue in the Grand Prix or make peace with his adversary. 65 min. DVD 8361
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Thunder Alley (1967)
- Directed by Richard Rush. Cast: Annette Funicello, Fabian, Diane McBain, Warren Berlinger, Jan Murray.
Stock car racer Tommy Callahan is forced to join Pete Madsen's thrill circus after his blackouts cause a fatal accident and he gets thrown off the circuit. He shows Pete's daughter Francie and her boyfriend Eddie Sands everything he knows about driving. Eddie takes up with Tommy's girl Annie Blaine after winning the first time out. They become fierce rivals by the next race, during which Tommy remembers driving over his brother with a go-kart and Eddie hits the wall. 89 min. DVD 8376
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Cricket
- Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (India, 2001)
- Directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. In 1890s India, villagers are forced to pay an extraordinarily high "lagaan" or land tax, to their British rulers. A military commander offers them freedom from taxation -- if they can defeat his men in a cricket match. 225 min. DVD 1038
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Playing Away (UK/USA, 1986)
- Directed by Horace Ove. To mark the conclusion of their "Third World Week" celebration, a stiff and snooty cricket team in a small English village invites a West Indian cricket team from South London to a charity game with comic results. 102 min. Video 999:1992
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Cycling
- Breaking Away (1979)
- Directed by Peter Yates. Cast: Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, Jackie Earle Haley, Barbara Barrie, Paul Dooley, Robyn Douglass.Dave, nineteen, has just graduated high school, with his 3 friends, The comical Cyril, the warm hearted but short-tempered Moocher, and the athletic, spiteful but good-hearted Mike. Now, Dave enjoys racing bikes and hopes to race the Italians one day, and even takes up the Italian culture, much to his friends and parents annoyance. While meanwhile, the 4 friends try to break away from their townie, Indiana reputation while fighting with nearby college snobs. 100 min. DVD X1488
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Cyclist (Bicycleran) (Iran, 1989)
- Writer, director, and editor, Muhsin Makhmalbaf. Nazim, formerly a cyclist, but now a lowly Afghan guest worker in Iran, must overcome many obstacles in his attempt to ride a bicycle continuously for seven days and nights, in order to obtain money to pay for medical care for his desperately ill wife. "Made between The Peddler and Marriage of the Blessed, this 1989 Iranian feature by the highly talented Mohsen Makhmalbaf, a filmmaker comparable in some ways to Martin Scorsese, follows the exploitation of an Afghan refugee who embarks on a bicycle marathon in order to raise money for his wife's medical expenses. A searing expressionist work about man's inhumanity, filmed in a hypnotic and feverish style. With Moharram Zaynalzadeh and Esmail Soltanian." [Jonathan Rosenbaum, The Chicago Reader] 75 min. DVD 3385; vhs 999:1716
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Mohsen Makhmalbaf bibliography
- Deux secondes (2 secondes; Two Seconds) (Canada, 1998)
- Director, Manon Briand. A champion mountain bike racer named Laurie hesitates at the start gate, and the two seconds lost cost her the race--and her place on the team. Forced into retirement, she is delighted to discover a job as a bike messenger. By chance, she meets Lorenzo, a cantankerous Italian bike shop owner and former champion himself. Their mutual love and appreciation of cycling draw them together in spite of initial clashes. One night, they decide to face each other in a peculiar duel. Lorenzo shows Laurie how every victory is relative and that--speaking of relativity--speed is not the only way to bring time to a halt. 105 min. DVD 1070
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Triplets of Belleville (Belleville Rendez-vous) (France / Belgium / Canada / UK, 2003)
- Conceived, written and directed by Sylvain Chomet. In this highly original animated feature, a bicyclist is kidnapped from the Tour de France by mysterious gangsters. His grandmother travels to the city of Belleville (which has a sardonic version of the Statue of Liberty in its harbor), where she tracks him down with the help of a musical trio gone to seed, the Belleville Triplets. 81 min. DVD 2677
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Football
- All the Right Moves (1983)
- Directed by Michael Chapman. Cast: Tom Cruise, Craig T. Nelson, Lea Thompson.
When you live in a dying mill town, the only way to move up in the world is to move out. In Ampipe, Pennsylvania, their high school football coach is fighting to parlay a winning team into a big-time position--away from the town he despises. 90 min. DVD X259
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Any Given Sunday (1976)
- Directed by Oliver Stone. Cast: Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, Dennis Quaid, James Woods, Jamie Foxx, LL Cool J, Matthew Modine, Charlton Heston, Ann-Margret, Aaron Eckhart, John C. McGinley. Tony D'Amato, the embattled Sharks football coach, faces a full-on blitz of team strife plus a new, marketing-savvy Sharks owner who's sure Tony is way behind the times. 157 min. DVD 768
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
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- Brian's Song (TV, 1971)
- Directed by Buzz Kulik. Cast: James Caan, Billy Dee Williams, Jack Warden, Shelley Fabares, Judy Pace. A dramatization of the true life experiences and deep friendship between Gale Sayers, black halfback for the Chicago Bears, and his white teammate, Brian Piccolo, who died of cancer in 1970. 74 min. DVD 7583
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Football Now and Then (Disney, 1953)
- Director, Jack Kinney. Animated short. An old-timer tells his grandson that old-time football players could take a modern team, so we see a game with just that matchup: Bygone U. vs. Present State. More specifically, the Bygone U. team of 11 vs. Present State's dozens of special squads and support personnel. Even the stadium, fans, and press are modern vs. old-time. THe game is close, and fiercely fought. 7 min. DVD 4779
- The Fortune Cookie (1966)
- Directed by Billy Wilder. Cast: Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Ron Rich, Cliff Osmond, Judi West. A TV cameraman, trampled by a half-back while shooting a football game, and his shyster brother-in-law team up to defraud an insurance company in a million dollar law suit. 126 min. DVD 1760
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Billy Wilder bibliography
- Horse Feathers (1932)
- Directed by Norman McLeod. Cast: Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zep Marx; Thelma Todd, Florine McKinney, David Landau. Parody of college life with the fun-loving president of Huxley College wooing a floozie who is secretly trying to rig the big football game between Huxley and archrival Darwin U. 67 min. DVD 5581; DVD 81; VHS 999:404
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Knute Rockne, All American (1940)
- Directed by Lloyd Bacon. Cast: Pat O'Brien, Gale Page, Ronald Reagan, Donald Crisp, Albert Basserman, Owen Davis, Jr.
Based upon the private papers of Mrs. Rockne, and the reports of Rockne's intimate associates and friends, this film tells the life story of Notre Dame's football coach who inspired many victories with his powerful speeches. Regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history he is credited with popularizing the use of the forward pass. Special features: Oscar-winning Technicolor historical short "Teddy, the Rough Rider"; Classic cartoon "Porky's baseball broadcast"; Audio-only bonus: Radio show with O'Brien and Reagan; Theatrical trailer. 98 min. DVD X200
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Longest Yard(1974)
- Directed by Robert Aldrich. Cast: Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert, Ed Lauter, Michael Conrad, Jim Hampton, Harry Caesar, John Steadman, Charles Tyler, Mike Henry, Jim Nicholson, Bernadette Peters. In this rough-and-tumble yarn, actually filmed on location at the Georgia State Prison, semi-pro football is played with the cons as the heroes and the guards as the heavies. 121 min. DVD 2271
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Manly Games(1988)
- Directed by Jan Svankmajer. A spectator becomes drawn into an especially violent game of football. 12 min. DVD 6761
- North Dallas Forty(1979)
- Directed by Ted Kotcheff. Cast: Nick Nolte, Mac Davis, Charles Durning, Dayle Haddon, Bo Svenson. Depicts an aging pro football player who, through a woman he meets, is drawn away from the masculine, violent world in which he has lived so long. In doing so, he finds himself at odds with the team's management. 118 min. DVD 2270
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Whannel, Garry. "No room for uncertainty : gridiron masculinity in North Dallas forty." In: You Tarzan : masculinity, movies, and men / edited by Pat Kirkham and Janet Thumim. New York : St. Martin's Press, 1993. (Main Stack PN1995.9.M46.Y68 1993; Moffitt PN1995.9.M46.Y68 1993)
- The Plastic Age (1925)
- Directed by Wesley Ruggles. Cast: Clara Bow, Donald Keith, Gilbert Roland, Mary Alden, Henry B. Walthall, J. Gordon Edwards, Jr., Felix Valle, David Butler. Clara Bow plays Cynthia Day, a tough girl at Prescott College who runs with a fast crowd. A freshman, Hugh Carver, falls for her, though Cynthia knows her lifestyle is bad for him. In their senior year, Cynthia becomes more quiet and studious, and finally regains Hugh, now a football hero, who never stopped loving her. 73 min. DVD 6195; vhs 999:2517
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Progame (1992)
- Cast: members of the Omaha Magic Theatre company.
An American avant garde theater group presents a comedic look at masculinity and male psychology as three members of a family, all rabid football fans, view a game together. Video/C 4301
- Remember the Titans (2000)
- Directed by Boaz Yakin; Cast: Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Donald Faison, Nicole Ari Parker. Based on true events of a forced high school integration in Alexandria, Virginia in 1971. After leading his team to fifteen winning seasons, white football coach Bill Yoast is demoted and replaced by African-American Herman Boone, tough, opinionated and as different from Yoast as could be. The two men overcome their differences and turn a group of hostile young men into champions. A rousing celebration of how a town torn apart by resentment, friction and mistrust comes together in triumphant harmony. 114 min. DVD 2311
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Semi-Tough (1977)
- Directed by Michael Ritchie. Cast: Burt Reynolds, Kris Kristofferson, Jill Clayburgh, Robert Preston, Bert Convy. Two professional football players pursue the team owners' very rich daughter in this spoof on sports, romance, and the pop-psych crazes of the Seventies. 107 min DVD 2279
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Hockey
- Slap Shot(1977)
- Directed by George Roy Hill. Cast: Paul Newman, Michael Ontkean, Lindsay Crouse, Jennifer Warren, Jerry Houser, Strother Martin.
Once-great player/coach of a third-rate hockey team the Charlestown Chiefs is reaching the tail end of his professional career when the Charlestown Mill closes down and it becomes apparent that the team will fold at the end of the season. Coach Dunlap concocts a scheme that he hopes will create a will to win in his players in the hopes that a winning season might make sale of the team by its obscure owner possible. A warm-hearted and only slightly farcical look at minor league ice hockey. Special features: Feature commentary with the Hanson brothers; the Hanson brothers classic scenes; puck talk with the Hansons; theatrical trailer; production notes; cast and filmmakers. 123 min. DVD X267
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Horse Racing
- Charlie Chan at the Race Track (1936)
- Directed by H. Bruce Humberstone. Cast: Warner Oland, Keye Luke, Helen Wood, Thomas Beck, Alan Dinehart, Gavin Muir.
Equestrian adventure in which the renowned detective Charlie Chan must untangle the murder of a racehorse owner by an international gambling ring. 76 min. DVD 6773
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Day at the Races (1937)
- Directed by Sam Wood. Cast: Groucho, Chico and Harpo Marx, Allan Jones, Maureen O'Sullivan, Margaret Dumont. In this comedy Groucho is Dr. Hugo Z. Hackenbush, a veterinarian somehow put in charge of a sanitarium for wealthy hypocondriacs. When he gets involved with a demented duo from the racetrack - Harpo the jockey and Chico the tipster - Marxmania breaks loose and the sanitarium nearly collapses. 109 min. DVD 2661; vhs 999:1136
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Marx Brothers bibliography
- Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)
- Directed by W.S. VanDyke. Cast: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Barry Nelson, Donna Reed, Sam Levene. A jockey who threw a race is murdered in the locker room. Nick & Nora Charles are off to the races on another case of murder, mirth and perfect martinis. 97 min. DVD 4157
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Spirit Rider (1993)
- Directed by Michael Scott. Cast: Graham Greene, Herbie Barnes, Gordon Tootoosis, Michelle St. John, Adam Beach, Tom Jackson, Tantoo Cardinal. Filmed on location in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Without warning, a 16 year-old Native American orphan is uprooted from his latest foster home and returned to the reservation of his birth. He slowly begins to adjust to his new life with his grandfather but someone who knows the awful secret surrounding his mother's death is determined to destroy his newfound happiness. For the two adversaries, an annual horse race culminates in a life-and-death struggle that could finish them both. 94 min. DVD 2967
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Under My Skin (1950)
- Directed by Jean Negulesco. Cast: John Garfield, Micheline Prelle, Luther Adler, Orley Lindgren, Noel Drayton. Dan Butler is running out of places to run. After throwing too many U.S. and Italian horse races, he's now on the lam from a gangster whom he purposely double-crossed by winning a big race. Escaping to France, Dan finds more complications and conflict, including a Left Bank cafe singer who blames him for her boyfriend's death, his ten-year-old son whose idolotry of Butler is being slowly stripped away, and the newly arrived gangster, who wants Dan to throw a high-stakes steeplechase race, or else! Based on a story by Ernest Hemingway titled "From my old man." 86 min. DVD 7629
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Uvlecheniya (Avocations) (Russia, 1994)
- Directed by Kira Muratova. Cast: Svetlana Kolenda, Renata Litvinova, Mikhail Demidov, Vassily Rybakin, Alexi Shevchenko, Gennady Tkachenko.
This Russian film charts two young women's bittersweet search for passion. Lilia and Violetta enter the world of horse racing for the love of the game, and while there, they meet jockeys who are fascinated with them but what takes precedence -- love or sports? They'll soon find out. 107 min. DVD 7940
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Pool
- The Color of Money (1986)
- Directed by Martin Scorsese. Cast: Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Helen Shaver. Aging pool shark Eddie Felson forms a profitable, yet volatile relationship with Vince, a young pool hustler with a sexy, tough-talking girl friend, in this sequel to "The Hustler." 119 min. 999:2817
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Game of Pool(Twilight Zone, TV. 1961)
- A young pool player finds himself playing against a long-dead master pool shark, with his life as the stakes. DVD 2599
- The Hustler (1961)
- Directed by Robert Rossen. Cast: Paul Newman, George C. Scott, Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie. Itinerant pool shark challenges the top man for the championship, sacrificing everything until he realizes the stakes are too high. 134 min. DVD 7832; vhs 999:214
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Casty, Alan. "The Films of Robert Rossen."
Film Quarterly Vol. 20, No. 2 (Winter, 1966), pp. 3-12UC users only
- Casty, Alan. The films of Robert Rossen. New York, Museum of Modern Art; distributed by New York Graphic Society, Greenwich, Conn. [1969]
(MAIN: PN1998.A3 R673; Storage Info: B 3 569 727 )
- Soccer
- Bend It Like Beckham (UK / Germany / USA, 2002)
- Directed by Gurinder Chadha. Cast: Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anupam Kher, Archie Panjabi, Shaznay Lewis, Frank Harper, Juliet Stevenson. Eighteen year-old Jesminder's parents want her to be a nice, conventional Indian girl. But she just wants to play soccer like her hero, David Beckham. For Jess, that means kicking a ball around the local park with the lads until she's spotted by Jules, who invites her to join the local women's team. 112 min. DVD 1948
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
-
via Movie Review Query Engine
- Capital Penalty (La Pena Máxima) (Colombia, 2001)
- Directed by Jorge Echeverry. Cast: Enrique Carriazo, Robinson Diaz, Sandra Reyes, Fernando Arevalo, Alvaro Bayona. The soccer teams of Colombia and Argentina are set to meet in the World Cup play-off. A Colombian bureacrat becomes obsessed with the game and risks his life savings, his marriage and his family relationships on a bet he is sure he will win. 86 min. 999:3589
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Gol & Gincu(Maylasia, 2005)
- Directed by Bernard Chauly. Cast: Nur Fazura Sharifuddin, Ashraf Sinclair, Sazzy Falak, Mohd Pierre Andr, Rafidah Abdullah, Sharifah Amani, Melissa Maureen Rizal.
In this Malaysian romantic comedy the story revolves around Putri, a girl who is determined to win back her futsal-crazy ex-boyfriend, Eddy from the local futsal queen, Sasha. Putri forms her own futsal team and goes on to prove how sheer determination can overcome all shortcomings. 104 min. DVD 9259
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Die elf teufel (1927)
- Director, Zoltan Korda and Carl Boese. Cast: Eveline Holt, Lissi Arna, Gustav Fröhlich, Fritz Alberti. Two fictitious soccer teams are in competition. One represents the poor workers whose mascot is Linda, while the other rich club offers its members facilities far superior to the workers' team. Its mascot is a vampire and when the two teams finally take to the field the vampire tries to seduce the center forward for the rich man's club. Special feature: Der Länderkampf Deutschland-Italien im Duisburger Stadion (9 min, 1924). 98 min. DVD X757
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Fintar o Destino (Dribbling Fate) (Cape Verde, 1998)
- Directed by Fernando Vendrell. A sports film with a distinctly African twist. On the Cape Verde islands a small-town grocery-store owner Mane recalls his past glories with the national soccer team Benefica during the '50's. Obsessed with the sport, Mane attempts to train a local team without much success, so when he sees promise in young Kalu he goes for broke, spending his wife's savings on tickets to Lisbon in hopes of connecting Kalu with Benefica. 77 min. 999:2225
- Description from California Newsreel catalog
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Firm (1988, TV)
- Directed by Alan Clarke. Cast: Gary Oldman, Lesley Manville, Philip Davis. Bex Bissell is the head of a soccer firm (group of fans) who proposes a union with two other local groups, positing himself as the leader. A family man earning a decent living as an estate agent, he devotes his spare time to the sport and his fellow hooligans. When his proposal falls on deaf ears, his baser tendencies rise to the surface against his better judgment.
67 min. DVD 5546
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick (Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter) (West Germany / Austria, 1971)
- Director, Wim Wenders. Cast: Arthur Brauss, Erika Pluhar, Kai Fischer. Josef Bloch, a suspended soccer player, picks up a girl in Vienna, strangles her, and escapes to a small town where he passively waits, reading newspaper accounts of the police dragnet that is slowly closing in on him. Based on the novel by Peter Handke (PT2668.Ha5 A8 Main Stack) - 101 min. 999:347
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Gol Maal (India, 1979)
- Directed by Hrishkikesh Mukherjee. Cast: Amol Palekar, Bindiya Goswami, Utpal Dutt, Deven Verma, Dina Pathak. Ramprasad is a recent college graduate who finds a job with a finicky man who does not believe his employees should engage in recreation of any kind. When Ramprasad is caught by his boss at a soccer match, he has to invent a twin brother, the clean shaven Laxman Prasad, to save his job. But things take a whacky turn when the boss's daughter falls for Laxman Prasad and her father insists that she should marry Ramprasad. 139 min. DVD 1899
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Great Match (La gran final) (Spain / Germany, 2006)
- Directed by Gerardo Olivares. Cast: Ahmed Alansar, Mahamadou Alzouma, Abu Aldanish, Kenshleg Alen Khan, Wirapitang Kaapor, Kinchiran Kaapor, Mohamed Telit, Attibou Aboubacar. Tells the story of three soccer fans, who live in the farthest-flung corners of the planet but are determined to watch the TV broadcast of the 2002 World Cup final. A global comedy featuring a family of Mongolian nomads, a camel caravan of Tuareg in the Sahara, and a group of Indios in the Amazon. 88 min. DVD 6850
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Green Street Hooligans (USA / UK, 2005)
- Directed by Lexi Alexander. Cast: Elijah Wood, Charlie Hunnam, Claire Forlani, Marc Warren, Leo Gregory. Matt, a wrongfully expelled Harvard undergrad moves to London, where he is introduced to the violent underworld of soccer hooliganism. Initially alarmed by the violence, Matt soons ends up becoming as desensitized to it as his new found friends. But as events roll on, suspicion, shocking revelations and unsettled scores combine to a devastating climax. 108 min. DVD 5645
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- König der Mittelstürmer (Germany, 1924)
- Directed by Fritz Freisler. Cast: Fritz Alberti, Paul Richter, Colette Brettel, Rudolf Lettinger, Carl Walther Meyer, Aude Egede Nissen. A company director's son is in love with the daughter of an American oil magnate. She fears that he is only after her money, so she buys his father's company in revenge. He in turn is obsessed with soccer, as he attempts to convince his father of the importance of the game. 95 min. DVD X757
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Miracle of Bern (Das wunder von Bern) (Germany, 2003)
- Directed by Sonke Wortmann. Cast: Louis Klamroth, Peter Lohmeyer, Johanna Gastdorf, Mirko Lang, Birthe Wolter, Katharina Wackernagel, Lukas Gregorowicz, Peter Franke, Sascha Gopel, Knut Hartwig. Set in 1954, the Soviet Union is sending its prisoners of war home. Among them is the father of a quiet, football-loving 11-year-old, Matthias, who lives in a West-German mining town. The boy has long found a surrogate father in the local soccer player Helmut Rahn, who has "adopted" Matthias as his mascot. The return of the boy's father Richard casts a shadow over the once-happy family. Broken by his years in captivity, Richard has trouble adapting to life in post-war Germany and alienates his family through his severity. For Richard, soccer is pointless, and so is the World Cup that's about to be held in Bern, Switzerland. Matthias, through his passion for the game and his fighting spirit, rekindles a love of life in his dad's heart. 233 min. DVD 3523
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Offsides (Afsaid)(Iran, 2006)
- Director, Jafar Panahi. Cast: Sima Mobarak Shahi, Safar Samandar, Shayesteh Irani, M. Kheyrabadi, Ida Sadeghi, Golnaz Farmani.
During the 2006 Iran-Bahrain match, the Tehran soccer stadium roars with 100,000 cheering men and, officially, no women. According to Islamic custom, women are not permitted to watch or participate in men's sports. Many of the ambitious young female fans who manage to sneak into the arena are caught and sent to a holding pen, guarded by male soldiers their own age. Duty makes these young men and women adversaries, but duty can't overcome their shared dreams, their mutual attraction, and ultimately their overriding sense of national pride and humanity. 92 min. DVD 8777
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Phorpa: The Cup (1999)
- Directed by Khyentse Norbu. Based on true events, this is the story of a group of boys in a Tibetan monastery-in-exile in India who are determined to watch the 1998 World Cup soccer tournament. Watching their favorite sport is not only difficult -- it is forbidden. As soccer fever heats up, the young monks sneak out of their monastery and risk their futures in an adventure that's all for the love of the game. 94 min. DVD 6775; vhs 999:3154
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- She's the Man(2006)
- Director, Andy Fickman. Cast: Amanda Bynes, Channing Tatum, Laura Ramsey, Vinnie Jones, Robert Hoffman, Alex Breckenridge, Julie Hagerty, David Cross.
Viola becomes furious when she learns that her high school, Cornwall, has just cut the girl's soccer team. So furious, in fact, that she takes advantage of her twin brother Sebastian skipping town for a few weeks to take his place at his school, Illyria, so she can join the soccer team there. But her disguise as her brother leads to major complications when she falls in love with her soccer-playing roommate and the girl he's in love with falls in love with "Sebastian." Based on the play "Twelfth night" by William Shakespeare. Special features: Director's commentary ; deleted scenes ; gag reel ; three in-depth featurettes ; music video "Let go" by Daivd Lichens ; pop-up video (a.k.a. trivia track). 105 min. DVD 8784
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Skiing/Mountain Climbing
- The Holy Mountain (Der heilige Berg) (1926)
- Directed by Arnold Fanck. Cast: Leni Riefenstahl, Louis Trenker, Ernst Petersen, Hannes Schneider, Friedrich Schneider, Frida Richard. Set against a backdrop of the German Alps, a love triangle develops as two men vie for the affection of a dancer. One of Fanck's legendary "mountain films." 105 min. DVD 1823; DVD 3861 (Without English subtitles); vhs 999:317
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Rentschler, Eric. "Mountains and Modernity: Relocating the Bergfilm." New German Critique, No. 51, Special Issue on Weimar Mass Culture. (Autumn, 1990), pp. 137-161.
UC users only
- Scream of Stone (Schrei aus Stein) (Canada / Germany / France / Belgium, 1991)
- Directed by Werner Herzog. Cast: Vittorio Mezzogiorno, Mathilda May, Stefan Glowacz, Donald Sutherland. A mountaineering expert and a free climber have a rivalry going over who is the better climber. Their antagonism toward each other blows up when they realize they have the same love interest. A journalist decides to exploit their hate by pitting them against each other in a climbing race. Cerre Torre, known for its bad weather, is to be the sight for this media event. PAL format DVD. 102 min. DVD 3106
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Ski Party (1965)
- Directed by Alan Rafkin. Cast: Frankie Avalon, Dwayne Hickman, Deborah Walley, Yvonne Craig, Robert Q. Lewis, James Brown, Lesley Gore, Aron Kincaid, Bobbi Shaw, Patti Chandler, Mary Hughes, Annette Funicello (uncredited).
Two would-be snow studs go undercover as a couple of snow bunnies to find out what girls want from men. Will these cross-dressing cross-country skiers get what they want - or just discover that some like it cold? 91 min. DVD 8377
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Track
- Chariots of Fire (UK, 2005)
- Directed by Hugh Hudson. Cast: Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nigel Havers, Cheryl Campbell, Alice Krige, Nigel Davenport, John Gielgud, Ian Holm, Patrick Magee. Based on true events, tells the story of two English runners that were both driven by different means to win the Olympics. Eric, a devout Scottish missionary runs because he knows it must please God. Harold the son of a newly rich Jew runs to defeat antisemitism and prove his place in Cambridge society. 124 min. DVD 5492
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Cashmore, Ellis. "Chariots of Fire: bigotry, manhood and moral certitude in an age of individualism." Sport in Society, Mar2008, Vol. 11 Issue 2/3, p159-173, 15p
- Miles, Margaret R. "Not with my other: representing Islam and Judaism in a dominantly Christian society : Chariots of fire." In: Seeing and believing : religion and values in the movies / Margaret R. Miles. Boston : Beacon Press, 1996. (Main Stack PN1995.9.R4.M56 1996)
- Neale, Steve. "'Chariots of Fire', Images of Men." Screen; Sep/Oct82, Vol. 23 Issue 3/4, p47-53, 7p
- The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner(UK, 1962)
- Directed by Tony Richardson. Cast: Tom Courtenay, Michael Redgrave, Alec McGowan. An 18-year-old boy, a product of a slum environment, is sent to reform school where he becomes the top runner and the best bet to win against a private school. 104 min. DVD 8093; vhs 999:3494
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Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Hughson, John. "The 'Loneliness' of the Angry Young Sportsman." Film & History. 2005. Vol. 35, Iss. 2; pg. 41, 8 pgs UC users only
- The Runner (Iran, 1985)
- Directed by Amir Naderi. Iranian orphan Amiroo lives in an abandoned ship, earning a meagre living through casual jobs such as shoe-cleaning. But mainly, Amiroo is in a hurry. He runs. He races. And he tries to out-distance his illiteracy by ceaselessly learning all kinds of things. As he follows lessons at an evening school, he attains victory and self-respect in a race with his peers. 94 min. 999:3081
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Gambling
- Horse Racing
- Dement, Jeffrey W. Going for broke : the depiction of compulsive gambling in film. Lanham, Md. : Scarecrow Press, 1999.
(MAIN: PN1995.9.G26 D46 1999; PFA : PN1995.9.G26 D46 1999)
- 21 (2008)
- Directed by Robert Luketic. Cast: Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Laurence Fishburne, Kevin Spacey.
Ben Campbell, a highly intelligent, student at M.I.T. wants to transfer to the Harvard School of Medicine, but learns he cannot afford the $300,000 for tuition. Ben is introduced into a small but secretive club by his math professor Micky Rosa. The club has four other students who are being trained by Micky in the skill of blackjack card counting. Intriged by the desire to make money, Ben joins his new friends on secret weekend trips to Las Vegas where, using their skills of code talk and hand signals, Ben makes hundreds of thousands of dollars winning blackjack. Ben only wants to make enough money for the tuition and then back out but his greed and arrogance put Micky, as well as the group, on the radar of a brutal casino security enforcer, named Cole Williams. Cole holds a personal grudge of some kind against Micky which threatens to undo everything the students have learned and earned. Based on true events. Special features (Disc 1): Filmmaker commentary -- (Disc 2): Digital copy of featurette ; 21: the advantage player ; the cast explains the game of blackjack and card counting ; money plays: a tour of the good life: featurette that explores the clothes, luxuries and locations shown in the film. 123 min. DVD X25
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Bob Le Flambeur (Bob the Gambler) (France, 1955)
- Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville. Cast: Isabel Corey, Daniel Cauchy, Roger Duchesne, Guy Decomble, Andr?e Garet. Bob the Gambler finds out that the Deauville Casino expects to pull in 800 million francs on a certain date. On the night of the heist, Bob plays at the casino tables where before dawn breaks some of the men and women will win, some will lose and some will die. 95 min. DVD 1264; vhs 999:413
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Bugsy (1991)
- Directed by Barry Levinson. Cast: Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley, Joe Mantegna. The incredible true story of Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, the playboy gangster who betrayed the Mob for love. A cold-blooded killer who dreamed of Hollywood stardom, a crazed "patriot," who plotted against Mussolini, and the brilliant visionary who carved Las Vegas out of the dry Nevada desert, Bugsy had it all until he fell in love with a woman who wanted more. Their love affair was passionate, tempestuous and ultimately tragic. 136 min. DVD 5336
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- California Split(1974)
- Directed by Robert Altman. Cast: George Segal, Elliot Gould, Gwen Welles, Ann Prentiss, Edward Walsh, Bert Remsen.
Keeping one step ahead of their bookie, two L.A. gamblers embark on a winning streak that takes them to Reno, Nevada, where they enter a high-stakes poker game against the legendary Amarillo Slim. 105 min. DVD 6036
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
-
- Casino (1995)
- Directed by Martin Scorsese. Cast: Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, James Woods, Don Rickles, Alan King, Kevin Pollak.
In an era of over-the-top glitz, Sam "Ace" Rothstein is riding high as front man for the Mob's multi-billion-dollar Las Vegas operation. To protect their "investment," the bosses send in Ace's boyhood pal, hot-headed enforcer Nicky Santoro. It's a winning hand: Ace's brain and Nicky's muscle--until sexy wild card Ginger McKenna turns up the heat. 179 min. DVD 308
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
-
- Casino Royale(USA / UK / Germany / Czech Republic, 2006)
- Directed by Martin Campbell. Cast: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright, Giancarlo Giannini, Caterina Murino, Simon Abkarian, Isaach De Bankole, Jesper Christensen, Ivana Milicevic, Sebastien Foucan.
Casino Royale introduces James Bond before he holds his license to kill. But Bond is no less dangerous, and with two professional assassinations in quick succession, he is elevated to "00" status. "M", head of the British Secret Service, sends the newly promoted 007 on his first mission that takes him to Madagascar, the Bahamas and eventually leads him to Montenegro to face Le Chiffre, a ruthless financier under threat from his terrorist clientele, who is attempting to restore his funds in a high stakes poker game at the Casino Royale. "M" places Bond under the watchful eye of the Treasury offical Vesper Lynd. At first skeptical of what value Vesper can provide, Bond's interest in her deepens as they brave danger together. Le Chiffre's cunning and cruelty come to bear on them both in a way Bond could never imagine, and he learns his most important lesson: Trust no one. Special features: Becoming Bond, James Bond for real, Bond girls are forever (2006), Chris Cornell music video, trailers. 144 min. DVD 7221
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Cincinnati Kid (1965)
- Directed by Norman Jewison. Cast: Steve McQueen, Edward G. Robinson, Ann-Margaret, Karl Malden, Tuesday Weld, Joan Blondell, Rip Torn, Jack Weston, Cab Calloway.
The Kid thinks he's the best 5-card stud player in town, but The Man has never been beaten. It is therefore inevitable that they go head-on, and what a game it will be: a non-stop, stud poker duel-to-the-death to decide who will be the reigning king of the New Orleans gambling world. Based on the novel, The Cincinnati Kid / by Richard Jessup. 102 min. DVD 5089
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Gambler and the Lady (UK, 1952)
- Directed by Patrick Jenkins. Cast: Dane Clark, Naomi Chance, Meredith Edwards, Thomas Gallagher, Eric Pohlmann, Anthony Forwood. A greedy but successful professional gambler wants to join the British Establishment when he falls in love with a blue-blooded lady. But first he must mend his ways and then dump his nightclub singer girl friend. She's not so easy to get rid of, and neither is his past. 72 min. DVD 6021
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Great Gambler (India, 1979)
- Directed by Shakti Samanta. Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Neetu Singh, Zeenat Aman, Madan Puri, Prem Chopra. Vijay, an expert gambler is hired by the underworld and plays successfully, though unknowingly to entrap a patriotic Indian, to give up military secrets. The Indian police assign the case to Inspector Jai who is asked to apprehend Vijay at any cost. 163 min. DVD 3439
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Guys and Dolls (1955)
- Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Cast: Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra, Vivian Blaine, Robert Keith, Stubby Kaye. Music and lyrics by Frank Loesser: choreography, Michael Kidd. Musical comedy about the romancing of a beautiful Salvation Army missionary on a bet by a New York gentleman gambler and a floating crap-game operator who avoids marriage to his long-time fiancee. Based on the play: Guys and dolls / book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, from a Damon Runyon story.
Includes original theatrical trailer. 150 min. DVD 569; VHS 999:894
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Hard Eight (2000)
- Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Cast: Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow, Samuel L. Jackson.
Sydney, a poker-faced professional gambler plays guardian angel to unlucky John and his girlfriend. When John's and his bride's honeymoon night leads to a disastrous hostage situation, the gambler takes care of it as usual. But when a slick casino pro threatens to reveal a secret from Sydney's past, Sydney decides to hedge his bets and not leave anything to chance. 101 min. DVD 9292
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Little Miss Marker (1934)
- Directed by Alexander Hall. Cast: Shirley Temple, Adolph Menjou, Dorothy Dell, Charles Bickford.
In one of her earliest and most popular roles Shirley Temple melts the hearts of a gang of hardened gamblers when she is left as an IOU or "marker" for debt. Based on a story by Damon Runyon. 79 min. Video/C 999:2038
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Ocean's Eleven (2001)
- Directed by Steven Soderbergh. Cast: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Elliott Gould, Eddie Jemison, Bernie Mac, Shaobo Qin, Carl Reiner, Julia Roberts. Three prestigious Las Vegas casinos. More than $160 million. Danny Ocean and his 10-man handpicked team of grifters and conmen are ready to carry out the most elaborate casino heist in history, and they just might get away with it. 116 min. DVD 5771
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Ocean's Eleven (1960)
- Directed by Lewis Milestone. Cast: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford, Angie Dickinson.
The place is Las Vegas. The time: Midnight, New Year's Eve. Danny Ocean (Sinatra) and 10 of his ex-commando buddies get ready to rob the vaults of 5 casinos simultaneously! Special features: Feature-length audio commentary by Frank Sinatra Jr. and Angie Dickinson; interactive "then and now" Las Vegas map casino vignettes; excerpts from the Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson featuring guest host Frank Sinatra and Angie Dickinson; interactive menus; cast/filmmaker profiles; 2 theatrical trailers; scene access. Based on a story by George Clayton Johnson & Jack Golden Russell. 127 min. DVD 7899
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Ocean's Twelve (2004)
- Directed by Steven Soderbergh. Cast: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Julia Roberts. Ocean's Twelve reintroduces Ocean and his perfectly trained team of con men. Dividing forces to hit Paris, Amsterdam, and Rome, the heist-meisters move beyond casinos to tackle new objectives, one of which involves stealing a famous painting. 125 min. DVD 5772
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Ocean's Thirteen (2007)
- Director Steven Soderbergh. Cast: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Elliott Gould, Bernie Mac, Al Pacino, Don Cheadle, Casey Affleck, Eddie Jemison, Scott Caan, Shaobo Qin, Carl Reiner, Eddie Izzard, Michael Mantell, Ellen Barkin, Andy Garcia. Danny Ocean's team of criminals are back and are composing a plan more personal than ever. When ruthless casino owner Willy Bank double-crosses Reuben Tishkoff, causing a heart attack, Danny Ocean vows that he and his team will do anything to bring Willy Bank and everything he's got down. Even if it includes hiring help from one of their own enemies, Terry Benedict. Special features: Additional scenes ; "Vegas: an opulent illusion" : Las Vegas' influential design sense ; Jerry Weintraub walk and talk : the producer takes us on a casino tour. 122 min. DVD 9160
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Smart Money (1931)
- Directed by Alfred E. Green. Cast: Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney, Evalyn Knapp, Ralf Harolde, Boris Karnoff.
Nick Venizelos is an immigrant Greek barber who has an uncommon affinity for poker and other sorts of wagering. A group of his friends bankroll him in a big game, where his weakness for pretty blondes is taken advantage of by sleazy operator Sleepy Sam who cleans him out in a rigged game. Nick accepts help from his buddy Jack as they turn the tables on the grifters, but triumph soon changes to tragedy. Watch for an unbilled appearance by Boris Karloff as a dope pusher. Special features: Commentary by film historians Alain Silver and James Ursini; Warner Night at the Movies 1931 short subject gallery: vintage newsreel; musical short "George Jessel and his Russian Art Choir;" musical short "The smart set-up;" classic cartoon "Big man from the north;" trailer of 1931's "Other men's women." 81 min. DVD X134
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Sting (1973)
- Directed by George Roy Hill. Cast: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw. Set in 1930's Chicago, this Academy Award winning film deals with two con men who seek revenge on a big-time gangster who was responsible for the murder of their friend. 129 min. DVD 1439
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- A Throw of Dice (Prapancha Pash) (UK / India / Germany, 1929)
- Director, Franz Osten. Cast: Cast: Seeta Devi, Charu Roy, Himansu Rai, Sarada Gupta.
Inspired by the gambling episode in the ancient Hindu epic the Mahabharata, this rare classic of silent cinema tells of two kings who share a passion for reckless gambling, the perilous jungle tiger hunt, and the same woman. A throw of dice is the third film in a pioneering trilogy of silent films made through a unique partnership between German director Franz Osten and Indian actor-producer Himansu Rai. 141 min. DVD 2513
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Miscellaneous
- Bring it On (2000)
- Directed by Peyton Reed. Cast: Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Trey Wilson, Robert Wuhl. The Toro cheerleading squad has spirit, spunk, sass and a killer routine that's sure to land them the national championship torphy for the sixth year in a row. But for newly-elected team captain, Torrance, the Toros' road to cheer glory stumbles when she discovers their perfectly choreographed routines were stolen from a hot hip-hop squad across town. Now the squad must scramble to find a new routine to compete in this year's competition. 99 min. DVD 2273
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Charlie Chan at the Olympics (1937)
- Directed by Harry Lachman. Cast: Warner Oland, Katherine DeMille, Pauline Moore, Allan Lane, Keye Luke, C. Henry Gordon, Layne Tom.
This mystery pits Charlie Chan against international spies who are using the Berlin Olympic games as the perfect cover for cold-blooded murder. The detective is aided by his son who just happens to be on the U.S. swim team. 77 min. DVD 6775
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Game (1997)
- Directed by David Fincher. Cast: Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, James Rebhorn, Deborah Kara Unger, Peter Donat, Carroll Baker, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Anna Katerina.
In this thriller, Nicholas Van Orton, a shrewd and successful businessman who is always in control, has been enrolled by his brother in "The Game"--"a profound life experience" with no rules, which begins quietly but soon erupts in a confusing maze of devastating events. Terrorized by forces who seem intent on dismantling all that he has built, Van Orton has to win this deadly game or lose control of everything in his life. 128 min. DVD X573
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Golf (1922)
- Directed by Tom Buckingham; Larry Semon Cast: Larry Semon, Lucille Carlisle, Oliver Hardy.
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Iron Ladies (Satree-lex) (Thailand, 2000)
- Directed by Youngyooth Thongkonthun. Cast: Jessadaporn Pholdee, Sahapap Virakamin, Eckachai Buranapanit, Giorgio Maiocchi, Chaicharn Nimpoonsawas, Gokgorn Benjathikul, Siridhana Hongsopon.
The true story of a Thai male volleyball team that competes in the national championships in 1996 with a team consisting mostly of gays, transsexuals, and transvestites. Explores issues that arise, but the team gradually melds into an impressive unit, emerging triumphant in match after match.
104 min. DVD 9253
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Karate Kid (1984)
- Directed by John G. Avildsen.. Cast: Ralph Macchio, Noriyuki "Pat" Morita, Elisabeth Shue.
Daniel, a fatherless teenager, arrives in Los Angeles from the East and faces the difficult task of making friends. He becomes the object of bullying by a gang of karate students when he strikes up a relationship with Ali, the gang leader's ex-girlfriend. Daniel asks Miyagi, a master of martial arts, to help him learn karate. Daniel then prepares himself both mentally and physically for the fight of his life. 127 min. DVD 8815
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Monster Thursday (Monstertorsdag) (Norway, 2004)
- Directed by Arild Østin Ommundsen. Cast: Vegar Hoel, Silie Salomonsen, Kim Bodnia, Andreas Cappelen, Christian Skolmen, Iben Hjejle, Gaulid Marko Kanic. A quirky romantic drama set in remote coastal Norway takes the viewer on a tumultuous ride through surfing aspirations, extreme weather and love. Three friends, a love triangle and the quest for the perfect wave. 103 min. DVD 6340
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Muscle Beach Party (1964)
- Directed by William Asher. Cast: Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Luciana Paluzzi, John Ashley, Don Rickles, Jody McCrea, Dick Dale and The Del Tones, Candy Johnson, Morey Amsterdam, Little Stevie Wonder, Rock Stevens, Buddy Hackett.
Summer is back and so are Frankie and the gang, returning to the sunny shore in search of that perfect wave. But there's choppy water ahead: a beautiful Italian countess has her romantic eyes on Frankie, and a band of bronzed bodybuilders is ready to rumble with the surfers. 95 min. DVD 8377
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Pat and Mike (1952)
- Directed by George Cukor. Cast: Cast: Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Aldo Ray, William Ching, Sammy White, George Mathews. In this romantic comedy a woman athlete of enormous promise in the worlds of both tennis and golf is pursued by a shady promoter, who hopes to make her famous and make some money in the process. 94 min. 999:3154
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Ping Pong Playa (2007)
- Directed by Jessica Yu. Cast: J Jimmy Tsai, Khary Payton, Smith Cho, Peter Paige, Roger Fan, Jim Lau, Elizabeth Sung, Scott Lowell, Stephnie Weir. When a champion ping pong player gets hurt, his brother C-dub, a gansta-rapper wannabe, must face off against a devious rival player in the ping pong tournament of the year. With help from some unusual kids, C-dub just might be up to the challenge. Special features: Audio commentary with director/co-writer Jessica Yu and actor/co-writer Jimmy Tsia; "Warm-up drills" featurette; "Post-game" featurette; theatrical trailer. 96 min. DVD X852
- Information about this film from the Internet Movie Database
- Queen of Sports (Ti yu huang hou) (China, 1934)
- Directed by Yu Sun. Cast: Li Lili, Zhang Yi, He, Feiguang, Langen Han.
An athletic village girl comes to Shanghai, where she discovers the true nature of competition and love. The focus of the film is clearly on sport, including physical training, study and competition, though while at the school, she becomes rather fond of her coach, the brother of a classmate whom she knew in her childhood, as well as earning the jealousy of some catty classmates. The film advocates sport and physical health as important for the whole nation, and there is also implicit criticism of the effete manners of the upper-classes in the city. An interesting and entertaining example of an early sports film. 83 min. DVD 9432
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Rollerball (1975)
- Directed by Norman Jewison. Cast: James Caan, John Houseman, Maud Adams, John Beck, Moses Gunn, Pamela Hensley, Barbara Trentham, Ralph Richardson. In the perfectly controlled society of the 21st century, the only outlet for violence is a deadly spectator sport--Rollerball, a brutal mutation of football, motocross and hockey. Tuned to their televisions, the people watch as the only outlet for the pent-up anger and frustrations of the masses. 125 min. DVD 5579
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Run Girl Run(1928)
- Directed by John G. Avildsen; Cast: Carole Lombard and Daphne Pollard. At Sunnydale School, girls learned the three R's of Romeos, roadsters and roller skates. This story is about the misadventures of Norma, star athlete of the school. Though breaking training, she manages to save the day for the school by winning the race. 20 min. 999:2517
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Search for Beauty (1934)
- Directed by Erle C. Kenton. Cast: Larry 'Buster' Crabbe, Ida Lupino, Robert Armstrong, James Gleason, Toby Wing, Gertrude Michael, Bradley Page. Inspired by the L.A. Olympics, a trio of con artists lure some prize-winning athletes into endorsing their newly-acquired fitness magazine. They stage an international publicity stunt to find the healthiest young bodies in the English-speaking world. While the athletes are out scouting for specimens, the three rogues turn the magazine into a lurid cheesecake rag. This spins off into a health farm, which they try to turn into a high-priced facility for Hollywood swells out to exploit eager young talent. Search for beauty violated the Production Codes strictures against scenes of naked bodies. The film was heavily censored and was never re-issued or re-made. 78 min. DVD X1621
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- This Sporting Life (UK, 1963)
- Directed by Lindsay Anderson. Cast: Richard Harris, Rachel Roberts, Alan Badel, William Hartnell, Colin Blakely, George Sewell, Vanda Godsell, Arthur Lowe, Jack Watson, Harry Markham. Set in Northern Ireland this is the story of a professional rugby player who carries the violence of the football field into every area of his life. 134 min. DVD 1178
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Lindsay Anderson bibliography
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