Shallow Writing Sinks "The Boys In The Boat"

Following a recent press screening for "The Boys In The Boat," the host asked my thoughts of the five-ring-related film. 

With thanks to Allied Global Marketing for the pre-Christmas media ticket, my response to their rep was that I really wanted to love this movie -- based on a great book by Daniel James Brown -- but didn't as there were too many issues, starting with writing as shallow as the eight-man sculls on screen.

In the weeks since the Dec. 18 screening in Atlanta, an online search yielded that at least one film critic deemed the George Clooney 2023 picture comparable to the 1981 Oscar-winning best picture directed by Hugh Hudson with a screenplay by Colin Welland (who also earned an Academy Award, among four wins from seven nominations for the outstanding earlier film).  

"'The Boys In The Boat' is like 'Chariots of Fire' on the water," wrote James Verniere of the Boston Herald.  

With all due respect to Mr. Verniere, it's not. 

Not even close. 

Looking for the good, the costume team led by veteran designer Jenny Eagan nailed it. 

It's impressive on the big screen that "The Boys in the Boat" Olympic attire -- from Team USA's uniforms to the athlete and official Berlin Olympic pins -- all pops with authenticity, right down to the colored ribbons that served as the era's Olympian accreditation. 

In a publicity video, Eagan describes some of her team's creative process:

While drafting this post, I sent a LinkedIn message to Eagan requesting an interview as her press clip above did not answer my key questions on her team's research of the Berlin uniforms, pins and other 1936 attire (when she responds, a follow up post or update in this one may follow).

Paraphrasing the night-of-screening remarks by my guest for the viewing event, the film's production design team also deserves a shout-out for what seemed to be a mostly accurate depiction of the 1936 Games on the waters of Berlin's Langer See, the river-filled lake which served as the rowing venue. From the credits, it's my understanding a Canadian reservoir was the crew's home and set for many takes. 

But back to the issues that sunk the film for this blogger. 

As noted, strike one was the writing as I found Mark L. Smith's screenplay flat, predictable and, more than once, annoying for its missed opportunities. 

Too many times I felt like turning to my seatmates and stating, "and now [insert character name] is going to state [fill in the blank with aptly anticipated often monosyllabic retort]." Did the head coach reject his wife's late-night flirtations because he was tired or because they were written so silly? Tough call. But worse, who cared? As evidenced with a mid-film popcorn and pee break, I stopped paying attention an hour earlier! 

In another example, viewers meet the wise old longboat craftsman who spouts wisdom and the lore of rowing from a lifetime of experience, but the writing is so dumbed down, my thoughts drifted to fresh lyrics for the popular nursery rhyme, "Row, row, row your boat, gently on the screen, wearily, wearily, wearily, wearily, weaker than a meme!"

The second strike was shallow character development. While Brown sank the oars deep into history and his Olympian (and coaching) characters on the pages of his book, Smith's screenplay only skimmed the surface floating too many stories with no depth while failing to tie up numerous loose ends by the final scenes. 

The audience meets, for instance, the main protagonist and his love interest, who clearly supports his athletic interests across two continents and an ocean. But by the time the closing credits roll, the audience exits wondering what happened to her once a flashback device lifted directly from "Saving Private Ryan" returns viewers from Berlin '36 to modern times. Did the main character marry her? Who knows? Who cares? Not Smith, and the screenplay instead called for rolling the credits. 

Squandering Joel Edgerton's talent -- on the heels of his memorable lead role in "Master Gardener" -- also left me scratching and shaking my head. The scenes of the coach he portrayed, and his wife, were just weird, or too PG, and their relationship status proved another unresolved cliffhanger by the film's conclusion. Worse still, he's never given the words nor actions to equal coach Sam Mussabini as portrayed by Sir Ian Holm. 

Strike three: Non sequitur micro-dramas also abound, such as the awkward introduction of a dining car social class showdown aboard the New England-bound train to the Olympic trials, or a square-pegged moment with Jesse Owens that omits mention of Team USA's other Black athletes in Berlin. Then, after this nod to history, the screenplay has the audacity to suggest the Führer himself became more exasperated by Team USA rowers than Owens' track and field feats. Nein.

Auch Nein for portraying the international rowing judge in Nazi attire. But thanks to Eagan's team, at least the uniform looked right. 

Mega NEIN the protagonist's love interest could find a radio broadcast of Olympic rowing ... live ... from Berlin ... with a nine-hour time difference that assumes the race on a lake half-way across the globe had an afternoon start time. Even if you were in love, as a 1936 Seattle resident, would you be awake before dawn rapturously tuned-in to rowing commentary live from Germany? Would you be tuned in from the East Coast, or anywhere? 

The most nervig, er, annoying scene of all arrived when a key character finds himself kicked off the team only to have his Olympian status restored thanks to poor man's version of Richard Gere's "I got nowhere else to go!" speech to Louis Gossett Jr. in "An Officer and a Gentleman." Sadly, the rowing version is not at all quotable. 

Also missing from "The Boys in the Boat" is a memorable soundtrack. For all of Alexandre Desplat's strengths and skills as a composer, it was disappointing that even the film's score seemed to be trying too hard. The only time it worked was in support of the final race. No Vangelis here. 

For a comparison, you can hear the Greek composer's Oscar-winning score just by its mention here, yes? No one's gonna by humming nor jogging, nor rowing, to "The Boys in the Boat" soundtrack. 

I'm not pulling solo, single skull-style with some of my perspectives, according to the AP's review by Jocelyn Noveck. Though she's a bit kinder and more professional in her remarks, her notes on the screenplay are apt. Silver Screen Capture's writer also catches my drift. 

To his credit, Clooney mentioned one point of the film was to bring people together to cheer a common cause. He must be onto something because, curiously, there were a lot of cheers when Team USA won gold in the Dec. 18 screening auditorium. A crowd pleaser? Perhaps. (Our screening was packed with high school and college rowers.)

Only time will tell whether ticket sales leave MGM cheering as well (as of this Jan. 11 post, the film is still $4.9 million shy of recouping its $40 million budget). According to online sources, "Chariots of Fire" banked $59 million atop a $5.5 million budget. 

Someday when I'm afforded an opportunity to speak with Herr Director George, just like Sister Nancy Usselman (see photo), my first question will be the extent to which the final Olympic race and its clunky camera angles took inspiration from SCTV 3-D Theatre. In the early 1980s, was Clooney tuned in to John Candy, too (at the :45 and 1:20 marks in this clip)?

The bottom line is that too often it felt "The Boys in the Boat" tried too hard (und scheiterte) to accomplish too much, and audiences can do themselves a favor by instead watching "Chariots of Fire" for inspiration.

Image credits: Penguin Random House book cover, Calum Turner image via the X account @CTurnerUpdates on which no photo credit was shared, stills by Laurie Sparham/MGM, Clooney red carpet premiere photo via the Pauline Center for Media Studies blog on which no photo credit was given to Sister Usselman's camera operator. 

Roger Ebert and Life Itself

After many weeks in 2013 without a new Roger Ebert film review, April 3 brought relief when the Pulitzer Prize winning film critic announced a "leave of presence" to recover from another cancer.

His treatment would, he wrote, afford him time to focus on only the movies he wanted to see.

So today's afternoon news that Ebert died in Chicago took the wind out of me.

Tonight, reading his wife's quotes in the Chicago Sun-Times, Ebert's employer of 46 years, it seems the beloved critic was set to enter home hospice care (a sign he was closer to the end than the optimistic "leave of presence" notice led me to believe).

It's just sad either way.

Reading public comments about Ebert this afternoon, it's clear my stories and memories of the man are not unique. What a life he led!

Clicking on Facebook's "Like" feature took on a different meaning for many selecting "thumbs up" in tribute to Roger.

Many millions got to know Ebert as I did via PBS syndication of his review programs with Gene Siskel. Their review shows were among the few "adult" broadcasts of the late 1970s that my parents let me watch as a preschooler -- their review of the original "Halloween" movie with Jamie Lee Curtis remains seared in my brain (equally for the critique and the scary scene that led to my bedroom closets being open until teen years), as is SNL "Weekend Update" reporter Dennis Miller's mid-1980s announcement that Siskel & Ebert officially got renamed "the fat guy and the other one" (not respectively).

Ebert also made big brown glasses "cool" when my eyesight required lenses (about 1979). Reviews of "Tootsie" and "Thelma and Louise" stand out, as did the credits for their show, my early introduction to urban Chicago.

By my 1991 arrival at Minnesota State University at Mankato, I had more than a decade of Ebert critiques on the brain, and his style inspired not only a "great movies to rent" column for the MSU Reporter, but also my entry in to the mass communications program. My MSU friend Paul Rignell and I shared many Ebert-inspired chats (and spirited debates) as part of the campus film selection committee.

When my first girlfriend asked for Christmas gift suggestions, Ebert's 1993 review compilation was my No. 1 choice, and the more I read his columns (to complement the broadcast versions), the more inspiring the journalism track became (my home library now includes six Ebert review books and his excellent, inspiring autobiography "Life Itself," which I could not put down in early 2012 -- I cannot wait for a lucky filmmaker to turn this autobiography into a silver screen classic).

Ebert's website and blog served as inspiration for this Olympic blog (and occasional film blog) as well.

I love that he wrote captions for The New Yorker cartoon caption contest, entering many times before finally winning (reminiscent of the Olympic motto on the importance of taking part).

And speaking of the Olympics, Ebert also offered commentary of several Olympic moments including Beijing's and London's opening ceremonies. His notes on his Chicago's loss of the 2016 Olympic bid turned attention to other pressing matters for the city to tackle. He reviewed almost every Olympic-related film from "Olympia" to "Chariots of Fire" and "Cool Runnings" with panache.

And he could cook! This New York Times report about Ebert, by Atlanta-based food writer Kim Severson, is one I clipped and placed in the pages of "Life Itself" for future reference.

I am going to miss Roger Ebert.

Photos via the Chicago Sun-Times

Vote For Greatest Sports Films

While searching the LA Times for coverage of the IOC's Fifth World Conference on Women and Sport (underway through Saturday), stumbled upon a sports film competition inviting readers to submit their top 10 lists of greatest sports films.

There are some excellent nominations posted by readers, and here's my list submitted for consideration:

1. Chariots of Fire

2. One Day In September

3. Bull Durham

4. Olympia

5. Breaking Away

6. Any Given Sunday

7. 16 Days of Glory

8. The Natural

9. Rocky

10. Personal Best

Of course, could have gone with a few more outstanding Olympic-themed films including Berlin '36, Munich (which is a Spielberg REMAKE of Sword of Gideon), Ice Castles, The Cutting Edge, Prefontaine, Downhill Racer or Cool Runnings. Also considered more documentaries such as Tokyo Olympiad, and comedies including Jerry Maguire, Caddyshack, Happy Gilmore or Major League.

I always enjoyed the winter Olympic venues in the James Bond films On Her Majesty's Secret Service and For Your Eyes Only.

What are your favorites? Be sure to cast your votes via the LA Times. Happy voting!

Photo via Barnes & Noble

Oscar Comes To Atlanta

Watching the Academy Awards presentation tonight, it was good to see an array of nominated films take home some hardware.

Honorees for "The Fighter," "The Social Network" and "The King's Speech" appeared on my ballot, and it was good to see Melissa Leo, Christian Bale and Colin Firth victorious. Big relief to see that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross earned statues (bravo!).

Though it was pleasing to see a longtime actress favorite, Natalie Portman, as winner for "The Black Swan" I was rooting for Annette Bening's amazing, emotional performance in "The Kids Are All Right."

Biggest disappointment of the evening: Twenty-time nominee Randy Newman winning for original song (in my opinion, his was the least original, again).

Another letdown was that Winona Ryder received no nominations for her twisted character in "Black Swan" (she stabbed herself in the face with a nail file, for crying out loud!).

Going into the evening, I maintained that "The Social Network" might take home best picture, and though "The King's Speech" is excellent, the moodier tone of the former seemed more contemporary.

"The King's Speech" themes of friendship and British connections remind me of best picture from 30 years ago, another U.K. great (which some say 'saved' British cinema), "Chariots of Fire."

I was just seven years old when "Chariots of Fire" won best picture of 1981, and I still enjoy vivid memories of viewing this film on the big screen with my dad and my grandmother.

What a treat it was to again experience "Chariots of Fire" in a theatre last Thursday when the premiere 30th anniversary presentation, including Q&A with the film's Oscar-nominated director, Hugh Hudson, appeared as the centerpiece of the 2011 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival.

Interviewing Hudson during the film was an extraordinary treat.

In our one on one conversation in the lobby of Regal Cinemas Atlantic Station (with thanks to the AJFF's P.R. team at MS&L), Hudson explained that sport played an important part of his upbringing.

"I was always interested in sporting achievement," said Hudson. When asked about his earliest Olympic memories, he said, "I went to the 1948 London Olympics and have memories of Fanny Blankers-Koen. I saw her run!"

Hudson said that athleticism and the Olympics were not the intended themes of "Chariots of Fire;" rather, the "timeless story of youth standing up for [their] beliefs ... for their own sense of freedom, [and] refusing to have ideals diverted by their elders."

I asked Hudson to reflect on great Olympic films that preceded his, and the extent to which he studied Olympic films or film makers prior to "Chariots of Fire." Hudson replied that Leni Reifenstahl's "Olympia" was "breathtaking" and he also cited "Tokyo Olympiad" by Kon Ichikawa as influential.

"[But] they were pure documentaries," said Hudson, who added that the use of slow motion in those films made it to "Chariots of Fire" but with more criticism for his work.

When asked the extent to which the International Olympic Committee, British Olympic Association or other Olympic entities engaged Hudson before, during or after the success of his film, Hudson said they never contacted him (I found and still find this hard to believe since the film screened at several Games since 1981). Hudson said, "Going into Barcelona [in 1992] I wrote a script" and "had a part in Spain" that fell through, but he declined to provide more detail because he "might still use that idea."

After talking about the impact of early Olympic films on his career, I followed up with questions about Hudson's impact on Olympic films that followed his. Hudson said he enjoyed Steven Spielberg's "Munich" and it reminded Hudson that he planned to attend the Munich Games in 1972, but instead he only watched the Games on television. Hudson added he did not attend a Games since 1948, and that organizers for London 2012 are not in contact with him.

HELLO, are there any London 2012 publicists reading this? Golden opportunity awaits!

(Disclosure: Some P.R. elements of London 2012 are organized by Edelman, the agency where I work.)

The last question I was able to pose to Hudson before his next interview of the AJFF concerned the iconic opening and closing sequence of "Chariots of Fire" during which the mesmerizing, Oscar winning theme song by Vangelis is played. Hudson confirmed my suspicion, since elementary school in 1981, that the beach runners were up to their ankles in "freezing cold water in March" (later, during the audience Q&A, seen in the video below, Hudson also explained the scene involved several takes and a quirky miracle of film making led to a second filming that captured more dramatic waves pouring into the shoreline; he also shared more detail about his friendship with Vangelis).

During the audience Q&A, I also learned that Hudson married a "Bond Girl" from the James Bond film "The Living Daylights" -- Maryam d'Abo answered two questions outside the Atlanta screening of "Chariots of Fire," explaining that the first time she viewed Hudson's film she was a drama student -- with Colin Firth -- and she met Hudson several times during the 1980s before he remembered her (they married in 2003).

I found Hudson to be pleasant and conversational, offering to share his popcorn during our theatre chat. It would be tremendous to see the 30th anniversary edition of "Chariots of Fire" on the big screen in several cities now through London 2012. If it is screening near your favorite theatre, guaranteed, it is the best picture in town.

Photos by Nicholas Wolaver at the 2011 AJFF
 

"Chariots of Fire" Blazes Vangelis Soundtrack Trail to AJFF

It's not often -- dare I write, it may be a once in a lifetime -- that the greatest Olympic film ever made comes to town.

The Oscar-winning five-ringed film "Chariots of Fire" in its 30th anniversary format will premiere worldwide this month at the 11th Annual Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. Bravo!

The best picture of 1981 is one of dozens of great features heading to the AJFF, which kicked off tonight with a snazzy party at The Fox Theatre and a screening of the new documentary "Jews In Baseball: An American Love Story"

It was cool to connect at the event with the AJFF P.R. team from Manning, Selvage & Lee (thanks for the ticket), 790 The Zone's Steak Shapiro (who introduced the film), and to shake hands with Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank while we briefly waited in line for a plate of delicious catering (BTW, I asked Blank whether he trekked to Dallas for the Super Bowl, and he confirmed that he did go to DFW but came back to Atlanta before the kickoff since "it's hard, you know" to see the game after this season, to which I replied "there's always next year, right?")

Here's a rundown of some of the AJFF selections on my short list to attend:

• "The 'Socalled' Movie" featuring the Canadian performance artist
• "Little Rose" which appears to be a thriller spy flick
• "Vidal Sassoon The Movie" documenting the man behind the brand
• "Winston Churchill: Walking With Destiny" looking at pre-war England
• "An American Synagogue" checking out Frank Lloyd Wright's design built in Philadelphia
• "Tell Them Anything You Want" portrait of Maurice Sendak
• "Louder Than A Bomb" looking at a Chicago poetry slam

And of course, I intend to screen "Chariots of Fire," which will include a possible Q&A opportunity with Director Hugh Hudson (I'll post video or Q&A if this happens -- fingers crossed).

The AJFF also features dozens of other films. For baseball fans, "Jews In Baseball" is excellent, featuring a frank and often humorous look at Jewish ballplayers through history, including Barney Pelty of the St. Louis Browns (the first Jewish player on a baseball card), Moe Solomon, Hank Greenberg, Sandy Koufax, several owners or managers, the composer of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" (also Jewish) and narration by Dustin Hoffman.

There are several great lines in the film, and my favorite arrived early in the feature. Paraphrasing, baseball was referenced in the Old Testament, in fact, in the opening line of the Bible, which states, "In the Big Inning ..."

Logo via AJFF

The Shalit Just Hit The Fan (er, the door, leaving The TODAY Show)

My eyebrows ascended upon reading that longtime TODAY Show film critic Gene Shalit is leaving the program later this week to continue film reviews online.

I'll never forget meeting Shalit in New York. During the fall of 1996, I had a brief apartment-sitting gig on the way-upper West Side (north of the George Washington Bridge), and a great friend of mine was working at Au Bon Pain beneath Radio City Music Hall.

I had just slipped in to the restaurant to surprise my pal Meg, who was working the counter, and undetected by yours truly, Mr. Shalit stepped in line behind me during the surprise, so my friend reacted both to Shalit and my appearance simultaneously.

Its fair to say Shalit was as surprised as Meg and I were with the gleeful exchange that ensued (Shalit was a regular at this location, if memory serves me, and Meg and I had not seen each other in months, so the retail reunion was boisterous). Shalit was a nice guy and really cheerful for our brief exchange, and as Meg and I later finally got to chat, Shalit waved goodbye and wished us well. Nice guy.

Shalit did a memorable review of an Olympic film when I was in grade school, stating "'Chariots of Fire' will lift you with exultation and hold you there." Agreed!

During the Vancouver Olympics, Shalit even took to the slopes of the Eastern U.S. for a ski-clad review of "Shutter Island." Well done!

Here's hoping Shalit's great work continues for years to come. Long live the puns!

Photo via this site

Screen The Dream Opens Nov. 15

In Atlanta, The King Center announced this week that the nonprofit will launch its "Screen The Dream" film series on Nov. 15 with the award winning documentary "A Small Act" at 7:30 p.m. in the Center's auditorium.

According to the press release and the website for the 2009 film, "A Small Act" tells the tale of a Swedish woman and a life she changed.

"When Hilde Back sponsored a young, rural Kenyan student, she thought nothing of it. She certainly never expected to hear from him, but years later she does. Now a Harvard graduate and a Human Rights Lawyer for the United Nations, Chris Mburu decides to find the stranger that changed his life. Inspired by her generosity, he starts a scholarship program of his own and names it for his former benefactor."

This description reminded me of the letters sent to a young Tanzanian boy -- Ndugu Umbohe -- adopted by the retired Nebraska insurance executive (Jack Nicholson) in "About Schmidt."

I hope the organizers of this new "Screen The Dream" film series may consider some Olympic-themed films, such as "Chariots of Fire" or "The Jesse Owens Story," in which themes of equal treatment for all are explored.

More details about the Atlanta and other screenings are available online. Enjoy the show!

Photo via this site

Maurice Jarre ... Dead Poet

It saddened me to learn yesterday of the death of Maurice Jarre, the composer/musical poet of some of the most recognized film scores worldwide.

According to The New York Times obituary, he died on Saturday.

At home tonight, listening to some of Jarre's music (specifically, the combination soundtrack to "Dead Poets Society," 'Witness," "The Year of Living Dangerously" and "Fatal Attraction" -- all among my personal top film picks) and yesterday while reading about his passing, I was curious whether Jarre had contributed to the Olympics over the years.

Though I found no explicit Olympic connections from Jarre to the Olympic Movement, the following are of note:

-- Jarre was born in France in 1924, the same year his home nation hosted the first Winter Olympics at Chamonix and the summer Games at Paris (portrayed in the Oscar-winning film "Chariots of Fire," which is known for its outstanding soundtrack)

-- Olympic Champion Alexei Yagudin, who won the gold at Salt Lake in 2002, previously skated at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympic Games, performing that season to Jarre's "Lawrence of Arabia" composition

-- Michelle Kwan won her first world championship in 1996, apparently skating to "Lion of the Desert" by Jarre (perhaps the famed skater should have listened to Jarre's compositions for "The Year of Living Dangerously" titled "Kwan" and "Kwan's Sacrifice").

It's too bad Jarre was not engaged for activities within the Olympic Movement -- perhaps someday when South America eventually hosts the Games, the score for "The Mosquito Coast" will be suitable for a brief part of a ceremony.

Until then, I'll be thinking of Sigourney Weaver shouting "Get Off My Mountain!" with Marice Jarre's music underscoring her angst throughout "Gorillas In The Mist." You tell 'em, Sigourney!

And yes, Weaver was also in "The Year of Living Dangerously." See how this all ties together nicely?

Film Review: "Charlie Chan At The Olympics"

Happy New Year! Thanks to folks who visited or returned to the site since last pre-Christmas post. Recent weeks were an adventure that, for me, included an Amtrak trek to New Orleans (to catch a discounted flight to Oklahoma for a week of holiday vacation and family time) and a return to work with the openings of Cirque du Soleil 'KOOZA' and Stone Mountain Park's new Snow Mountain attractions (disclosure: both are clients of Edelman, my employer of almost 10 years).

With a full weekend to rest and relax, yesterday I screened an oldie but a goodie that arrived via Netflix, and for those who appreciate early films like "Sunset Boulevard," Hitchcock's "Life Boat" or other classics, I now highly recommend "Charlie Chan At The Olympics" -- a 1937 release -- so you may also get your "Olympic fix" in a new way.

Hawaii-based master detective Charlie Chan takes on a nail-biting, albeit slightly kitschy, case through which a murder is committed when a pre-war U.S. flying device is stolen and taken to the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where Chan's "No. 1 son" will compete in the 100-meter swimming events.

This film packs in about as much coolness as one surprised viewer could absorb.

First, there's multinational intrigue on par with "Patriot Games" or any James Bond 007 drama.

Then there's global travel on a cruise ship (including the liner that transported the U.S. Olympic Team to Germany), trains, and event a clipper plane to catch a Trans-Atlantic flight on the Hindenburg (curious note: this film debuted on screens only two weeks after the real Hindenburg met it's spectacular fate in Lakehurst, N.J. -- I have to wonder the extent to which they pondered delay of the release due to the Zeppelin tragedy; so far, no evidence that they held the screen release due to the explosion, but rather, one site mentions the film was pulled due to Nazi influence ... in spite of the fact not one Nazi appears in the film). Chan's VIP airship flight even makes it to Berlin in time for overhead shots of the Olympic stadium and Olympic opening ceremony rehearsals (well, at least in the film they are portrayed as pre-Games overhead shots).

There's also good humor, archival and Hollywood-made Olympic moments from the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, and not one mention of Hitler (all of the German officials actually appear in pre-Nazi German military uniforms, and all of the panning shots of the Games somehow are void of Third Reich logos and propaganda signage). Olympic aficionados will love Chan's scenes portrayed inside the Olympic stadium as his son's teammates cheer for Jesse Owens and other U.S. competitors at the Games (some sources cite these scenes were filmed at Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, site of the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games, but I beg to differ -- though no doubt some scenes must have been filmed in L.A., the Olympic Stadium appears authentically Berlin, save a few close-ups of Chan with other characters).

It was interesting to me that this 20th Century Fox release included a character named "Major Strasser," a German military officer, and this name later appeared in a little Warner Bros. picture you may have heard of titled "Casablanca" (in this latter film, officer Strasser is that guy who was felled by a bullet, yielding the fantastically quotable line, "Major Strasser has been shot -- round up the 'usual suspects'").

I also could hardly believe my eyes that the U.S. Olympic Committee and International Olympic Committee apparently had no problem with the use of the Olympic rings on virtually every scene involving athletes and the Games. The U.S. athletes are clearly clad with the U.S.O.C.'s red, white and blue crest with rings, Olympic flags are flying (much like the 1924 establishing shots in "Chariots of Fire," arguably the best Olympic film ever). Heck, the script for "Charlie Chan at the Olympics" even includes Chan receiving box seats for the Opening Ceremony and other tickets, with compliments of the IOC (or are they?).

Though racy by today's P.C. standards, Chan's truisms are another delight during this film. I laughed out loud several times as he, or his sons, unloaded fortune cookie-like phrases including "Perhaps good idea not to accept gold medal until race is won" and "As my pop would say, 'When a woman play with fire, man get burned."

The know-it-all old-maid landlady of the Honolulu hotel (scene of the murder) steals the show.

The new year will no doubt bring plenty of excuses to blog about the Olympics. I appreciate everyone who's viewed this site since its pre-Beijing Olympic inception. Please keep coming back for Vancouver 2010 Olympic updates, 2016 Olympic Bid movements and all Olympic rings and other things trivia and storytelling.

And take the advice of Chan: "Don't rub sore finger with sandpaper."

Olympic Movie Music

A few months back I posted some notes on Olympic films and their Oscar-winningness. A couple of days ago at an Edelman training event in Chicago, one of my colleagues -- Monte -- explained the inspiration for his cool movie soundtrack blog and website, which both ROCK!

In just a couple of days since starting to scan ReelSoundtrack.com, several Olympic film scores and tunes have come to mind as research suggestions (in some cases, I've been trying to find the tunes for years).

For instance, though I did locate recordings of most of the "One Day In September" tunes by Philip Glass and Moby (his tune "God Moving Over The Face Of The Waters" also appeared in "Heat," which had a couple of establishing shots including Los Angeles Olympic venues) , and Vangelis' tunes for "Chariots of Fire" are easy to find, it's been tougher to track down other instrumentals from "For Your Eyes Only" (Roger Moore's ski chase through Cortina Olympic venues).

Cheers to Monte for renewing my quest to find some of these recordings!