Four Minutes
by Charles Beeson
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Amy Rutherford, Christopher Plummer, Drew Carnwath, Jamie Maclachlan, Shaun SmythDirector: Charles Beeson
Brand: Team Marketing
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
DVD Release Date: 2005-12-06
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Genius Products
Movie Reviews of Four Minutes
Movie Review: "Six Seconds Off The Impossible ~ The Last Great Quest"
Summary: 4 Stars
This ESPN pproduction of the factual story of British doctor/runner Roger Bannister and his quest to become the first man to run the mile in less than four minutes is a well done film offering not only an enjoyable sports movie focusing on the world of track and field in the early 50's before commercialism and steroids became commonplace, but also provides a nostalgic glimpse into the Post-WW II psyche of Great Britain.
The company involved in the making of this film most definitely learned many valuable lessons from the British classic 'Chariots of Fire' and the similarites are abundant. However despite the profuse mirroring of this earlier Academy Award winner, 'Four Minutes' succeeds at carving out its own identity and ultimately stands or falls on its own merits.
Jamie Maclachlan is perfect for the part of the subdued but likeable Roger Bannister and Christopher Plummer does a wonderful job as his coach and mentor. Journey back to a simplier time when sport and winning was its own reward. A time when destiny and opportunity offered nothing beyond the joy of victory and but a brief moment of glory.
Summary of Four Minutes
The Four Minutes DVD is the true inspirational story of amateur runner, Roger Bannister, and his record-breaking feat of running the first sub-four-minute mile in 1954. Stars Christopher Plummer (National Treasure, Must Love Dogs, Alexander) as Coach Archie Mason and British stage actor Jamie MacLachlan as Roger Bannister. Bonus material includes: Deleted scenes with optional commentary, outtakes, original interview with Roger Bannister, original film of Bannister breaking the four-minute mile and an enhanced trivia track.Sir Roger Bannister's historic running of the sub-four-minute mile is celebrated in Four Minutes, an inspiring and respectably authentic TV movie about breaking the most famous barrier in the history of sports. Although it was primarily filmed on locations near Toronto, Canada, this classy ESPN production effectively captures the melancholy mood of post-World War II England, which desperately needed a hero to lift the country out of its post-war depression. Stubbornly resistant to training, Bannister was a devoted Oxford medical student with only passing interest in athletics, but his surprising speed set the stage for his record-setting one-mile run (officially recorded as 3:59.4) at Oxford's modest Iffley Road track on the rainy and windy afternoon of May 6, 1954. As written by renowned sportswriter Frank Deford (based on his article "Hillary and Bannister") and directed by British TV veteran Charles Beeson, this handsome-looking film makes the most of its limited budget, and newcomer Jamie Maclachlan (a dead ringer for the real Bannister circa 1954) is perfectly cast, physically convincing as a world-class runner while effortlessly conveying Bannister's intelligent, congenial charm. Deford's teleplay is dryly conventional, with perfunctory parallels to Sir Edmund Hillary's 1953 conquest of Mount Everest (another inspirational British milestone), a fictional composite role for Christopher Plummer (doing fine work as Bannister's disabled coach) and a standard love interest (nicely played by Amy Rutherford, as the future Mrs. Bannister) for a touch of trackside romance. Comparisons to Chariots of Fire are unavoidable, but Four Minutes can stand on its own, ensuring that Bannister's remarkable achievement will never be forgotten.
On the DVD
Four Minutes is accompanied by a variety of bonus features that provide a comprehensive record of Roger Bannister's historic running of the sub-four-minute mile. In addition to the standard extras (deleted scenes, outtakes, and a behind-the-scenes featurette), there's also the original 1954 newsreel footage of Bannister's record-setting run; a documentary short titled "Barrier Breakers," about the runners who challenged the four-minute barrier prior to Bannister's breakthrough; original 2005 interviews with Bannister and fellow Oxford runner Chris Chataway; an enhanced on-screen trivia option full of informative information regarding Bannister's achievement and the film's historical context; and audio commentary by Four Minutes director Charles Beeson, producer Len Raynor, and executive producer Jerry Abrams. --Jeff Shannon
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