The Long Run

The Long Run

The Long Run
List Price: $14.98
Our Price: $3.99
You Save: $10.99 (73%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $2.48 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases


(Click here)
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada

DVD Cover Information

Actor: Armin Mueller-Stahl, Desmond Dube, Nthati Moshesh, Paterson Joseph, Septula Sebogodi
Brand: UNI DIST CORP. (MCA)
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 112 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-02-26
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Universal Studios

Movie Reviews of The Long Run

Movie Review: The province of the soul
Summary: 5 Stars

In 1942, thousands of POWs were marched along the Philippines' Bataan Peninsula in the infamous "Death March". Thirst, hunger and fatigue plagued them in scorching heat. As guards watched impassively, the weaker fell by the wayside. Today, similar numbers follow the similar tracks with similar results. Only now we call it exercise. Instead of being instigated by imperial armies, supermarkets and auto rentals now act as sponsors. Instead of guards, the trekkers are goaded on by cheering spectators, only slightly less indifferent to the plight of the fallen.

The background to one of these dramas of endeavour and endurance is ably portrayed in The Long Run. In this film, the locale is South Africa, not the Philippines. Instead of steaming jungle, it's city roads and pollution. The quest, however, isn't just survival, it's winning. With exercise, winning means training, and training means coaching. Armin Mueller-Stahl plays Berry Bohmer, a brickyard employee coaching a team of runners. Encountering a young woman jogging, he sees immense promise in her. After some initial difficulties, Christine [Nthati Moshesh] accepts him as her trainer. The goal is winning the Comrades Marathon, a gruelling 90 km run across Natal Province, South Africa.

It's not a straightforward enterprise. Christine, a homeless illegal immigrant, moves in with Berry, scandalising the neighbourhood. It's hard to decide which of them is more prim in the relationship. His own situation becomes precarious when the brickyard owner wants to advance the cause of Black African management. Christine, although a natural runner, has no disciplined experience. Berry must start her at the beginning. Director Jean Stewart balances these disparate forces with finesse. From the opening scene, the tension of this race is vividly obvious. "Forget about the pain!", Berry tells his team, but you are confronted with the stress involved in this enterprise throughout the film. Whatever Moshesh's running experience in real life, she admirably demonstrates her abilities as she paces out bush roads and dodges coppers. Stewart places every scene in proper context, from distant views along rural tracks to the race's conclusion in Durban. Long distance shots of the Natal countryside impart a strong sense of the universality of distance running.

Finally, after no few tribulations, the race is run. The key point is Cowie's, a hill rising beyond a deceptive flat track. "It has killed thousands!", says Berry. Christine, determined, has her own approach. The race opens before sunrise, but "it'll get hot later today" intones the announcer. As the day begins, after the race starts, Stewart captures the easy mood of those first minutes. As time passes and the pace picks up, the full scope of the challenge is manifested. Runners are seen beside the track, crumpled with exhaustion. Christine's own support team members falter. There's nothing foregone about the conclusion - remember Cool Running? [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Summary of The Long Run

ARMIN MUELLER-STAHL STARS AS A DEMANDING COACH WHO'S TRAINING A FIERCELY INDEPENDENT YOUNG WOMAN TO CONQUER THE WORLD'S TOUGHEST MARATHON. IT'S AN UPLIFTING STORY ABOUT DESIRE AND GOING THE DISTANCE.
Similar DVD Movies
Chariots of Fire ImageChariots of Fire
WHV; Release date: 2011-01-04; DVD
Best price: $4.68
Price in other shops: $14.96
The Long Green Line ImageThe Long Green Line
Release date: 2008-10-14; DVD
Best price: $19.00
Price in other shops: $29.99
Fire on the Track: The Steve Prefontaine Story ImageFire on the Track: The Steve Prefontaine Story
Release date: 1995-06-30; DVD
Best price: $16.99
Price in other shops: $18.99
Marathon Challenge ImageMarathon Challenge
Wgbh Wholesale; Release date: 2008-02-11; DVD
Best price: $9.87
Price in other shops: $19.95
Saint Ralph ImageSaint Ralph
Sony; Release date: 2005-12-13; DVD
Best price: $8.57
Price in other shops: $14.99
Running Brave ImageRunning Brave
Trinity; Release date: 2005-05-31; DVD
Best price: $3.84
Price in other shops: $7.99
Prefontaine ImagePrefontaine
Team Marketing; Release date: 2002-09-03; Published: 2002-09-01; DVD
Best price: $4.12
Price in other shops: $9.99
Without Limits ImageWithout Limits
Team Marketing; Release date: 1999-02-16; DVD
Best price: $8.50
Price in other shops: $9.98
Run for Your Life ImageRun for Your Life
Universal; Release date: 2008-10-28; DVD
Best price: $3.48
Price in other shops: $14.98
Spirit of the Marathon ImageSpirit of the Marathon
Image Entertainment; Release date: 2008-10-07; DVD
Best price: $7.43
Price in other shops: $27.97
Compare prices and read customer reviews for more than one million DVD titles.
Oscar 2005 Winners