Field Theory by Hadyn Green

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Field Theory: The Sad News Springboks

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  • Jesse Easton,

    Wasn't really interested in seeing a movie with the ABs as villians, but from your write-up, it doesn't sound as bad as all that. Best sports movie I ever saw: Lagaan. Cricket + Bollywood. It is as awesome as it sounds.

    Carterton • Since Nov 2006 • 8 posts Report Reply

  • Graeme Edgeler,

    Of course, if it's about Rugby, it's not a real sports film anyway...

    At least according to filmsite.org:

    Sports should play a predominant role in a 'true' sports film, although there have been some that stretch the definition of sport, such as films about:

    bob-sledding (i.e., Cool Runnings (1993))
    bowling (i.e., Kingpin (1996))
    cheerleading (i.e., Bring It On (2000))
    chess (i.e., Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993))
    ... rugby (i.e., This Sporting Life (1963))

    Roller Derby is also out. And Rowing, skiing, and running.

    Best sports movie I ever saw: Lagaan. Cricket + Bollywood. It is as awesome as it sounds.

    I'm a sucker for a good (or not so good) sports movie. Caught The Greatest Game Ever Played on TV over the break, and Miracle some time last year. Best ever? Probably not, but when the story is just really cool, I can't help but get into it.

    And the game in the Stallone/Pelé vehicle Victory is awesome =)

    Wellington, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 3215 posts Report Reply

  • Glenn Pearce,

    "This Sporting Life" is about Rugby League

    Filmsite must have Union fans for editors

    Auckland • Since Feb 2007 • 504 posts Report Reply

  • Glenn Pearce,

    I've never seen a movie/TV program yet with a simulated/re-created game of Rugby that looked realistic.

    There's something about the game they just can't capture.

    Auckland • Since Feb 2007 • 504 posts Report Reply

  • Leopold,

    Fer chrissake, the target audience for the film is North American, 99% will have never heard of rugby and less of the RWC - They wouldn't care less what actually hoppen. Its a myth.
    (NZ version of the film presumably wou;ld have someone playing Suzie the Waitress as Peinaar's Evil Mistress...)
    I liked the movie.

    Since Jan 2007 • 153 posts Report Reply

  • LegBreak,

    Generally speaking, the best sporting movies are the ones which keep the match re-enactments to a minimum.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1162 posts Report Reply

  • Hadyn Green,

    I should point out that it is (and of course this is my opinion) not a good film.

    The depictions of the games are terrible. And, like all sports movies, the night games are lit like stadium flood lighting was never invented. And if you watch carefully the referee only gives out one kind of penalty.

    They wouldn't care less what actually hoppen. Its a myth.

    And yet I found the movie to be mostly a factual recreation (with embellished speeches and characters whose main role was to not know anything about rugby).

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2090 posts Report Reply

  • stephen clover,

    Ha ha, brilliant! (spoilers follow, probably)

    If you were wondering the film does seem to allude to that rumour. In one scene Mandela converses with his officials about coming up with a way to for them to beat the All Blacks off the field and put them off their game.

    When I saw the trailer, I had some kinda weird faux-epiphany. Of COURSE.. SA winning was seen as crucial to post-reconciliation nation-(re)building and so they couldn't POSSIBLY be allowed to lose. Of COURSE. It MUST be true.. and so on.

    Stoopid conspiracy theories :))

    wgtn • Since Sep 2007 • 355 posts Report Reply

  • Lucy Stewart,

    You could almost postulate that a better story would have had the Springboks losing to the multi-racial world-famous team and learning valuable lessons about what they could aspire to be, etc, etc - more of your Cool Runnings-type ending. Or, even, a story which had them realising that the All Blacks would be difficult to beat because of their racial-harmony-blah-fishcakes, and then beating them at their own game, as it were, by being awesome and overcoming their divisions.

    But I can't imagine a good sports movie where the opposition are, as you seem to describe them being in this one, just sort of irrelevant.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2105 posts Report Reply

  • Tom Semmens,

    If you want to watch this movie, illegally download it. That'll teach them.

    Sevilla, Espana • Since Nov 2006 • 2217 posts Report Reply

  • Naly D,

    You could almost postulate that a better story would have had the Springboks losing to the multi-racial world-famous team and learning valuable lessons about what they could aspire to be, etc, etc - more of your Cool Runnings-type ending. Or, even, a story which had them realising that the All Blacks would be difficult to beat because of their racial-harmony-blah-fishcakes, and then beating them at their own game, as it were, by being awesome and overcoming their divisions.

    And the third movie could be Invictus 3: Rise of the Steyns...

    As for sports movies, I liked Leatherheads in a 'this is a great pisstake of the sports movie genre' kind of way. And Radio in a 'this isn't about sport really' kind of way.

    But best sporting movie? Friday Night Lights. The opponents in that are 'sort of irrelevant' Lucy

    Wellington • Since Sep 2008 • 307 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    In Invictus the conflict between blacks and whites is the antagonist. And that's where the problem starts.

    I thought the only conflict was between Morgan Freeman's super-dense black male gravitas and the rest of the cast struggling not to be crushed by it's awesome gravitational force.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes,

    I thought the only conflict was between Morgan Freeman's super-dense black male gravitas and the rest of the cast struggling not to be crushed by it's awesome gravitational force.

    So, right on the brink of the Chandrasekar_limit eh?

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    Generally speaking, the best sporting movies are the ones which keep the match re-enactments to a minimum.

    For some reason, my favourite sporting movies (ice hockey ones tend to be pretty average, except for Mystery, Alaska, and that's not really about ice hockey), are American football ones: Friday Night Lights, Varsity Blues, Remember the Titans. Which is ironic, because I can't get into watching the actual sport.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • BenWilson,

    Don't forget Rocky . Just stop at #3.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report Reply

  • Kumara Republic,

    How about Old Scores?

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report Reply

  • LegBreak,

    So, right on the brink of the Chandrasekar_limit eh

    Damn; I was hoping that was going to be about spin-bowling with polio.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1162 posts Report Reply

  • Richard Llewellyn,

    On that 1995 final, I was sad to read today that one of the Springbok players (Ruben Krueger) from that 'game-that-shall-never-be-watched-again' passed away at the age of 39 from cancer.

    Mt Albert • Since Nov 2006 • 399 posts Report Reply

  • Mikaere Curtis,

    My favourite is Breaking Away. Even the series (made about 10 years later) wasn't as bad as you'd expect.

    I was at Linford Christie stadium to watch the '95 RWC final. It was an incredible atmosphere. We were so bummed when we lost. God it was depressing, we were all speechless. Then I said: "Look, this is the first time since ending Apartheid that South Africa can really hold it's head high in the international community." It helped a bit.

    Y'know, I went to school with Walter Little and he's a good mate of my brother, but it's never occurred to ask him about that food poisoning incident. Meh, we lost and that's pretty much the end of it.

    Still, I made 5 quid on a bet with an Englander work colleague from the ABs vs England semi. And it was really cool to start my OE with NZ being so high in the public eye.

    Tamaki Makaurau • Since Nov 2006 • 528 posts Report Reply

  • Richard Irvine,

    The Flying Scotsman is a goody

    Auckland • Since Dec 2006 • 242 posts Report Reply

  • Naly D,

    For some reason, my favourite sporting movies (ice hockey ones tend to be pretty average, except for Mystery, Alaska, and that's not really about ice hockey), are American football ones: Friday Night Lights, Varsity Blues, Remember the Titans. Which is ironic, because I can't get into watching the actual sport.

    I loved the Mighty Ducks movies.

    But then again, the first one came out when I was 4.

    Wellington • Since Sep 2008 • 307 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    I loved the Mighty Ducks movies.

    But then again, the first one came out when I was 4.

    Yeah. Try watching them again now. Painful.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Rich Lock,

    I liked this 'Invictus' review.

    In the many masterfully shot martial arts scenes Eastwood is clearly paying homage to the Hong Kong film directors who influenced his work in films such as Unforgiven and The Bridges of Madison County.

    back in the mother countr… • Since Feb 2007 • 2728 posts Report Reply

  • JackElder,

    The Flying Scotsman is a goody

    Worth watching. And one of the advantages of having track cycling as the sport is that in several disciplines, there is no other team. Obree specialised in the hour record, so they have to get the drama out of watching him ride around the velodrome very fast by himself. It's also fairly harrowing, as it's based on Obree's own autobiog, which he freely admits he wrote as part of his therapy to try to get over the serious depression that's lead him to two suicide attempts. They take a few liberties to make it fit more nicely as a film, but it's still heavy going in places.

    We watched American Flyers as part of our pre-race psyching up process for Taupo a couple of years ago. I enjoyed it, but several people I was with had grown up with it and had a deep and abiding affection for it. Apparantly it got a lot of kids on racing bikes in the 80s.

    Wellington • Since Mar 2008 • 709 posts Report Reply

  • Dan Horne,

    In The Departed, Matt Damon packs down in the scrum wearing No 10 on his back. I thought Scorsese would have paid more attention to detail. But maybe a flanker got sent off in a deleted scene, and they needed the first five to join the pack....

    Since Jan 2010 • 10 posts Report Reply

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