Indianapolis, pista infernale

First, I should say that I've never been into car racing. The only other racecar-themed movie that I've seen is "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" (which was certainly funny). That said, I didn't find James Goldstone's "Winning" to be a bad movie. Although the movie meanders a little too much, it was mostly a solid focus on the toll that racecar driver Frank Capua's (Paul Newman) obsession with winning takes on his marriage. The verbal exchanges between Frank and his despondent wife Elora (Joanne Woodward) run kind of long at times. The scenes of the races themselves make the sport look like a death wish. But overall it's a good movie, and it has a better ending than you'd expect.

Also starring Robert Wagner, Richard Thomas, and a whole bunch of racers as themselves.

Most film fans know of Paul Newman's passion for auto racing, something he shared with his fellow rebel hero Steve McQueen. So like McQueen, sooner or later he was going to do a racing film. It's never going to be listed among his best films, but at least it was not as self indulgent as McQueen's Le Mans.

It's also not Grand Prix which had cinerama and dealt with the international racing scene and the glamour therein. This is an American film dedicated to what our president called the Nascar dads in the last presidential campaign. But it also deals with who I would have to call the neglected Nascar Moms.

Paul Newman is an auto racing driver and totally dedicated to his sport. He meets and marries Joanne Woodward who is a divorcée with a teenage son, Richard Thomas. After a while he starts taking her for granted and Woodward drifts off into an affair with rival driver Robert Wagner.

I very much doubt in real life if Paul Newman ever took Joanne Woodward for granted as he does her. I don't think they would have stayed married as long as they did. But Newman gives a solid portrayal of a man who gets quite a lesson in what is really important in life.

Richard Thomas shows some of the qualities that made him such a hit as John Boy in The Waltons. He gives a very good account of himself in scenes with Paul and Joanne.

Nascar Dads and Moms will like Winning, there's enough in the plot to satisfy all concerned.

The feeling I had during the movie is: this could have been better if it was totally different: More relations between characters and less cars. And even when there is a race, we get weird 60's shots of people not even watching the race. How about more about the rivalry between Newman and Wagner. What does Joanne do- is she a housewife, raising by herself a child since he was three? Richard Thomas (Charlie) and Newman should have had more scenes before Charlie is sad of the breakup; I would have been sad losing a father like Newman, but we should see why Charlie is sad. Newman puts as much character to Frank as the script allows. Too long, not too predictable (not that there are any big surprises, other than the credits coming a bit early in the last scene). Paul and Joanne are great together, see Mr. and Mrs. Bridge (1990).

I first saw "Winning" in 1969 and was utterly unimpressed with it. When TCM recently showed it, I decided to watch it again to see if my opinion of it had changed after 36 years. Nope. Underwritten, episodic plot line, dull characters , documentary-style, almost indifferent racing footage and, worst, the usual restrained, passionless chemistry between Newman and Woodward. Whatever has kept these two together for almost 50 years remains a mystery. Both Woodward and Newman have shown a playful sexiness with other screen partners (most notably, Woodward in "3 Faces of Eve"). However, I wish they'd given Newman another love interest. About the only high point of "Winning" is Richard Thomas as Woodward's son. Thomas works very well with Newman. Maybe they should have made HIM Newman's love interest. Oh well. I give "Winning" a "5".

This movie does not age well. Though Paul Newman's acting is very good, the same cannot be said of some supporting actors. Richard Thomas is unbearably bad as a kid who wants to emulate his dad—at one point he gets in the cockpit and just looks, well, retarded. Clu Gulager is a bad imitation of Smokey Yunick. The writers and director seem to have a vague idea what racing is about, but mostly they get it all wrong. This movie was made after John Frankenheimer's 1966 brilliant film Grand Prix. It utilizes many of the same camera and editing techniques and even the music is at times reminiscent of Maurice Jarre's utilizing a soft guitar for romantic moments, coupled with empty track shots, etc. etc. Winning saving grace is it's period racing shots and we can get a glimpse of how it was like at Indy in 1968. But the editing is really poor, some action shots are sped up (which just kills any serious car movie). In the sixties it was cool for a leading man to do a racing movie, then get into the real thing after the shooting wrapped. McQueen did it, James Gardner did it and Paul Newman did best by actually becoming a racing man's racer. All in all it's a pale imitation of Frankenheimer's Grand Prix, and I can't help thinking how the latter film might have been even better with Paul Newman starring.