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The Film
I must make clear up front that I am not a golf fan by any means, although I did play a little bit in college (and very poorly). I flip past the game on television as fast as possible, and would never go out of my way to watch a match in person. I know Tiger Woods, more for his natty wardrobe than anything else; no other golf personalities past or present would ring a bell.
With all of those qualifiers out of the way, I must confess I enjoyed this film very much. The beauty of The Greatest Game Ever Played is that one does not need to care about golf to be drawn into the story and care about the characters.
The film tells the true story of Francis Ouimet and Harry Vardon and the battle for the 1913 US Open Championship. The story mainly focuses on Ouimet, called the father of golf in America. Played by Disney Channel regular Shia LaBeouf, Ouimet is portrayed as the classic underdog character. Raised across the street from the Brookline, Massachusetts golf course that hosted the US Open, Francis worked as a caddie for the amateur gentlemen players that frequented the course.
© Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Being told by both his father and the fledgling American golfing establishment that there was no place for someone like him in golf, Francis went on to greatness, shattering many of the class barriers in place at that time. Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane), the English challenger for the trophy, faced similar obstacles in England. As a professional golfer and someone who came from an impoverished background, Vardon was not accepted in gentleman’s clubs except as a hired hand to teach gentleman golf and win the clubhouse trophies. The Greatest Game is not a match-up between the heroic American boy and the evil English usurper. The film gives insight and sympathy to both characters, and the only antagonists end up being the people who desire to keep the sport of golf “pure” from the common man.
The golf scenes that take up most of the film are filmed in innovative ways and are exciting to watch, and even my kids were caught up in the drama of the final match. Some of the interesting camera angles and CGI elements that were added to keep the game interesting have varying degrees of success; the fake-looking ladybug sitting on the golf ball before a shot does nothing to add to the story and jerks the viewer back into the 21st century—but overall, the visual experiments pay off with added excitement; something a non-golf fan sorely needs.
The Goodies
“A View From the Gallery”
This is the standard “making of” bonus feature, with short interviews with director Bill Paxton, actors Stephen Dillane and Shia LaBeouf, and Mark Frost, who adapted the screenplay from his 2002 book of the same name. The most interesting aspect to this bonus feature was how Mark Frost worked so closely with the production team in making the film, and seems to have had a lot of influence over the film; something that many writers involved with other films would wish for, I imagine. The featurette also covers much of the CGI aspects of the film. All of the actors merely developed a credible golf swing, and the balls were added in by computer (almost impossible to tell in the finished film.) Bill Paxton also shares his passion for unusual camera shots and angles when it came to filming the various parts of the game.
“2 Legends and the Greatest Game”
© Disney Enterprises, Inc.
This featurette gives a historical perspective about The Greatest Game and gives background information on Ouimet and Vardon. Told mostly with black-and-white photographs and clips of the film, the segment is actually more interesting than it sounds, even for non-golf fans. Harry Vardon was the very first professional athlete to promote a sports product—a golf ball called the Vardon Flyer—and proceeded to tour America demonstrating his skill and promoting the product. Take that, Tiger. The featurette also fills out the details in Ouimet’s life as a lifelong spokesperson for the sport of golf and champion of underdogs everywhere with the forming of his caddy scholarship fund.
“From Caddie to Champion”
This featurette is a transfer of a television show filmed in black and white in 1963. It certainly looks its age and is a bit dry for non-golfers, but it is a firsthand account of the 1913 US Open by Francis Ouimet himself (70 years old at the time.) Most of the program involves Ouimet retracing his steps on the Brookline course and giving personal commentary about the match. While it’s interesting to see Ouimet and compare the actual game to the one portrayed on film, this featurette will mainly appeal to real golf buffs. My children quickly skipped over this bonus feature.
Audio Commentary
Surprisingly for a DVD with such modest bonus features, The Greatest Game features not one but two commentaries. The first is from director Bill Paxton, who does an excellent job walking viewers through the film, mainly giving explanations for various camera angles and CGI effects and commenting on the actors’ performances. It’s obvious he loves the game and had a great time directing his first studio-backed feature.
The second commentary is equally as good, though more for fans of golf and golf history. Author and screenwriter Mark Frost has encyclopedic knowledge of golf history and is able to present it in a clear, entertaining manner. He also is quick to point out areas in the film where the screenplay varies from the historical realities, such at the addition of a romance between Francis and Sarah Wallis (played by the very beautiful Peyton List.)
Audio, Video and Interface
The DVD is presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1, and widescreen is the only version available on disc. The colors are unusually rich, and I was struck how the greens of the grass contrasts so sharply with the dark colors the majority of the characters wear. The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. Interface has one of the interesting CGI shots of the tally board flipping to show the standing of the players, but after that quick section, the interface becomes just the standard photo background with simple menu choices.
Final Evaluation
As the box office totals suggest, not many of you went to see The Greatest Game Ever Played in theatres. However, this DVD release is worth a look; at the very least on Netflix. The Greatest Game translates to a small screen very well, and the surprising drama of a golf match played over ninety years ago still has the power to excite and inspire even those of us who wouldn’t be caught dead on a fairway.
Technical Details
Commentary by director Bill Paxton and writer Mark Frost
“A View from the Gallery” making-of featurette
“Two Legends of the Greatest Game” featurette
“From Caddy to Champion: Francis Ouimet” featurette
1.85:1, Dolby Digital 5.1 (English)
Subtitles: English; Closed Captioned; French
