Canada Russia '72

Watching this movie was difficult because of the shooting style used. Far too jumpy and with some pretty strange camera angles. I know they were trying to use a documentary style but the jumpiness of the cameras and the editing make it harder to watch and get a feel for what is going on. There wasn't a lot of flow, especially in the first of the two parts. The best parts of the film were the behind the scenes looks. The thoughts and actions of the players, coaches, politicians behind the scenes were definitely interesting. Unfortunately we don't know how much of it was accurate and how much of it was dramatised but hopefully they kept it as accurate as possible. Was The Big M (that's Frank Mahovlich) really that paranoid? Did Paul Henderson really just call Peter Mahovlich off and jump on the ice to score the winning goal in game 8? It would have been good if they had given some time to some of the other players who didn't play. There was no mention, for example, of Bobby Orr, yet he practised and travelled with the team but couldn't play because he was coming off knee surgery and didn't have medical clearance. Getting some insight into what he was thinking and how difficult it must have been to watch would have been interesting.

I am not sure the documentary feel worked because they kept cutting to actual footage. The stock did not match. I know they shot it super 16mm instead of 35mm to get closer to what a documentation would have looked like. However, I know they have a VERY tight budget, so were able to accomplish a lot with a little. I do not know if people who did not care about the hockey summit to begin with would get into it. It was a lot of fun to watch them make it. The guy who played Clarke (John Bregar) was pretty nice to the extras. The hardest part was getting the crew off the ice between takes. You throw these guys in a hockey rink and they are kids all over again. I rated it kinda high cause I took a couple of days off work to be an extra in Moscow. It was great that they used some New Brunswick people too. I know Jonathan Collicott was an Assistant Director, Glendon McKinney was working in the Art Department, and Glen Ross was taking pictures. There was also several NB Film Co-op members seen on screen as extras (Nik Mills, Chisholm Pothier, Jeff Combs, Sebastian MacLean just to name a few).

This was on TV twice, both times I missed it. Luckily, my dad and brother were there watching it, without missing a minute. It was then that we knew this would be one of those movies that was calling our name to be in our DVD collection. This movie was extremely close to the real thing, from what I've heard from my knowlegdable dad and seen from real life footage. I guess anyone who was actually watching the series in '72 would know I mean, better than I do. Anyways, the acting was breathtaking, the sets were amazing, everything was just great. The atmosphere was believable and intense. Unforetunately, I wasn't alive in 1972 to see the real thing. Lucky for me, this movie came into being. It's the next best thing. If you're Canadian, be proud.

I think many of the 'actors' are gifted hockey players & lookalikes--there's not much on their resumé at IMDB. The photo of the guy playing John Ferguson is more like a Mugshot, which is fitting for the character! (Meant in a good way). Gerry Dee, though, plays an awesome chippy Wayne Cashman.

I am re-watching this amazing CBC production, from which the only thing I recall is 1) the Vancouver fans booed Team Canada from the beginning 2) Ferguson's later response to Bobby Clarke breaking Kharlomov's ankle: 'Hockey is a real tough game.'

A three-Cd set, with tons of insight & anecdotes you won't see on the package that has the 8 full games (yeah, I got that, too).

One of the great moments of Canadian sport came when I was in an Ottawa tavern in Sept. 1972 and Paul Henderson scored the winning goal against Russia to redeem Canadian hockey. Everyone in that room let out a burst of joy and relief when that goal came. No one who saw it on the grainy film that came out of Moscow will ever forget it.

A movie can never recapture that moment but I still couldn't tear myself away from the TV when Canada-Russia '72 movie was shown. It brought it all back. Gabriel Hogan as Ken Dryden gives a good portrayal of Mr. Goalie, who had his own ups and downs in the series. Other actors brought a ring of truth to Phil Esposito and Coach Harry Sinden. Esposito was the leader (with all his warts) and Sinden was head and shoulders above the other guys behind the bench. I liked Sonia Laplante in the role of a Canadian diplomatic liaison, trying to walk a tightrope and juggle at the same time. She had to keep them on their best behaviour and at one point, she negotiated the release of a fan stunned and shaken after the Russian authorities arrested him for blowing a horn during the game.

The movie gives depth to what the team was enduring behind the scenes as the national fever mounted during the series. We see their stupidities and their hotel pranks, which made them look like a bunch of bozos until they settled down. The Russians were not blameless and the arrest and humiliation of one Canadian fan was news to me. Was this historical fiction or was it true? Only the players know how accurate this is.

Nevertheless, it is true that the team and all of Canada was in shock after the first game. It should not have been surprising that a group of individualists would not automatically blend into a unit off the bat. We were so naive in our assumptions. With hindsight we see how mistaken the herd instinct can be. This comes through loud and clear in the movie.

I take issue with Canadians not supporting the team. Certainly everyone was cheering them on, despite the disappointments. If it had been a walkover, there would be no drama and Canadians got involved because our international reputation was on the line. Before the series went back to Russia, Canada was down. Along with millions of others I sent postcards of support; in my case, one to Sinden and one to Esposito. Win or lose, I was with them and so were millions of other Canadians who wanted them to win and so they did...in dramatic fashion.