Amazon.com

The legendary distance runner Steve Prefontaine blazed across tracks and into America's consciousness before meeting a tragic death in an auto accident at the age of 24.In this tribute to "Pre," narrated by writer Ken Kesey, a number of his contemporaries speak movingly of him as an athlete and a person.After setting high school running records in his native Oregon, Prefontaine went on to the University of Oregon, where as a freshman he began to dominate the American track scene and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated. He was a distinctive character and archival films demonstrate the charisma and astounding confidence he brought to his sport.His race in the 5,000 meters at the 1972 Munich Olympics is shown in detail, with other runners in the race offering commentary on the gutsy performance of the 21-year-old.Pre didn't win a medal in the race, but as his sister puts it, the race "matured him" and made him determined to win gold at the 1976 Montreal Olympics (which he wouldn't live to do).Though one of the world's best athletes, after college he was forced to survive on food stamps, and he became a spokesman for the plight of amateur athletes. This is a touching look at a brilliant athlete and a charming character who still inspires runners today. --Robert J. McNamara ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Pre!
If you were a runner in the early '70s, Steve Prefontaine was your idol. Give Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers and even Lasse Viren their due, it was Pre who captured the essence of running as no other ever had or probably ever will. The guy had charisma - loads of it - and a style that grabbed you by the shorts and pulled you around the track with him. Was he America's greatest runner? Probably not, but who knows how good he could have been had his awesome potential not been snuffed. He may not have been the best, but he certainly inspired more runners than any of his contemporaries. The video provides comments and insights from family, friends and athletic rivals, and the footage from some of his races - particularly the 1972 Olympic 5000 meters - is an adrenaline-pumping reminisce of a spirit in American running we may never see again. This video allows the viewer to vicariously experience that fire and magic one more time.

Citius - Altius - Fortius
I purchased this video for my son who is a runner on his high school's track team. I didn't realize that the film would have such an impact on him, in that he has watched it three times already and has shared it with his teammates as well. Prefontaine has become an icon to these runners, an inspiration for them to take their running to the next level. My son is now planning to continue to compete in college: this fall on the XC team and on the track team in the spring.

Will get you through the last miles of a marathon
Once you watched this, just like Pre you'll never ever quit!

An Amazing Runner
As a high schooler who ran cross-country and track Pre was an inspiration. I learned about him around those times. I even cut out a picture of him in a magazine and put it over my bed as an inspiration before every track meet I competed in. This documentary must be real good!! It's a must for any track enthusiast, runner, or any Pre fans. He was an inspiration. If he had lived he probably would have been one of the greatest track coaches of all time like Bill Bowerman was. He's in my top 10 of one of the greatest track stars of all time! What A Runner!!! Thanks.

The Legend Lives On!
I remember watching Prefontaine doing his practice runs around the fields at North Bay Junior High School in Hauser, Oregon when I was a student there. I was aware of his achievements and was in awe of him. It was such a thrill to be able to watch him practice. His is a truly inspirational story. I went on to run long distance myself at his rival school in North Bend, OR. I would have given anything to have half his natural talent. I also watched him in the 1972 Olympics on television and still remember the emotions involved. I will always admire Prefontaine and wonder about the greatness that would have been. Someday Hollywood will do his story right. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A MUST HAVE FOR JORDAN FANS
One Word: Bestsportsvideoever.

Awesome highlights from his early years. The dialogue from this video and the calls of the announcers will stick in your head. If you play basketball, Every time you touch a basketball you will try to immitate highlights from this video. If you are a Michael Jordan fan, you absolutely MUST have this video. If you aren't a Michael Jordan fan, you still should have it. Best sports video I have ever seen. If you are a Michael Jordan fan, you will not be able to take this tape out of your VCR.

AIR JORDAN'S BEST VIDEO BY FAR!!
This is easily the best NBA video around.I wasn't sure at first but when I watched Jordan's gravity defying dunks and shots it blew me away!It has got more spectacular highlights than any other NBA video I have ever seen.It starts off with Jordans childhood on the baseball field,then his brilliant college days,then to the best stuff...his early days in the NBA where he earned lots of awards.Made before he stunned the world by leading the Bulls to a double three-peat,this tape captures the glory days of both slam-dunk contests,his injury and how he came by it to become the best player ever,all his dunks,lay-ups and game winners,his success in the olympics in L.A,and his own commentary on what it was like to be such a star performer.There is also some footage of his greatness at golf aswell.Only one dissapointment,not enough footage of his All-Star games.I ordered this over-seas because Britain dosent sell NBA videos.Also great service from Amazon.Buy this if you are an NBA fan and want to witness the greatest player ever...AIR JORDAN!

THE BEST SPORTS VIDEO EVER !
This is the number one selling sports tape of all time.

I used to watch this tape everyday and I know the hold tape

by voice threw. This is not even my tape when I moved from

my old neighborhood I kept his Jordan tape from my friend.

Even if you don't like Jordan you will find youself captivated

by his work ethic abilities and achievements. This tape is

addicting you will find yourself watching it late at night for

no reason. This tape can also inspire you to workout or if

you want to get hype for a local church tournament.The piano

part at the very begining is also nice. MICHAEL JORDAN COME FLY

WITH ME THE BEST SPORTS VIDEO EVER .I hope they put this classic

on DVD!

The Best Jordan Video of All
I have seen almost all of the Michael Jordan videos yet Come Fly With me is special. This is the only video that captures the essence of Michael Jordan in his prime. Jordan was definitely most breath-taking to watch when he consistently went for the daring lay-ups and the spectacular dunks. This video was filmed before Jordan was a world icon and doesn't contain all the scrutiny and controversy that is present in such videos as Above & Beyond and Air Time. If you are all about the highlights, this is your video.

My favorite Michael Jordan video
I have a few Michael Jordan videos and "Come Fly With Me" is definitely my favorite. Just about the whole video is full of awesome highlights. "Come Fly With Me" starts out by telling of how Jordan grew up playing basketball and baseball, then it gets to the good stuff. It shows footage from some of his college games all the way to the 1988 All-Star Game and Slam Dunk Contest. It tells about his injury at the beginning of the 1986 season and how he rebounded from it and became an even better player. You'll also hear a lot of insight from Michael's parents and even see some highlights of him playing golf in the offseason.

If you're a Michael Jordan fan and you like seeing a lot of highlights that only Jordan himself could make, then you need to get "Come Fly With Me." It probably has more dunking and other gravity-defying highlights on it than any other Michael Jordan video out there. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

This completely absorbing three-hour documentary follows the lives of two inner-city African American teenage basketball prodigies as they move through high school with long-shot dreams of the NBA, superstardom, and an escape from the ghetto. Taking cues from such works as Michael Apted's 35 Up, director Steve James and associates shot more than 250 hours of footage, spanning more than six years, and their completed work actually moves like an edge-of-the-seat drama, so brimming with tension, plot twists, successes, and tragedies that its length--170 minutes--is never an issue. Yet, what makes the film more impressive is how James moves his scope beyond a competitive sports drama (although the movie has plenty of terrific, nail-biting basketball footage) and addresses complex social issues, creating a scathing social commentary about class privilege and racial division. The film opens by introducing William Gates and Arthur Agee, two Chicago hopefuls, as they are being courted and recruited by various high schools to play ball, and continues until the pair are college freshmen. James allows the audience the experience of not only watching their journeys and daily routines (it's a sobering portrait of inner-city life), but also witnessing their maturation. Each takes a separate path along the way, stumbling over several obstacles (William suffers injuries, Arthur fails to meet his coach's high expectations); but James takes particular care to stress the importance and strong commitment of each character's family along the way, giving the film a essential center. The parents and siblings emerge with as much depth and complexity as the two main "characters," and turn Hoop Dreams into an unforgettable film experience. --Dave McCoy ... Read more

Reviews (31)

good, but a bit too long and narrow
This film follows the lives of two inner city kids who aspire to play basketball in the NBA. All of the hopes and dreams of the youngsters and their failures and succeses are monitored. From young kids to young men, the harsh realities of growing up in the inner city are also shown.

The two main things that bother me about this documentary is that it was too long and narrowly focused. Two hours would have been more than sufficient espeicially for only two people. The extra time diminished the value of the film for me. I also think the film is too narrowly focused because there are only two subjects. The director could have selected 5 or maybe 7 subjects from the different cities to give more of a perspective.

I won't spoil the film, but I must say that nothing extrodinary happens. Both subjects seem content (one of them more than the other) with their lots in life however.

For those interested in seeing an excellent documentary series which follows the lives of people very well though different stages of life, see Micheal Apted's "Up" series.

Perhaps the Greatest Film Ever Made
And easily the best of the nineties. I've heard people using excuses such as "It's too long" or "It's a documentary" or "It's just a sports movie." Well it is a documentary, but I've seen two other documentaries ("Roger and Me" and "Hearts of Darkness") that rank among the finest I've seen. "Hoop Dreams" encompasses not only basketball, not only the ghettos, but life itself. We see ups and downs, successes and failures, and because we know it's all real, the film affects us tremendously. Its length is no factor. When the Gates or the Agees make bad decisions we cringe, when they gain succeed we cry (literally.) No other film has such an incredible impact emotionally and intellectually. This film will change your life.

Still brings tears to the eyes after 10 years
When this movie first came out 10 years ago, I remembered sitting for several minutes in the theater as the credits were rolling, collecting myself. I never cry in movie theaters. And this movie moved me to bawl like a child. To think about the ups and downs, the raw enthusiasm of the young boys when they first started chasing their hoop dreams, the rough realities that they both faced without consistent fatherhood, without steady incomes, without one advantage in their lives, still brings tears to my eyes. This was a brilliant movie that moved public discourse about the importance of steady parenting, the need for educational and employment opportunities in all corners of America, the costs associated with our obsession for celebrity athletes, and the limitations of athletics as a vehicle for moving young men from poverty to wealth. Because of the openness of the families being documented, and because the film's editors and director were able to cut to the core of human needs and desires, this film broke through cultural barriers, bridged gaps in our understanding of one another, and helped us to understand that every life has value, every person has a story to tell, and every child has the right and the power to dream. It also helps us to understand that it is not always the content of character or talent that enable these children to achieve their dreams. It is also privilege, opportunities, and the right guiding hands. And without these, dreams become melancholy memories of something that could have been, only if...

One of the greatest
In my opinion, being a big fan of the genre, Hoop Dreams stands as one of the greatest nonfiction works of film, most probably the most important movie of any genre made in the last 35 years and a serious contender for the somewhat silly "greatest movie of all time" credential, comparing favorably with such cultural fixtures as Citizen Kane. I'm not a sport fan whatsoever, I dont know anything about basketball, and my life has been about as different from the two kids in the film as possible. When I first saw this movie about ten years ago I was bracing myself for some blaxploitation movie. I have since watched it at least a half a dozen times since, and I never fail to be awed by the incredible scope and pathos of this film. On the surface, the movie is about basketball, poverty, aspiration, frailty, loss, hope, marginalization, ghetto life, and youth. When put together over the most engaging 3 hours I have ever had, the film constructs a monumental testament to the human experience. Brilliant in its themes, virtually flawless in its execution, stunningly humane in its treatment of its subjects, Hoop Dreams is big, important, and excellent. Like other true greats, its greatness is often overstated, but it's the type of movie that if you have half a brain and half a heart, you will be seized by the brilliance dripping from every pixel.

very tight Documentary
I went to see this Film at the Movies&it was very moving.it showed two Cats who were going for the Gold&leaving nothing for chance. this is a documentary that shows about How hard Cats work at doing what they want to do.still a very Moving Picture. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

After the national success of his 11-hour epic, The Civil War--the highest-rated miniseries in public-television history--many wondered if Ken Burns could capture the same energy and passion with smaller subjects. His reply, the 18-hour history of America's greatest sport, Baseball, not only quieted these worries, it also perhaps surpassed his prior achievement. Massive in scope (it covers more than 100 years), exhausting in detail, and filled with celebrities, journalists, politicians, historians, and the men who played the game, Burns's romantic love letter to the game achieves the impossible: even those who hate baseball can't help but become immersed in it. This is because Burns doesn't just detail the great players and the memorable plays and games; he also presents baseball as a cultural and social mirror, reflecting the beauty and hypocrisy of the nation that created it. Divided into nine innings, two hours each in length, the video examines complex social issues such as segregation, racial inequality (its section on Jackie Robinson, baseball's first African American player, should be required school viewing), labor battles between owners and players, politics, technology and gender conflicts, among others. Then, of course, there's fascinating footage and biographies on the players--troubled icons such as Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb, heroes such as Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle, and tragic figures such as Pete Rose and Lou Gehrig--the men who, despite a rocky and often hypocritical history, constructed baseball's tradition and preserved its invincibility. --Dave McCoy ... Read more

Reviews (93)

A DVD All Baseball Fans Should Own
Ken Burns did his usual outstanding job with this documentary. He tells the story of baseball, using a combination of still photos, videos, interviews and quotes quotes. The DVD includes a bonus disc, which includes several great interviews.

He hits all aspects of the game: The development of the game itself and the leagues, the labor history, the stars and great teams and personalities, the great moments in the history of the game, and so on. He also gives us a pretty good look at the old Negro leagues and we get to hear some of the great stories from those days before MLB was integrated.

The only bad thing I can say about this collection of dvds is that by the time it was over I was really sick of hearing different versions of "Take Me out to the Ballgame."

The great stories in this collection more than make up for that one drawback, however. He does more than just interview and quote the players, managers, umpires, owners and sports writers. He includes stories from fans. Doris Kearns Goodwin told about how she grew up rooting for the Brooklyn Dodgers, then after they moved away, she found herself in Boston, becoming a Red Sox fan, just in time to have her heart broken again.

All fans of baseball should see this collection.

this is a 'must see' for people who love baseball
THIS BEAUTIFUL AND METICULOULSY CRAFTED FILM ABOUT THE HISTORY OF BASEBALL, TRACES IT'S ROOTS IN AMERICA FROM THE 1830' TO THE 1990'S. ANYONE WHO HAS SEEN KEN BURN'S CIVIL WAR SERIES KNOWS HOW WELL THE AUTHOR COVERS HIS SUBJECT. THIS NINE TAPE SET LETS YOU SEE THE EVOLUTION OF AMERICAS GAME. THROUGHT A COLLECTION OF STILL PHOTOGRAPHS AND EARLY MOTION PICTURES YOU CAN SEE THE LEGENDS THAT YOU HAVE ONLY HEARD OF IN BOOKS AND FROM YOUR OLDER RELATIVES. CAP ANSON AND 'HOME RUN BAKER COME TO LIFE, TY COBB AND HONUS WAGNER, AND GROVER CLEVELAND DISPLAY THEIR ATHELETIC PROWERESS ON JERKY SPOTTED FILM. THE NARRATIVE IMPECCABLY DONE BY JOHN CHANCELLOR AND A HOST OF WELL KNOWN FANS SUPPLIES YOU WITH A RUNNING COMMENTARY OF THE PLAYERS AND THEIR STORIES OF MOST OF THE HONORED MYTHS. THE STORY IS TOLD IN A CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER SEPARATED INTO ININGS, A TOTAL OF NINE. THEY ALSO COVER THE 1910'S AND THE BLACK SOX SCANDAL. THE 20'S AND THE 'BABE'. THE 30'S AND THE 'IRON HORSE'. ON INTO THE 40'S WITH 'JOLTIN JOE' DIMAGGIO AND TED WILLIAMS. THE WAR AND IT'S EFFECT ON THE GAME WITH THE BIRTH OF WOMEN IN PROFESSIONAL BALL. THE INSPIRATIONAL STORY OF JACKIE ROBINSON AND THE INTERGARATION OF THE 'NATIONAL PASSTIME'. INTO THE 50'S AND THE RISE OF NEW STARS LIKE MICKEY MANTLE,WILLIE MAYS,HANK AARON AND THE TRIALS OF THE BROOKLYN DODGERS. THE SERIES COVERS THE EFFORTS OF PLAYERS TO OVER THROW THE HATED RESERVE CLAUSE WHICH BOUND EVERY PLAYER TO ONE CLUB FOR HIS LIFETIME. EACH TAPE HIGHLIGHTS THE WORLD SERIES OF MOST OF THE YEARS. THE THROWING OF THE SERIES BY 6 SOX PLAYERS, THE PICTURE OF BABE RUTH CALLING HIS SHOT AGAINST THE PIRATES. THE MIRACLE CATCH BY MAYS IN '54' AND THE INVOLVEMENT OF AMERICA IN DIMAGGIO'S INCERDIBLE STRING OF 56 GAMES SAFELY HIT IN. IT ALSO HAS ITS SHARE OF ZANIES AND SHOWS SOME OF THE WARTS OF THIS GREAT GAME. THE CURSE ON THE BOSTON REDSOX BY BABE RUTH AND THE INCOMPRABLE SATCHELL PAGE. THE MIDGET HIRED BY BILL VECK AND THE EXPRESSIONS COINED BY THE LIKES OF CASEY STENGEL AND YOGI BERRA. THE LOVEABLE CRAZINESS OF BILL LEE. IT'S ALL HERE IN ABOUT 10 HOURS OF VIEWING WHICH WILL PASS IN FLASH LIKE THE PICTURES ON THE SCREEN. YOU MUST WATCH THIS DOCUMENTARY IF YOU GREW UP IN AMERICA IN THE 40' AND 50'S LIKE I DID- TO RECALL THOSE WONDERFUL LOSE DAYS OF CHILDHOOD SPENT ON THE BASEBALL FIELD AND THOSE WHO WERE NOT FORTUNATE ENOUGH, TO SEE THE FABLED PLAYERS OF THE PAST.

View it as entertainment, not as history
Ken Burns is becoming well-known as much for what he leaves out of his documentaries as for what he tells you and how he tells it. One sees it somewhat in the Civil War documentary (unless of course you are a Lost Cause devotee, in which case you view that series as horribly biased and riddled with errors), and it is definitely (and troublingly) evident in his Jazz documentary, where 40 years of jazz is virtually glossed over in favor of an almost obsessive fixation on Louis Armstrong. In the case of "Baseball," Burns again leaves out huge chunks of the story, although the end result is nonetheless entertaining.

In the case of "Baseball," the unrelenting focus is on New York City, Babe Ruth & Jackie Robinson, and to be fair, there is no way you could discuss the subject of baseball without devoting a great deal of time to these subjects. However, the title of the documentary is "Baseball," not "The New York City, Babe Ruth, and Jackie Robinson Story," and it is possible to watch this documentary at times and come to believe that nothing else was happening out side of New York most of the time.

I recall reading a Sports Illustrated article a few years ago that discussed the Philadelphia Athletics from 1929-1931, and made the case that that team was better than the famed "Murderer's Row" Yankees of 1926-1928, and possibly the best team in baseball history. The article's author crunched the numbers, compared the stats, and made a pretty compelling case. He then asked why so little attention has been paid to the A's over the years, and posited that because most of the nation's important papers and sportswriters were based in New York City; by default the majority of the great sportswriting was devoted to the Yankees, while relatively backwater Philadelphia languished in obscurity. It seems to be the same situation with Burns. While other incredibly dominant teams such as (in the early years) the Chicago Cubs, the A's, the Pittsburgh Pirates & the Detroit Tigers are given passing mention, they are quickly shoved on the back burner in favor of the Boston Red Sox & New York Giants. Then the Yankees & the Dodgers begin to coalesce, and it is all New York, all the time. One gets no feeling for how dominant the 1929-1931 A's (or the St. Louis Cardinals of the mid-1930's) were, because Burns continually focuses on Babe Ruth & the Negro Leagues.

When Burns gets to the 1950's he can be excused, because really it was a New York-dominated decade like no other. However, the other decades did in fact see a more competitive balance, and one would not get this impression from the documentary.

It would have been nice if Burns hadn't crammed the last quarter century of his story into one "inning." Are you telling me that the stories since 1970 aren't as compelling as the early years of baseball. I don't believe that Burns would have had to devote that much more time to the post-1970 era to make it feel less cursory and rushed. This is a somewhat annoying tendency of his that was more griveously evident when he made "Jazz."

Also, I get a little tired of the "poetry of baseball" school of thought. It isn't as though I am some knuckle-dragging troglodyte who gets all his news from sports radio; I am just as likely to go to the opera as to the ballpark. This baseball as metaphor for how the cosmos works gets on my nerves after a while (although I consider Roger Angell's comment "there's more Met than Yankee in all of us" to be priceless beyond description). It's not that baseball doesn't imbue our life with a little extra something special, it's just that some of these talking heads tend to get a little overwrought.

I enjoyed watching the documentary the first time, and I have watched it probably half a dozen times since over the years. By comparison, I have watched "The Civil War" about 15 times, I would guess. I was so disappointed with "Jazz" that I managed only a second viewing. In any case, "Baseball" is very entertaining, and that is what largely accounts for my 4-star rating I would only caution those who don't know their baseball history that this documentary omits a great deal of what is a very good story.

Costas at his best
You don't have to love baseball like I do to enjoy this documentary about Americas pastime. Although I got a little tired of Ken Burns style (I think it's unnecesary to quote someone and THEN state the name of the person being quoted, a Ken Burns trademark) the material is just too great and too American to be disliked. The best part? I was mesmerized by Bob Costas' description of events that took place in the BoSox clubhouse during their 9th inning collapse in game six of the 1986 World Series. When he recollects his "What do I do if they tie it?" remark to his producer it is fascinating, thrilling, and in the end, very sad. Just more proof that baseball is "designed to break your heart". Trust me on this one.

Great documentary but what's the deal?
Has anyone noticed that the times given for each "Inning" (i.e., disc) on the DVD is wildly inaccurate? Am I missing material or what? Almost every inning is under two hours according to my DVD player but the case usually indicates a time of 145 to 155 minutes or more. Are there hidden easter eggs on the disc or is PBS just wrong?
jr ... Read more

Reviews (1)

SIBERIAN BOY WRESTLERS SHOW THEIR STUFF
LITTLE WARRIORS 2

They're back! Yes, Baikal Films' young superstars of wrestling,
Little Warriors, are back again and ready to rumble. After a
terrific trip to summer camp for some much deserved fun, our boys
are in the gym and training hard. Super slammin' moves are
practiced to perfection and young muscles are strained to the
max, all in anticipation of the season's first big match. This
competition is an impressive one, opening with a handsome parade
of young boy athletes circling the hall and carrying their team
banners proudly. But don't let these smiling, doe-eyed,
rosey-cheeked boys fool you, they're some of Siberia's fiercest
young grapplers. Each one is pumped and ready to deliver a
power-packed performance of flips, slams, and smack-downs we call
LITTLE WARRIORS 2! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Sour Grapes
Fantastic Video, just ignore all the negative crap from Mr. Lister in his "review",...just sour grapes about a missed opportunity or the lack of it, seeded with praise to disguise the whine.

Harlem Globetrotters' History Video
This is the Harlem Globetrotters' officially authorized video history. It is a finely crafted general history that highlights the team's most notable individuals: Abe Saperstein ( the team's creator ), Reese "Goose" Tatum, "Meadowlark" Lemon, Fred "Curly" Neal, etc.
This video history describes the team's origin in Hinckley, Illinois and their trials and tribulations in evolving into a rags-to-riches sports team story. The video contains rare film footage. The video's theme music is well choreographed and cheerfully inspirational.
The video shows some players displaying their unusual basketball trick shooting and trick ball handling and trick dribbling skills. I feel the video should have focused more close up and in depth on these unusual skills. It could have shown a much wider variety of these difficult trick feats for this is one of the primary reasons people are interested in this clowning team.
Since the Harlem Globetrotters created this video themselves you can assume they would paint a rosy red picture and ignore their own inherent faults. The video talks about the racial discrimination they faced in rising to being analogous to the highly beloved "Disney World" of basketball. However this video does not discuss the accusation that the Harlem Globetrotters practice extreme racial discrimination towards Caucasian ( white ) basketball comedy show players. The video cites Bob Karstens as the only white player to play full time for the team. This was for a year and a half during the 1940's when Karstens filled in for Goose Tatum while Tatum was stationed in Europe during World War II. The video doesn't mention that a white man Harold "Bunny" Levitt performed halftime free throw exhibitions for the team for five years during the 1930's. He took on all challengers and made 98% of his shots. The video also doesn't mention that since 1927 the team has had approximately five hundred players on their team but only two were white. It also doesn't talk about the fact that when Peter Press "Pistol Pete" Maravich graduated from Louisiana State University ( LSU ) the Globetrotters offered him one million dollars to travel with them for one year to display his showmanship and scoring skills. Maravich turned down the offer and went to the N.B.A.'s Atlanta Hawks. Although this video gives an excellent interview with "Clown Prince" Meadowlark Lemon it would have been interesting to know how "Meadowlark" would have reacted to "Pistol Pete" Maravich traveling with the team. Maravich could have played on the court only ten minutes and upstaged "Meadowlark" Lemon which theoretically could have made for a very bitter "Meadowlark".
Although this video cites Lynette Woodard as being the first female Harlem Globetrotter it doesn't focus on a recent team star "Sweet Lou" Dunbar. The video also doesn't mention the fact that there has never been a nationally famous white male comedy trick basketball team. It also doesn't discuss the fact that the Globetrotters ban certain pregame and halftime basketball entertainers such as myself ...
Despite the glossing over of their own intrinsic discriminatory defects I would rate this fine Harlem Globetrotters' video history as a MUST SEE for all fans. It is the best video history I have ever seen on them. Although I feel tears come to my eyes and my heart is deeply saddened every time I watch this video ( because I lost out on the opportunity in my lifetime to play with the Globetrotters ) this video is a sheer joy to watch because of the childish, philanthropic clownishness that the Globetrotters radiate!

Incredible!!
you take away all the flash,Dash,&Entertainment Value&See a History of Guys who Simply are Incredible BasketBall Players.a League all there own&something that hasn't been matched with yet.this is not only a Fun Video but also showcases there Fundementals as Players.Enjoy.

After I atched this video I was unstopable on the court
I once borrowed this documentary video of my basketball coach who recomended it for me to watch as I am one of the youngest players in the team and therefor unexperienced in performing tricks and playing the game to have fun,but everything changed after I watched this tape, the ammount of tricks I performed in games made the coach think about putting me in the starting lineup which is a respectable success... ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Pretty Good!
This video is of the event finals from the 1994 National Championships. It features stars such as Dominique Dawes, Shannon Miller, Amanda Borden, Jennie Thompson, John Roethlisberger, Scott Keswick, and others. This video also has nice features on: the junior gymnasts(Dominique Moceanu, Doni Thompson), on what a coach is, on why Kerri Strug wasn't competing, and on how many hours gymnasts train a day.

Good but not great
Now don't get me wrong, I don't regret buying this tape, but it's just not spectacular. It basically has the 3 female medalists on each event and a few highlights of the men. They have a few little inserts, one about Kerri Strug's absence and one about the Junoir Women's All-Around. Overall, It was good but just wasn't great.

Great video-poor quality tape
My daughter got this video last year for Christmas. We are watching it today for the first time in several months, and I am complelled to write a review I should have written last January. The video is great- my 6 year old loves it- that was the problem. From the beginning, the tape itself had a few places where the picture would jump, but I couldn't pry it from her to return it for replacement. I fiqured we could live with the bad tape quality since it was only a few tiny places, but it has gotten much worse over time.
Just beware that while the content is good, you may be better off with another video- or maybe mine is just a bum tape.

This video was great!!
This video was so good! I loved how you could see many gymnasts and when they did a hard move when the routine was over they would go back and explain it and do it in slow motion! It was worth watching many many times!

Great gymnastics!
This video showcases the 1994 National Championships event finals. You get to see Dominique Dawes, the 94 National Champ, doing full routines on all 4 events, along with Shannon Miller. Amanda Borden is shown on bars and floor, Jennie Thompson is shown on beam and floor, and Amy Chow is shown on vault (the top 3 scoring athletes on each event are shown). There is also a short men's segment featuring fragments of routines done by 94 National Champ Scott Keswick, Steve McCain, John Roethlisberger, and Mihai Bagiu. There is also a short segment on the jr. women that features 94 Jr. Champ Dominique Moceanu and Doni Thompson. Athletes are interviewed about their training hours, an explanation of Kerri Strug's absence is mentioned, and a report is done on Christy Henrich. The amount of gymnastics shown is good, considering the tape is 55 minutes. This is a great tape for those like me who did not get to see this competition! ... Read more

Reviews (11)

ONE OF THE BEST DOCUMENTARIES OF ALL-TIME.
"Olympia" is a documentary with innovative film techniques, despite the fact that it's over 65 years old, it's easy to recognize the influence that "Olympia" had not only in the documentary genre, but in the movies and TV transmissions as well.

The opening scene could be considered as an art film scene because it has many camera angles, slow motion, beautiful photography and background music. After this scene, the narration of the 1936 Olympic Games begins, and it's impressive to see how many swastikas were at sight in the games, it's in flags and in the uniforms of the german athletes.

One might think that the athletes in 1936 were very inferior to the current athletes, but "Olympia" shows how great those athletes were, in most of the disciplines they look as impressive as the current athletes. The use of different camera speeds and angles, can make you feel very close to the athletes. You can see their effort and competitive spirit thanks to the excellent use of the cameras.

Definitely "Olympia" is one of the best documentaries ever made. Absolutely recommendable.

landmark film
This is a landmark in sports documentary films. It is over-long for today's taste (115 mins) - one tires of watching the heats of the decathlon - but this is balanced by many superb moments.

Unfortunately the version available here omits many of the classic sequences mentioned in reviews and monographs. The arrival of the Olympic torch in Berlin and its stunning entrance into the stadium is nowhere to be seen. Neither is the footage of the Hindenburg airship passing over the stadium during the opening ceremony.

It seems to me that the source film print used for this video has been tampered with, and many of the key sequences removed, perhaps by a selfish individual for personal use at some point during the history of the print. These sequences certainly wouldn't have been removed by a competent editor familiar with the full original version.

"Olympia: Oh how film becomes reality!" by RexCurry.net
This is a show stopper. Olympia (1938) is from Leni Riefenstahl, and also see Triumph of the Will (1935). In fact you should view these four films also: the American "Ben-Hur" (1907), the Italian "Nerone" (1908), "Spartaco" (1914), and "Cabiria" (1914). Those films were the origin of the "Roman salute" myth because these films show examples of a straight-arm salute.

The "Roman salute" myth is the myth that the straight-arm salute was an ancient Roman custom, later borrowed by Mussolini and the National Socialist German Workers' Party. The myth arose because of the made-up Hollywood-style portrayals in those films. Those films are notable also because they led to the historic discovery by the journalist and historian Rex Curry that the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance was the origin of the salute of the monstrous National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi Party).

The "Roman Salute" myth grew because the viewing public forgot that the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance originally used the straight-arm salute. The creator of the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance was a National Socialist in the U.S. (Francis Bellamy). The salute is not in any Roman art or text.

Dr. Martin Winkler of the American Philological Association has written that in imitation of such films, self-styled Italian "Consul" Gabriele D 'Annunzio borrowed the salute as a propaganda tool for his political ambitions upon his occupation of Fiume in 1919. Earlier, D'Annunzio had worked with Giovanni Pastrone in his colossal epic Cabiria (1914). Mussolini worked with D'Annunzio. Even so, evidence shows that the National Socialist German Workers' Party officially adopted the salute before Mussolini did, not vice versa. For example, "Triumph of Will" is in 1935 and Carmine Gallone's film "Scipione l'Africano" uses the raised-arm salute as one of its chief visual means to turn Mussolini into a new Scipio.

Dr. Winkler didn't know about the original U.S. flag salute (1892) that inspired the films, and that the National Socialist German Workers' Party was inspired by the films and by the Pledge of Allegiance. The U.S. changed the salute during WWII.

Bud Greenspan and Reifenstahl
Bud Greenspan, the Olympic documentary-maker, called this movie one of his great inspirations. "Olympia" is in the same vein as Greenspan's films, but far better. The triple jump scene is the greatest treatment of the event I have ever seen.

Greenspan said that when he was in West Germany premeiring his 1964 film "Jesse Owens Returns to Berlin", Owens called Reifenstahl the woman who made him famous, thanked her, and called her up on stage. The audience was dumbfounded and did not know how to respond until Owens' wife began a standing ovation. Such was the attitude towards Reifenstahl: the Germans knew she was a national treasure, yet they were very uncomfortable with some of the things she put on film.

Coming of Age
Leni Riefenstahl will soon turn 100 years and is not forgotten by those who love filmmaking. She carries the stigma of being the most celebrated filmmaker of the Nazi regime but this doesnt obscure her merits. She never belonged to the party and was always candid about politics. "My films are aesthetic not ideological", she once said. She was a wholesome artist.
In this movie she stood against Goebbels, who wanted Jesse Owens performance deleted from the film, and won. She went to Hitler himself with her refusal and got away with it.
In this historical document of the Berlin Olympic games she employed 150 collaborators and even invented a catapult-camera. She made many films but this is her finest and although it can be purchased in VHS it should be released in DVD, specially now that the lady turns 100. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The exellence of Gymnastics
Thanks to this video I got to see for the first time Kim Zmeskal doing gymnastics. Iam 14 years old and I was little when NBC passed this championchips. I allways wanted to see Kim Zmeskal, who for me is the best gymnast in the world, even thoug the misshap she had in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. I thank you very much for releasing this video. Now I can really see how the gymnasts that now are veterans or retired , how they started there carrers.

OK, but not complete
This video was fun to watch, but what disappointed me was that they didn't show completely show any of the women's floor routines. They showed a couple of passes at the end of the video, but no complete routines, and none with music.

These gymnasts are great.
America's Best V.1 is a really good gymnastics video, if you're interensted in the gymnasts from 1992. Kim Zemskal wins beating out competitors such as Kerri Strug, Dominique Daws, and Michelle Campie. If you're a fan of Shannon Miller you might want to know that she's not in it due to elbow surgery. She only competed compulseries which they only show optionals. ... Read more

Product Description

The Dogtown and Z-Boys skateboarding video chronicles the overnight impact of the Zephyr team on skateboarding in the early 1970's and the eventual collapse of the team later in the same decade. This video is directed and co-written by skateboard legend-turned-filmmaker Stacy Peralta and narrated by actor Sean Penn. ... Read more

Reviews (73)

Exceptional Documentary
This is an exceptional documentary of a group of guys in blue-collar south Venice Beach, CA that revolutionized skateboarding. As a 50 year old who grew up in Southern California in the mid-60s skateboarding in the "uncool" manner that they portrayed in the first skateboard tournament, I was absolutely mesmerized by the evolution to vertical skateboarder, ie, "airtime".

This film narrated by Sean Penn interviews the members of the Zephyr Surf Shop skateboarding team from the 70s. Sean Penn does an excellent job as voice over and the teammates and shop owners are very honest and forthright in sharing the evolution through the skateboarding where they were first seen, to the urban guerilla boarding in empty swimming pools, to skateboard stardom, and finally to grown-ups.

Many reviewers mention the braggadocio of the participants since the director was also a Z-Boy. Also many complained that they were just a bunch of skateboarders. But I didn't view it that way at all. I found their reporting to be very balanced and in fact, I thought the director somewhat downplayed his stature in the skateboarding world vs. say, Tony Alva. Also as a former skateboarder of a previous generation, I found it absolutely fascinating watching the evolution of the sport. Whether true or not, following that evolution to airborne makes fascinating history. Now, skateboard/wakeboard/surfing/in-line skating have merged into extreme sports. Did these guys invent it? Of course not. But they were substantial in its evolution.

My wife who has never lived outside Southeast US viewed this also and while the subject matter was not familiar, she found it interesting. I recommend this for people wanting to study 70s culture, Southern California or pop culture.

Henry Hester
Although it's been out for a number of months, it took me way too long to get to a theater to see it. I can't tell you how important this film is. As this ground breaking documentary starts to unfold, Stacy and Craig give you a bird's eye view of their 70's concrete playground, complete with historical reasoning for why Dogtown ever existed (and where, exactly, it existed). The editing style is incredible. At one point, Sean Penn makes a verbal mistake yet keeps on going through his description. Any other editor would have cut it and retaped the audio but keeping it in made the whole thing way more real, like Sean was talking to YOU. In addition some of the skaters, in their interviews are "Fast Forwaded" on screen. Very slick way of clipping the bull and getting to the meat.

This movie is a cultural document that should be played in schools, design studios, city halls and to every youngster who ever thought he knew everything about skating, the X games, Bob Burnquist and Tony hawk. Thank God someone caught as much 70s "film" as they did and thank God these guys got this important era of our American culture on DVD. Buy it. Show it to your kids. Make them watch it. Then... take them out, loosen their trucks and make them do berts until they get it down.

Beautiful film
I'm not a skateboarder--I never have been. So my review of this film is from a truly "outsider" position. I'll skip making comments about the wonderful aspects of this film as a documentary about skateboarding, because to me what makes this a truly remarkable work of art has to do with being a documentary about life and truth and beauty and all that.

This movie is about hope. It paints a picture of young kids growing up in an incredibly harsh environment (the film goes out of its way to portray Venice of the early '70's in practically post-apocalyptic images) who see in the concrete wasteland nothing but ocean waves of endless promise. They craft, as artists, a new ballet amidst the rubble. They are obsessed with skating the perfect run, not necessarily to be better than their friends, but just for the sake of perfection. In this pursuit of perfection, I see hope. I see a vision of a recreated world where there are no barriers based on class or empty swimming pools surrounded by fences and patrolled by police. But there's also an irony in the hope, in that the Zephyr boys have an exclusivity about them--they are fiercely elite in their rejection of conventionality.

The story of one of the top two skateboarders, Jay Adams, provides the heart to this film. His story provides a balance to the narrative of corporate greed, which ultimately destroyed the Zephyr team (but which also made the film possible and the story relevent). He is shown as a very young and, though violent and utterly contemptous, innocent boy oozing with natural talent. He's interviewed several times as an adult who, we find out, is doing time for heroin-related charges in Hawaii. Next to the brilliance of the Jay Adams the boy, in Jay Adams the man we see a dark shell of regret and pain. His fellow riders lament the fact that Jay's life is so tragic and unfair--there's a sense of complete injustice "he should have had it all" "Jay's had the hardest life of anyone I know who's still alive" "you only get one shot at this...once it's gone it's gone." So within this movie about beauty and hope, we meet Jay Adams and see tragedy and injustice. There's an absolutely beautiful and haunting scene at the end of the Jay Adams excurses in which the beautiful young Jay, maybe 12 years old, with long sun-bleached hair, is skating in an empty pool and falls on his way down one side. His board continues through the bottom of the pool, up the other side, and straight up into the air about 10 or 15 feet. The scene is in slow motion and freezes the board mid-air. Then, there's a fade to a still of Jay at about 25 years old holding a picture of himself as a cute, innocent boy of about 7. Then another fade to Jay as a hard, broken man in his 30's, with a crew but, what seems to be a black eye and bruised nose, and tattoos running up his throat. Eyes like empty holes. This is the filmmaker's art at its finest. A scene like this says so much more than words ever could.

Some of the reviews on this film have complained that the film was too short--that it left too many questions unanswered. I couldn't disagree more. This film is all about the questions, not the answers. As a Christian, I see this film as a commentary on humanity and our longing for beauty--our hope for a future that includes a recreated world where architecture is no longer purely utilitarian, where there are no longer divisions between north Malibu and the southern beaches. Where everyone has access to a perfect wave. A future in which greed no longer robs us of our innocence, and Jay Adams is once again that strikingly charismatic and beautiful blond-headed boy writing profound poetry with his skateboard, poetry that destroys the walls of violence and drugs and elitism, that opens his soul to ours and ours to him. In the words of U2, a future "where the streets have no name." Our souls groan for a better place, and this film captures that emotion as well as any I've ever seen. This is an amazing film!

GREAT FILM
great film simple as that well edited great story great music and great skating watch it rent it buy it I saw it in theaters three times and have seen it dozens of times on video

Coulda been longer though...
I have to say this movie was quite enjoyable...and that's an understatement. I enjoyed the "punk" editing, the cool photos, and especially the soundtrack (soundtrack shoulda had all the songs!). I wished the documentary dug a little deeper into the crew's backgrounds though (i.e. family life, school [some dropped out of high school], drug use, aftermath of the '70's skateboard craze, etc.). It left me hangin' a bit; so many unanswered questions. I wanted the "low-down"! Too many skeletons I guess...all style, less substance.

Overall it's still a good film (in a flashy "video" sorta way!)... ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Good solid film
Jesse Owens is a Hero.he stood Hate in the Face&Looked it down and was a Champion not only of Sport but of Human Rights.Dorian Harewood a Good Actor who i have seen in countless films does a solid job here.

Great story... is it all true?
I am a major fan of Jesse Owens, and this film is definitely for fans. Dorian Harewood portrays Jesse very well, but almost in a god-like perfection. Of course, biographies are supposed to emphasize good qualities, but this film leaves you wondering if Jesse Owens had any bad ones. Still a very good film, and an excellent way to introduce people who don't know about him to a great role model, a great athlete and world class human. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Wonderful follow-up to Part One.
Not as perfect as Part One...but close. Extraordinary footage, especially given the time and circumstances surrounding its filming. Riefenstahl is a master (mistress?!) of her craft and the spirit of athleticism is wonderfully captured. A must-have for your video library.

The photography lures you, action holds you.
I can not speak for other versions for this is the one I saw. As you can see from the front cover that this film has been digitally remastered under the supervision of Leni Riefenstahl.

By now watching the first tape, "Festival of the nation" spoiled you. Again this film starts out with the ideal and surrounded by Leni's signature clouds. List is leading you to "field hockey, soccer bicycling, equestrian, aquatic and gymnastic events. Highlights are the Pentathlon and the Decathlon." Remember that some countries were still using horses in the military.

It may be unique reasons that brought you to this point such as Leni or photography, or interest in history, or, or, or. But once the action starts you feel that you are there and get lost in the "who will win what and how. " Even being aware of the outcome does not prepare you to "not bite your nails" as you watch each athlete barley besting the next until it is over too soon. I noticed that instead of placing medals over the winners, they used laurel wreaths.

Any way you cut it, this movie is worth watching.

Olympiad: Part I and II
The quality of the transfer from film to tape is not the best but still very viewable. Seems to contain all the footage of the original version. Does not single/freeze frame well on my VCR, making analysis of technique difficult. Event coverage of track and field events is very good, with the flow of the competition preserved, especially in the field events. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Aunt's review
In black and white throughout and this turned off my nephew from the beginning - "It's for grown-ups." (Although I realized the older sports clips might be in black and white, and had told him so, I was surprised that parts of the video did not change to color - the box was in high color and does not state that the video is B and W.) Overall content is good with a motivational story line and a marvelous collection of the high spots that show the range of Jordan's immense talent. A great item to add to or to start a collection. Just not a good video to grab a child's interest.

The way basketball was meant to be played
A ballet on the basketball court. It motivates you to do your best. The art of dunking reaches a new level.

Exciting action, thought-provoking message!
I use this video as a basis for instructing motivation, values, and goal setting. And the action shots are phenomenol! MJ turns basketball into a ballet... ... Read more

Reviews (1)

boxings best champions
It takes you inside the life of a champion.It show you the way a champion is living and give you a rear chance too see the best boxers in the world put their titels on the line.It`s weary exciting and i do belive any boxing man will enjoy this series of the champs of the world.. ... Read more

Reviews (75)

Wrestling IS Real - 2nd Greatest Wrestling Documentary Ever
In 'Beyond the Mat' the director takes you into a variety of faces behind the personas that makeup the mythical, larger-than-life world of pro wrestling. In 'Hitman Hart', one legend is the focus at a pivital time in his life, in his company's (the WWF), and in pro wrestling itself.

It is one man, still haunted in the shadows of his father, trying to exhibit old school values of loyalty in a world of rapidly shifting loyalties - from fans, from promoters, from wrestlers. One man, trying to go out on top, to control his legacy amid broken promises, reneged contracts, lies and ultimately, screwjobs. One man who realizes its his time to go, and simply asks to walk away with his dignity. This is a dramatic, disarmingly honest look at probably the most controversial event ever in WWF - if not pro wrestling history - as it unfolds in front of the camera.

Bret Hart is a tragic hero and comes across as very real, down-to-earth and very deserving of his succes, but ultimately unable to avoid the train wreck. Hilights include seeing his 82 year old father, unable to even stand upright, causing inhuman amounts of pain on a young wrestler; watching Bret, a person obviously capable of causing tremendous physical harm to another person, being gentle and affectionate with his son; the audio of a young guy's screams and sobs as Stu Hart 'stretches' him in thier basement; and watching Vince McMahon staggering down the hall moments after Bret Hart has cold-cocked him.

Very highly recommended to any pro wrestling fan. Also, check out 'Beyond the Mat' and '3 Faces of Foley'.

The story of Bret Hart
This is a powerful video because it tells the story of a loyal man who worked hard for several years and then was cheated out of his own job by his own boss and personal friend,Vince McMahon.

It tells the story of a respected young star who over-shadowed every other young star in the Federation but was cheated out of it all at the 1997 Survivor Series.

Hitman will always be legendary.He was in a famous wrestling heritage,he was the first man to enter the Royal Rumble,and even when heel he was a hero in his home country Canada and especially his home province Calgary.

Strange that I should mention his province because he was just that-he was very Pro Vince.He was a loyal friend.Such an instance occured when WCW offered him a three year contract for $9 million,but instead he favoured 20 years with WWF for not as much money.

Of course Bret must have gone through tremendous turmoil in the late 90s.For a start he was screwed out of the Championship at Survivor Series by Vince,which signalled the end of his career,and then another successful young star,his brother Owen,died while trying to attempt an entrance from the ceiling ala Shawn Michaels,when the cable snapped and he plummeted about 25 feet to the mat and hit his head on the turnbuckle.He died upon impact.

Bret was so happy up until that night on Survivor Series.He even made an apperance on The Simpsons,buying Mr Burns's house.But since that disturbing and memorable night,he's been a bit of a wreck.He even divorced his wife,which was a surprise cos they seemed to stick like glue.

To me,Hitman is the federation.He is what the federation's all about-a man with a story to tell.

Most of the WWF storylines are fake,but this story is very true.Whatever little respect Vince once had is now gone.Hopefully,with there being another owner in the WWF(Ric Flair)we may see the return of The Hitman,and he'll be bigger and badder than ever,and will get the respect he deserves,and when he leaves again,he'll leave in dignity instead of just being disowned by that callous McMahon.

In Hart(and Flair)we trust.

Most Respectable story in Wrestling History
What a killer story. I can finally say I can not stand wrestling, I have lost all respect and love for wrestling ever since I picked up that god awful Ric Flair D.V.D, but one thing I can look back on and truly respect in Wrestling with Shadows it set the tone for the W.W.F in the late 90's and was the true death of repectable wrestling, its sad, humourous, smart, honost, the greatest behind the scenes documentary on wrestling ever it is even better then Beyond the Mat, and better yet the whole thing does not look cheesy, best of all Vince displays a shiner in the end could you ask for anything more.

Fascinating
THE GOOD

I'm not gonna go into the speel about what happens in the documentary. Many other reviewers have done it already. I'll say it's an interesting documentary especially since it gives an idea into one of the most nastiest incidents in the sport.(more on that later)

THE BAD

A little one sided as far as the screw-job goes and presenting it. But that I guess is to be expected since this is a documentary about Bret. Also it's edited wrong and events are out of sequence. The 10 man tag match in Calgary took place in July of 97 a month before Bret fought the Undertker for the title and in the middle of Bret's anti-american angle(the survival of the fittest comment by wrestler Animal was him saying that the match wasn't about Canada vs the U.S) Bret's anti-American tirade happened the night after he wrestled Austin and before Austin attacked him in the ambulance.

Final thought's

Did the wwf/wwe screw Bret or did Bret screw himself? From the looks of it the answer seems to be the latter. When he went to WCW he went from being one of the top wrestlers to the hightest paid mid-carder in history and to quote Mick Foley's biography "WCW couldn't make Bret a star even though he was already one."

The Excellence of Execution
Needs to be realeased on DVD.But as far as the documentary itself you wont find a better behind the scenes story of the ins and outs of Pro Wrestling.Bret Hart is and always will be the "Best there is,the best there was, and the best there ever will be." Vince Mcmahon lost more then fans after this doc hit the streets. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Taking the viewer back to the old ball game, HBO celebrates America's pastime in the beautiful documentary When It Was a Game 3. Focusing on the 1960s, a time of change for all of America, the film shows how Major League Baseball slowly but surely evolved from pure sport to moneymaking entertainment. The sharp, incredibly clear color footage of players and fans is at times better looking than current sports photography, and the voiced-over reminiscences of stars such as Bob Costas and Billy Crystal evoke a different, more personal, sports experience from what we expect today. Covering the mighty Yankees, the western expansion of both leagues, the increasing inclusion of black players, and the rise of free agency and increased salaries, the film shows the growth of baseball from adolescence to adulthood. --Rob Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Nice presentation, but with one glaring omission
Actually, just now finished watching WIWAG 3 on HBO's On-Demand service. Loved the stuff about Bat Day (I remember going to one at Connie Mack Stadium in '68 or '69.)

But if you're going to talk about the National League being a haven for up and coming African-American and Hispanic players during the 1960s, why are you going to omit Richie Allen of the Philadelphia Phillies? OK, yeah, the Phillies were a bad team for most of their history. Still, WIWAG 3 at least used footage of Ernie Banks who played for those crappy Cubs teams.

Allen was the first -- and shamefully, possibly -- the last, black superstar slugger the Phillies ever had. He was a big part of the Phillies' contention for the NL pennant in '64, his rookie year, before the infamous collapse.

I'm a 40-something African American baseball fan who has thrown his loyalty behind the Phillies, because I considered them my home team and partly because I was too young to be aware of the Phillies' sorry racial history.

That Allen wasn't even seen or mentioned in WIWAG 3 was an incredibly glaring omission. I cannot believe there was no footage anywhere of the guy the producers could have used.

Beautiful color home movies of baseball in the 1960s
I was wondering if the magic of seeing color home movies of major league baseball players was going to wear off in "When it Was a Game 3" since this installment of the HBO special focuses primarily on the 1960s. After all, that was the decade when you could actually watch baseball games in color on the Game of the Week and during the World Series. But if this documentary proves anything it is that movie color is brighter and bolder than the washed out colors of television in those days. You watch the film of Mickey Mantle and think this is how you want to remember the man.

The third volume in also the most organized in the series. There are rather distinct "chapters" on the great pitchers of the decade (Gibson, Marichal, Koufax), the glory days and rapid decline of the New York Yankees, the lowly birth and sudden success of the New York Mets, and the case for Willie Mays being the greatest player of the decade. There even is a bit of sports journalism involved in suggesting that the decline of the Yankees had to do with the refusal of the team management to sign black ball players. This time you will also find that more often than not whoever's voice you hear, whether it is Al Kaline or Joe Pepitone, actually appears on the screen. Billy Crystal is back to talk about baseball again as is sportscaster Bob Costas, and there are more baseball poems, including, of course, Grantland Rice's "Game Called," which brings the show to a close.

As always, the ultimate appeal of the "When it Was a Game" series is that you get to see the baseball players you grew up admiring, who lived before your time and were only available as black & white images in color. Rich, gorgeous color that makes the red on the bill of Hank Aaron's cap, the blue on Don Drysdale' hat, the organge of the name "Oriole" on Brooks Robinson's jersey, and the green of the Yankee Stadium grass look as good as you have ever seen them. Again, I am reminded of the classic Bowman 1953 baseball cards that had gorgeous color photographs.

So Beautiful You Might Cry
Will purchase soon...saw on HBO. This is as close to getting in a time machine as there is. American League? Lot's of Yankee footage, but not much more. Then again, in the fifties and early sixties the Yankees WERE the American League. If you fantasize about sitting behind third at the Polo Grounds, seeing what Berra and Mantle looked like just being themselves, or want really good footage of Clemente and Mays, this is for you, kids.

WHERE'S THE AMERICAN LEAGUE???
This should be titled "When it was a game in the National League". Far too much footage of the senior circuit, albeit excellent footage. Otherwise very well done like the previous 2 films, the part about bat day and baseball cards will evoke smiles from the 30-50 year old range of fans. Bob Costas and Billy Crystal offer their usual fine perspectives, much like in Ken Burn's "Baseball". Great shots of the old stadiums, especially Yankee Stadium and Candlestick Park. Reasonably priced DVD, worthy for your collection.

Like a precious old family photo album
This series,done by HBO Sports,brings together color and b&w home movies of baseball games from different decades. This one focuses on the 1960's ,as turbulent a decade on the diamond as off. The quality of the picture is crisp adding to the inate pleasure of watching Mickey Mantle in old yankee Stadium, A young Willie mays dancing his magic in centerfield, Frank Howard in a Washington Senator uniform,Bob Gibson, The red sox of '67[curiosly Frank Robinson's better season in 1966 is ignored],the Miracle Mets of '69 all are covered. Harsher is the treatment of the change in the game itself,[the dependance on television reevnue, the altering of the game of the week],as america tilted definitively away from baseball and toward football.Still, the expierence of watching the heroes of youth play once more is pleasurable,and certainly, this succeeds. I do not know why baseball is so evocative with memories for so many,yet this series is proof of it. Very, Very well done. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

the best movie on basketball ever
if you are basketball fan, this is a great film for you.Its the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!

what a dream team?
this video highlights some of the Greatest Basketball Talent ever on one team.Magic,Jordan&Bird were the Main Headliners but Charles Barkley stole the show overall.nevertheless what a Great Cast of Talent? you will remember this for a very long time if you are a fan of Basketball.

Magic, Larry, Michael and the 1992 Olympic Dream Team
Eight months after the U.S. Mens Basketball team lost to the Soviet Union in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, the rules were changed and NBA players became eligible for international competition. However, this was not done because the United States applied pressure after its team of college players lost to the "amateur" Soviet Union players, but rather because around the world the best basketball players from every nation were turning professional (look how many Europeans were at this year's NBA All-Star game). What anybody remembers from the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona (after they used an archer to light the torch) is the performance of "The Dream Team." The games and the gold medal were a forgone conclusion, so the real pleasure was simply watching the best basketball players in the world play together on a team; a team, that actually practiced, unlike for the All-Star Game. For fans seeing Magic Johnson and Larry Bird play together on the same team was good enough and then you throw Michael Jordan into the mix. Given what we have seen at the Olympics since then, this remains the greatest basketball team ever assembled and most of us will probably not be around long enough to see a better one. Quibbling over how the team could have been better is a minor debate, once you get past the fact Christian Laettner was picked as the long college player instead of Shaquille O'Neal; dollars to donuts the other 11 will all make the Hall of Fame. This 73-minute documentary covers the entire experience and there is really nothing special (except maybe Charles Barkley's bad boy exploits) here because the idea of the Dream Team was always better than the actual experience. Now every four years we see lesser "Dream Teams" take the court for the United States, while the ga