THE BOYS IN THE BOAT
THE BOYS IN THE BOAT
Background
The Boys in the Boat is a true story based on the struggles and sacrifices made by the University of Washington rowing team to compete at the highest possible level, rowing at the 1936 Summer Olympics – Men’s eight.[1] Joseph Sutton-Holcomb from The Seattle Times mentions that Brown got the idea to write this book when his neighbor Judy Willman walked into his home in Redmond, Washington. She said that her father on hospice, Joe Rantz, was a fan of his works and wanted to have a conversation with the author.[2] That encounter with Judy ignited a conversation with Joe Rantz about life during the Great Depression, which led to an in-depth chat about his time as a rower at the University of Washington.[2] Growing up, Joe felt ostracized by his father and stepmother and was seen as disposable, which correlates to how many people during that time felt.[2] The Depression brought about so much uncertainty, and people felt as if they did not have any control over their own lives.[1]
In an interview with Joseph Sutton-Holcomb from The Seattle Times, Brown emphasized that the reason he spent so much time on the build-up to the race was because he thought “it’s much more meaningful if you know the nine guys involved on some kind of personal level, and if you knew what the German boys wearing swastikas on their chests represented, that they weren’t just another bunch of kids in a boat.”[2]
Plot
The Boys in the Boat is about the University of Washington eight-oared rowing crew that represented the United States in rowing at the 1936 Summer Olympics – Men’s eight in Berlin, and narrowly beat out Italy and Germany to win the gold medal. The main character is Joe Rantz. Rantz had a tough time growing up and was abandoned by his family for several years to fend for himself.
There are two backstories. One illustrates how all nine members of the Washington team came from lower-middle-class families and had to struggle to earn their way through school during the depths of the Depression. Along with the chronicle of their victories and defeats in domestic competition, the reader learns the importance of the synchronization of the eight rowers as they respond to the commands of the coxswain and his communications with the stroke, consistent pacing, and sprint to the finish.
The second backstory begins with a depiction of Hitler decreeing construction of the spectacular German venues at which the Games would take place. Along the way, the book also describes how the Nazis successfully covered up the evidence of their harsh and inhumane treatment of the Jews and other minorities so as to win worldwide applause for the Games, duping the United States Olympic Committee, among others.
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THE TEACHER’S LOUNGE
THE TEACHER’S LOUNGE
The Teachers’ Lounge (German: Das Lehrerzimmer) is a 2023 German drama film directed by İlker Çatak, who co-wrote it with Johannes Duncker.[1][2] It was nominated to compete for the Panorama Audience Award at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on February 18, 2023.[3]
The National Board of Review named the film one of the top five international films of 2023.[4] It was selected as the German entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.[5]
Plot
An idealistic teacher, Carla Nowak (Leonie Benesch), tries to solve a series of thefts at her school.
Cast
- Leonie Benesch – Carla Nowak
- Michael Klammer – Thomas Liebenwerda
- Rafael Stachowiak – Milosz Dudek
- Anne-Kathrin Gummich – Dr. Bettina Böhm
- Eva Löbau – Friederike Kuhn
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FERRARI
FERRARI
Ferrari is a 2023 American biographical sports drama film directed by Michael Mann and written by Troy Kennedy Martin. Based on the 1991 biography Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races, the Machine by motorsport journalist Brock Yates, the film follows the personal and professional struggles of Enzo Ferrari, the Italian founder of the car manufacturer Ferrari S.p.A., during the summer of 1957. Adam Driver portrays the titular subject, and co-stars Penélope Cruz, Shailene Woodley, Sarah Gadon, Gabriel Leone, Jack O’Connell, and Patrick Dempsey.
Plot
In the summer of 1957, Enzo Ferrari, reeling from the death of his son Dino, the deteriorating marriage with his wife Laura, his struggled acknowledgement of his second son Piero with his mistress Lina, and his company‘s impending bankruptcy, enters his racing team to the 1957 Mille Miglia.
Cast
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- Adam Driver as Enzo Ferrari[8][9]
- Penélope Cruz as Laura Ferrari
- Shailene Woodley as Lina Lardi
- Sarah Gadon as Linda Christian
- Gabriel Leone as Alfonso de Portago
- Jack O’Connell as Peter Collins
- Patrick Dempsey as Piero Taruffi
- Michele Savoia as Carlo Chiti
- Lino Musella as Sergio Scaglietti
- Domenico Fortunato as Adolfo Orsi
- Jacopo Bruno as Omer Orsi
- Erik Haugen as Edmund “Gunner” Nelson
- Ben Collins as Stirling Moss
- Wyatt Carnell as Wolfgang von Trips
- Andrea Dolente as Gino Rancati
- Giuseppe Bonifati as Giacomo Cuoghi
- Daniela Piperno as Adalgisa Ferrari
- Tommaso Basili as Gianni Agnelli
- Benedetto Benedettini as Alfredo Ferrari
- Giuseppe Festinese as Piero Lardi
- Marino Franchitti as Eugenio Castellotti
- Valentina Bellè as Cecilia Manzini
- Jonathan Burteaux as King Hussein of Jordan
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THE IRON CLAW
THE IRON CLAW
The Iron Claw is a 2023 biographical sports drama film written and directed by Sean Durkin. Based on the life of professional wrestler Kevin Von Erich and the Von Erich family, the film stars Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Maura Tierney, Holt McCallany, and Lily James.
Plot
In 1979, Texas NWA heavyweight champion Kevin Von Erich worries that his father, WCCW owner Jack “Fritz” Von Erich, is pushing his youngest brother Mike away from his musical ambitions. Their brother David makes his wrestling debut with Kevin in a tag-team match against Bruiser Brody and Gino Hernandez, where Kevin meets and starts a relationship with a woman named Pam. He tells her about the “Von Erich curse” that killed his oldest brother Jack Jr., supposedly brought on by Fritz changing his last name from Adkisson to his mother’s, whose family had suffered constant tragedy.
Kevin fights world champion Harley Race to put himself in the lead for the championship contender, but he is brutally beaten and only wins when Race attacks the referee and is disqualified. A disappointed Fritz is delighted when David displays a natural talent for showmanship while trashing Race. The 1980 Summer Olympics boycott dashes Von Erich brother Kerry’s hopes of competition, so he moves back home. Fritz presses him to fight alongside Kevin and David, while Pam helps the boys sneak Mike out to play a gig against his parents’ wishes.
Cast
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- Zac Efron as Kevin Von Erich
- Jeremy Allen White as Kerry Von Erich
- Harris Dickinson as David Von Erich
- Maura Tierney as Doris Von Erich
- Stanley Simons as Mike Von Erich
- Holt McCallany as Fritz Von Erich
- Lily James as Pam Adkisson
- Michael J. Harney as Bill Mercer
- Maxwell Jacob Friedman as Lance Von Erich
- Brady Pierce as Michael Hayes
- Aaron Dean Eisenberg as Ric Flair
- Kevin Anton as Harley Race
- Cazzey Louis Cereghino as Bruiser Brody
- Chavo Guerrero Jr. as Edward “The Sheik” Farhat
- Ryan Nemeth as Gino Hernandez
- Scott Innes as the Ring Announcer
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12/26/2023#”The Boys in the Boat,” “The Teacher’s Lounge,” “Ferrari,” “The Iron Claw”
