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Remember The Titans [2001]
![Remember The Titans [2001]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/515YPJHQQ5L._SL160_.jpg)
Set in Alexandria, Virginia in 1971, the fact-based story begins with the integration of black and white students at T C Williams High School. The effort to improve race relations is most keenly felt on the school's football team, the Titans, and bigoted tempers flare when a black head coach (Washington) is appointed and his victorious predecessor (Will Patton) reluctantly stays on as his assistant. It's affirmative action at its most volatile, complicated by the mandate that the coach will be fired if he loses a single game in the Titans' 13-game season. The players represent a hotbed of racial tension, but as the team struggle towards unity and gridiron glory, Remember the Titans builds on several subplots and character dynamics to become an inspirational drama of Rocky-like proportions. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com On the DVD: Remember the Titans looks impressive in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, with Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS 5.1 sound options equally up to the "big game" challenge. Extras include a "making of" feature, hosted by Lynn Swann, which will seem a tad on the sentimental side for non-American audiences; but to balance the schmaltz there are two more interesting behind-the-scenes featurettes: "Denzel Becomes Boone" and "Beating the Odds". The commentary is standard, relatively uninspired stuff, with director Boaz Yakin, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and writer Gregory Allen Howard giving the low-down on the production. Even with the addition of a couple of deleted scenes and the theatrical trailer there isn't really anything to get DVD aficionados drooling here. --Kristen Bowditch
RRP: £17.99
Our Price: £3.79 (subject to change)
Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review
Boaz Yakin's Remember the Titans boasts only one major star (Denzel Washington), but it does have an appealing cast of fresh unknowns and a winning emphasis on substance over self-indulgent style.
Simply Fantastic
Review date: 2008-04-05 Rating: 10 out of 10
The Story: In 1971 the T.C. Williams High School is desegregated and Herman Boone Played by Denzel Washington is hired as the Head Coach of the football team in place of the previous coach Bill Yoast played by Bill Patton. This replacing causes an outrage as the white kids refuse to play for a black coach. In order to get the white and black students to play together Boone hires Yoast as his defensive coach and takes the kids to camp to give them a tough lesson in brotherhood. After hard work and being pushed by the coach to get to know each other and see past the colour of each others skin the Titans are born and on entering the season they become an unstoppable team.
The Review: Simply the story telling, the inspirational acting and the fact that this is based on a true story makes this film a masterpiece and something truly memorable. As a person who takes an interest in the race relations of the mid 60s and 70s America, this is an educational film that shows me these decades weren't all full of racial hatred. Denzel, once again takes on a convincing role as Coach Boone. Washington embraces roles from this era and he showed us once again why he is considered one of the greatest African American actors of all time. Ryan Hurst who plays Gerry Bertier, and who in my opinion is a very underrated actor gave an exceptional performance when displaying the young white kid full of hate who then learned the error of his ways to become best friends with Julius Campbell his Black athletic equal.
A very good movie which I would highly recommend to the masses.
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Reviews
Red blooded sports film
Review date: 2008-02-08 Rating: 8 out of 10
This film tells the story of a mixed race American football team from a recently racially desegregated Southern US high school.
The film show cases the awkwardness of the coaching staff, with the successful white coach now finding himself the junior coach to a black team coach with his own conflicting ideas of what makes a team successful. As well as the coaches' friction, there is friction between the team members, who initially polarise on racial lines, and the teams performance duly collapses. However, following a soulful training retreat, the team members begin to befriend each other, the coaches work more closely and the team performance rockets.
The film has some very strong points. The characters all develop at a nice pace, with some genuinely strong performances from the young team members. There is a particularly touching scene where one of the players is paralysed in hospital. The actual sport side is relatively light, and for the British viewer, mercifully few technical American football remarks. The film does have one or two weaknesses, biggest being the at times rather melodramatic stand offs between the coaching staff, as well as the rather crude racist remarks and gestures, some of which even by the standards of the day seem over the top.
All in all the film is very uplifting, and a red blooded sports fan will find it especially enjoyable. Watch out for a young Hayden Panetierre, who was very young when this film was made and who stars as one coaches' daughter. Needless to say she has changed quite a bit since!
A good film.
Review date: 2008-01-27 Rating: 8 out of 10
Film based on a true story about a high school football team at a newly integrated high school in Virginia, America in the early 70s where black and white kids are able to play football together for the first time, and the struggles of their coach (played by Denzel Washington) to overcome the prejudices of his white and black football players towards one another as well as prejudices in the wider community. Usually when I see `based on a true story' at the start of a film I think `uh-oh' but this film thankfully did not pander to the clichés often found in such films and delivered a satisfactory moral tale - tempered with tragedy - that was not overly sentimental, as well as a satisfying ending to boot. Denzel Washington is as ever excellent as the coach standing up to not just white but also black prejudice and it is also good to see Hayden Panettiere - as Denzel Washington's assistant coach's young daughter - in a pre-Heroes role. A good film.
An inspiring film
Review date: 2008-01-22 Rating: 8 out of 10
American football normally holds little appeal for me but this film is absolutely gripping. It is thought provoking without having to resort to preaching, allowing the plot and fine acting to do the work. I won't repeat the story outline as other reviews cover this more than adequately but this is an enjoyable piece of soul-satisfaction...
One of the greatest films of all time
Review date: 2007-07-03 Rating: 10 out of 10
Don't listen to the one doubter, Although D I Redfearn below may know more about what happened in real life than the real coach Boone that helped with the film i doubt it, and bad acting?!?!? in a denzel washington film!?!?!?! i very much doubt it! This is a phenomenal film about a small football town in the US.
The story is a very moving portrayal of the racial problems in America. When two schools are combined to make one mixed race school the white families are in uproar picketing the school gates in protest of black people being allowed to go to school with their children. The school board then contreversially assign a black coach to the football team who insists that the players integrate and come together as a team.
In real life the T C Titans went 13 - 0 for the season, not losing a single game! the whole towns love of football caused them to see the way the players integrated and follow suit.
This film works on many levels, it works as a sports film about american football and on a deeper level it works as a moving drama dealing with the issue of racism. I watched this film because it was about american football, I love this film because it is about so much more!
The acting in the film is good - much as you would expect from an actor of Denzel Washingtons quality. The historical accuracy is ensured by the contributions of the real Herman Boone who is played by Washington in the film. Obviously there is some dramatisation for the film and not evry word scripted is exactly as it was spoken in real life but if it is close enough for those that lived it it is close enough for me!
This film has something for everyone buy it now!
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Wood Harris
Donald Faison
Will Patton
Ryan Hurst
Denzel Washington
Director(s):
Recording label: Walt Disney Home Video
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Home Video
EAN: 5017188883788
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 2001-11-26
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Audience rating: Parental Guidance
Region code: 2
Running time: 113 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2000-09-29
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: English (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired)
Language: Danish (Subtitled)
Language: Finnish (Subtitled)
Language: Icelandic (Subtitled)
Language: Norwegian (Subtitled)
Language: Swedish (Subtitled)