Pelle di rame

Not being much of an athlete myself, it follows that I am no sports fan but, sometimes, movies dealing with that topic have managed to be engrossing for me nonetheless and, to some degree, the film under review is another such example. At 38, Burt Lancaster is absurdly overage playing renowned Native American athlete Jim Thorpe as a student but, overall, he is ideally cast as the man who became known as "America's greatest athlete of the first half of the twentieth century." I would not really know but Thorpe's feat of excelling in just about every sport he tried his hand (or feet) at – from racing to long jump, from javelin to high jump, from baseball to football, etc. – is probably unparalleled in the history of sports. As a biopic, it follows the standard pattern of similar Hollywood fare: from rebellious childhood to uneasy student to formidable athlete to Olympic champion, followed by first professional and later personal tragedy and the subsequent, gradual fall from grace (including divorce and public humiliation). Equally typical of the genre, however, is the heavy streamlining of the subject's life that, in this case, jettisons Thorpe's other two wives and his Hollywood career as an extra in several notable films like KING KONG (1933) and WHITE HEAT (1949). Prolific director Curtiz adds another biopic to his repertoire (even if it fails to scale the heights of the best of them) and the cast is rounded up by Charles Bickford (as Thorpe's coach and conscience), Phyllis Taxter (as his first wife), Steve Cochran (as his rival in love and football team-mate!), Dick Wesson (as his best friend) and Nestor Paiva (as his resigned but sensible Indian father). By sheer coincidence, just yesterday I came across Kon Ichikawa's acclaimed documentary of the 1964 Olympics, TOKYO OLYMPIAD (1965) and, under the circumstances, I could not pass up a chance to acquire it!

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.

Emotional and heartfelt story of athlete Jim Thorpe (superbly portrayed by Burt Lancaster), a multi-faceted individual who dominated several sports of the early-20th Century. The film follows the title character from his youth at his reservation (Thorpe was a Native American) and proceeds through his college, professional and Olympic careers. Tragedy strikes on more than one occasion though as the super-star goes into a tail-spin, feeling that his nation and even God have turned their backs on him (due to his Olympic medals being stripped and the death of his young son). Through it all the film is told in wonderful flashbacks by Coach "Pop" Warner (the always outstanding Charles Bickford). Definitely worth a look. An under-rated and somewhat ignored gem from the director of "Casablanca" (Michael Curtiz). 4.5 out of 5 stars.

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

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"