Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2910 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-07-24
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 115 minutes

From the studio
Featurette : Two Legends and the Greatest Game

A View From the Gallery: On The Set Of The Greatest Game Ever Played - on location and Behind The Scenes

Synopsis
The second film directed by actor Bill Paxton is a marked departure in both form and content from his debut, 2001's FRAILTY, a shadowy, gothic tale of murder. THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED is a sports movie slash Horatio Alger rags-to-riches tale with undertones of class consciousness and social critique. The story is based on a real-life event the 1913 U.S. Open golf championship at which two equally sympathetic young men, both of whom grew up economically and socially disadvantaged, go club to club in one of the most exciting and dramatic athletic events of the early 20th century. The film focuses on the competition between the British star Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane) and the young American prodigy Francis Ouimet (HOLES star Shia LaBoeuf). Though they hail from opposite sides of the Atlantic, the struggles that the two young golfers have had to overcome are markedly similar; both grew up in hard-scrabble, working-class homes that happened to be adjacent to golf courses, and both were preternaturally disposed to the game. In addition, both must defy the disdain of the golfing gentry. Vardon is already a reigning champion and international darling when Ouimet makes it to his first tournament to battle him. Though enough backstory is provided to connect the viewers to the characters, the meat of the film is the dramatic unfolding of the tournament. With expert editing and fluid camera work, Paxton films close-up views of the golfing action in a manner that recalls the kinetic pool shots in Martin Scorsese's THE COLOR OF MONEY. With each stroke, the competition becomes closer and the mood more tense, culminating in an explosive outcome that, while not unexpected, pulls at the heartstrings as do all good tales of triumph over adversity.

Customer Reviews

Greatest Golf movie ever played
Buy, play it, watch it! Great movie. Don't expect to be bored watching guys stroll around 18 holes as in TV golf coverage ... its not like that! A movie with real heart.

Paxton re-invents the sports movie
Flashy,symbolic and quite powerful account of the 1913 U S Open where local amateur Francis Ouimet(Shia LeBeouf)goes head to head with Ted Ray(Stephen Marcus)and the legendary Harry Vardon(Stephen Dillane)for the title.
Written by Mark Frost(based on his excellent book of the same name),Bill Paxton(he also directed Frailty- a very under-rated horror film)imbues the proceedings with visual tricks worthy of a Fatboy Slim video and it works brilliantly.Golf has never been this kinetic on screen before.
Beautiful to look at with genuine period flavour and with it's sporting cliches punched across,Greatest... is rich entertainment.LeBeouf is fine as the rabbit caught in the headlights of two towering players and Dillane as the troubled and enigmatic Vardon is marvellous in a slightly underwritten role.In fact some of the elements of the book that gave it such richness are missing here- the unhinged Mrs Vardon and Harry's problems with his putter that was to haunt him the rest of his career are overlooked.
The irony of the "professional" as an outsider and certainly not a gentleman is well captured as is the attendant class prejudices.Peter Firth is miscast as Lord Northcliffe and Walter Hagen is completely ignored.
Still a wonderful evocation of a key moment in golf with the finale being expertly judged by Paxton to capture our emotions completely.I had tears streaming down my face at the end and I am happy to say so.

We don't even like golf but we loved the film!
We don't like any kind of sport, but we watched the rental again and again and we can't wait to buy the dvd and cd.