True Blue (1996)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Ferdinand Fairfax

Writers:

Rupert Walters (screenplay)
Daniel Topolski (book) ...

Release Date:

15 November 1996 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Sport

Tagline:

To be second is to be last.

Plot:

The story of the year the Oxford and Cambridge boat race changed from a gentleman's race to one where winning was everything. |

Plot Keywords:

Oxford | Boat | Boat Race | University | Rival

Cast

Johan Leysen	...	Daniel Topolski
Dominic West	...	Donald MacDonald
Dylan Baker	...	Michael Suarez, S.J.
Geraldine Somerville	...	Ruth MacDonald
Josh Lucas	...	Dan Warren
Brian McGovern	...	Rick Ross
Noah Huntley	...	Nick Bonham
Edward Atterton	...	Freddy Prideaux-Jones
Ryan Bollman	...	Morrison Black
Andrew Clover	...	Rob Atkins
Jonathan Cake	...	Patrick Conner
Tom Hollander	...	Sam Peterson
Nicholas Rowe	...	David Ball
Patrick Malone	...	Mike Johnson
Alexis Denisof	...	Ed Fox

Also Known As:

Miracle at Oxford (USA) (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | Singapore:PG | Norway:15 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Booker Entertainment

Trivia:

The Cambridge crew in this film were played by members of the rowing squad from Imperial College, London, including several members of the British international squad.

Goofs:

Continuity: The Cambridge crew used "cleaver" blades, which weren't invented for three years after the film was set.

Soundtrack:

Mama Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys

Excellent film of an exciting human story, marred by some complexity

Quite definitely the best film ever made about rowing (admittedly out of a poor field of competitors), 'True Blue' vividly conveys the striving for physical perfection and the stress of selection and training for the hardest rowing race in the word. The sheer bloody-mindedness, obstinacy and ambition needed to do well in such a sport spill over into the vicious personal relationships of this story, where the harsh sacrifices made mean that little quarter is given to those with whom you disagree and rival strongly opinionated tribes grow up, all with some right on their side. The bleak mood of the film is set straightaway with the picture of a lonely sculler training on a remote, snow-swept wind-blown loch. The film is visually poetic, using the real and truly beautiful venues used for the training in a matchless mix of colours and varying weather. Fairfax uses a good script, which nonetheless could have done with one more re-write to clarify the large cast of characters involved. The spectator comes away wondering also if some of the film's faults may not be due to back-pedaling over the real details of story to avoid legal action, which led to the changes of name of all but the two main characters. The soaring triumph of the spirit shown the final race in savage racing conditions is well worth waiting for, ably urged on by the sound track music. Some good cameo parts add to the overall pleasure of this film.