Sport has always provided much drama and added colour to life. Sport
in cinema makes for a fabulous marriage; an examination of the human condition
through sport examined closely through cinema. Film for Thought at Sunaparanta,
Goa Centre for the Arts, Altinho-Panjim, is screening a number of sports based
films under Sports Fever. It kicked off on Tuesday with American film
‘Hoosiers’, starring Gene Hackman and Dennis Hopper. Recently voted “the fourth
best sports film of all time” by The American Film Institute, ‘Hoosiers’
features one of Hackman’s most underrated performances as the coach of a small-town
high-school basketball team.
The man behind the entire exercise, Arvind
Sivakumaran, who is curating the film festival, said, “It’s world-cup time and
to celebrate this month and half of non-stop sport, we present ‘Sports Fever @
Sunaparanta’. Over the next four weeks, we will showcase six sports films that
explore the sports field as a metaphor for the game of life.
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Next
Wednesday, he said, they will be showcasing ‘Chariots of Fire’, starring Ian
Charleson, Ian Holm and Ben Cross. The winner of the 1981 Oscar for Best
Picture is remembered mainly for Vangelis’ moving and ethereal music score but
is also a beautifully directed drama of two British athletes competing in the
1924 Paris Olympics – one runs to fight bigotry and the other for the greater
glory of God.
On Tuesday, June 18, ‘Tin Cup’ starring
Kevin Costner and Rene Russo will be screened. Kevin essays the role of the
loser golf “pro” in this romantic sports comedy who has always had the talent
but not the temperament to make it in the big league. Fate gives him another
chance to overcome his mental baggage and finally achieve glory but can he
overcome his self-destructive nature and win the US open or will he forever
remain the “great” that no one has heard of?
Robert Redford stars in ‘The Natural’, which
will be screened on June 19. It is a movie with a strong emphasis on myth,
mysticism and divinity. This allegorical and inspirational adaptation of
Bernard Malamud’s novel is a beautifully shot and inspiring parable of Roy
Hobbs, the late bloomer who lost his way at a young age but returns to defy age
and prove the adage that that you can never put down real talent even in the
sports world where youth always has the advantage.
Arsenal fans will have much to cheer with
the screening of ‘Fever Pitch’ starring Colin Firth on June 26. A film that
deals with the fan rather than the sportsman, Colin Firth is excellent in an
early comedic role as the football mad Arsenal fanatic whose loyalty to the
football club threatens his peace of mind and romantic relationship with his
football-averse schoolteacher colleague.
The final movie that ends this excellent
festival will star Ben Kingsley on July 3. ‘Searching for Bobby Fischer’
starring the man who made his name as Gandhi is that sports film that resonates
with rare intelligence. Steven
Zaillian’s introspective drama follows a young child prodigy Max, as he
grapples with the different approaches, strategies and techniques thrown at him
by chess coaches and parents who try to cultivate the next Bobby Fischer.
While we pray for our boys in Blue to
conquer ‘ole blighty’, we hope we get
inspiration and hope from all these films.
