Jim Thorpe -- All-American

Another of those great old biopics they did so well back in Hollywood's heyday. This one's from Warner Bros. and is directed by Michael Curtiz. It stars Burt Lancaster as Jim Thorpe, a Native American athlete who excelled in many sports in the first half of the Twentieth Century. He even won two gold medals at the 1912 Olympics, only to have them taken away from him on a technicality. As is the case with most biopics, then and now, liberties are taken with the facts of Thorpe's life for the purpose of telling the story in a more condensed and dramatic way. This is always a point of contention for many. As I've said in the reviews for numerous biopics before, it really doesn't bother me. I find that biographical pictures today are just as 'wrong' as then and for worse reasons. The main difference seems to be back then they glossed things up and tried to focus on the positive parts of a notable person's life story, whereas today the negatives are focused on and, in many cases, rumors and innuendo are passed off as fact.

However you feel about the authenticity of these kinds of movies, it's hard to deny they were often very well-done dramas with great acting and top production values. Here we have a fine performance from Lancaster, as well as Charles Bickford as Thorpe's coach, Pop Warner. A solid supporting cast is another plus. The sports scenes are all fun and manage to incorporate old footage with the new nicely. Overall, it's not my favorite classic Hollywood biopic, or even in my top ten, but it's an entertaining one about an important figure in American sports. Definitely worth a look if you don't have a bug up your rear about the historical accuracy of biographical movies.

I was 11 years old when saw this movie in India. I was absorbed and fascinated by the story and the sincerity of performance by Burt Lancaster. The movie gave a great boost to my interest in sports and helped make me work harder at track and field sports. I fell in love with Phyllis Thaxter because she is so beautiful. It was sad to see Burt portray the elderly but dignified Thorpe. I intend to make a visit to Jim Thorpe, PA and the Carlisle Indian School. They are just a few hours drive away from where I now live. It was clear from Burt's performance that he had great respect for the Native American and fully succeeded in bringing dignity and glory to Thorpe and his native ancestors. It was refreshing to see that the modern version of the proverbial "noble savage" was really noble and savage has no place in the description of the American Indian. It was an unforgivable affront to Thorpe, his family and his people for the International Olympic Commission to wrongly strip him of his medals only to return them posthumously to his family. Viswanathan

For anyone who watches this film, I think they should seriously consider this one since its real awe-inspiring. Jim Thorpe was truly a REAL American icon not because of what he did for the world of sports; but because he was a Native American First Nations person who had achieved a heck of a lot in his life which as a result made him out to be very famous! :D I don't know if anyone knows this or not but Jim was the very first NFL commissioner way before Pete Rozelle and all those other guys came into the picture. Of course, he super excelled at the football with the track and field activities. So he was really a multi-sport personality.

But........... anyways........ this is why I gave this film a 7 out of 10.

Jim Thorpe was a Native American who after reluctantly leaving his Oklahoma reservation, went on to become one of the greatest athletes that America produced. Naturally things aren't all wine and roses, and this is a tale that hits both the light and dark of human achievement.

Being English and not over familiar with the later life of Jim Thorpe, i can't attest to the accuracy of this particular biopic, so {perhaps a bonus} i can only judge this piece solely as the roller-coaster picture it turned out to be. What we get is a great story of a man who was permanently pushing himself to be better, and yes to be accepted for his racial background that he felt was hindering him to his ultimate goals. From an unaware angry young man to an all encompassing sports star, Jim Thorpe pushed the boundaries of each discipline he took on. Be it Baseball, Football, and total domination in Track & Field, Jim Thorpe was an incredible man who's story probably deserves better than this picture was able to give us. That's not to say that this Michael Curtiz picture is found wanting, because it's a very solid and impacting piece, i just feel that it doesn't quite reach the glorious heights that Thorpe himself reached.

Burt Lancaster stars as Thorpe, and it's a great bit of casting, physically he's perfect {he trained hard to capture believability in the role}, and he enthuses a great deal of emotion with the character, particularly during the darker parts of the story. Also standing out is Charles Bickford as Glen "Pop" Warner , a crucial mentor and voice of reason to Thorpe, whilst i'll raise a glass to the bright as a button performance of Phyliss Thaxter as Thorpe's wife Margaret, she is asked solely to carry the female weight in the picture and layers it perfectly. Sometimes uplifting, and at times inspirational, Jim Thorpe-All American is still an ultimately sobering experience, and it's with the sobering side of the picture that i come out of it with a rating of 8/10.

The better flicks have visual images that stick forever in your brain. This one has three:

1- the scene where Burt is fighting with his wife with the cigarette fumes flaming out of his nostrils

2-the crane shot when Burt is alone in the L.A. Colosseum.

3-the crane shot settling in on Burt after he kicks the football to the boys in the hood

also, at some point in our lives, don't we all have Charles Bickford narrating some individual triumph of ours??? I have nothing against Morgan Freeman, who is an excellent narrator, but I wish that Charley had lived long enough to do "March of the Penguins"