At the Movies - Part Two

One of my early blog entries detailed some cycling movie favorites (click here to view), and since I’ve recently seen a few really good films about the sport, mostly via Netflix, I thought I would share.

The Triplets of Belleville – This animated film is quite different from the rest on this list and was a bit of a surprise as I was watching, since I had no idea beforehand that the plot involved cycling. I had previously seen Sylvain Cholet’s 2010 Academy Award nominated feature The Illusionist and had really enjoyed it. I found out that this earlier film had also been nominated and put in on my Netflix list.

   The story centers on a boy who dreams of winning the Tour de France and trains his whole life to become a champion – strangely that is the boy’s name, Champion. Raised by his grandmother, who also serves as his trainer, the boy is eventually kidnapped by the French mafia for gambling purposes. Grandma eventually tracks down his captors and is assisted in the rescue mission by a trio of elderly music hall singing sisters who work at the restaurant in which the mafia boss is dining.

   There is very little dialog, and it is really unnecessary – proven by the fact that I don’t know French and thoroughly enjoyed the film. The animation is offbeat, with most characters displaying strange body proportions and distorted facial features. The background scenery has whimsical architecture or exaggerated landscape details, which ensure that the film is always visually interesting.

Rough Ride – A very recent viewing, the film is a documentary version of the book of the same title, written by Irish sports journalist Paul Kimmage, who was himself a pro cyclist during the 1980s. Kimmage dropped out of the pro peloton because of frustration from competing with/against doping athletes. His book exposed the widespread use of PEDs (performance enhancing drugs) and cost the author many friendships within the sport.

   Lifelong friend Stephen Roche, winner of the 1987 “triple crown” (Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Road Race World Championship) and former colleagues saw Kimmage’s actions as a betrayal to the sport, in which there had always been an omerta, or  code of silence, about drug use. Kimmage points out that he was not trying to single out individuals for prosecution, he wanted to expose the misuse of drugs and prevent young athletes from killing themselves for a sport that he loves and wants to see become a clean completion.

   Kimmage later becomes a part of the process to expose Lance Armstrong and follows up with an investigation into the corrupt practices by former UCI officials to hide the actions of the American cyclist. 

Slaying the Badger – This ESPN “30 for 30” feature examines the rivalry between Greg Lemond, now the first and only American Tour de France champion, and teammate Bernard Hinault, a five-time Tour winner himself. A brutal competitor, the Frenchman known as “The Badger” had promised to support Lemond in his quest for his first Tour win, only to have a change of heart when victory was within his own grasp.   

   Through interviews with Greg and his wife Cathy, Hinault, journalists, and former members of the La Vie Claire team, it is obvious that even today, a bit of tension is still there between two of the greatest cyclist the sport has ever seen. The documentary highlights the time period in which I, along with millions of Americans, was first exposed to pro cycling and grew to love it!

Stop At Nothing – The opening two segments of this film set the tone, one of which shows an arrogant Armstrong vehemently perjuring himself in a deposition, the other in which he is blowing a taunting kiss at the peloton, having “beaten” them only by making a behind-the-scenes deal to let him win the race.

   While I certainly enjoyed an earlier release on the subject, The Armstrong Lie, this documentary has updated information about the depths to which the disgraced cycling star sank to cheat, lie, and bully others into aiding the cover-up of his deeds. This version of the story is aided by an Academy Award-winning production team (One Day in September) and acclaimed director Alex Holmes, who effectively weave facts and footage with commentary by those who were close to the events, many who had become targets of Armstrong in an effort to discredit their testimony.

   As I watched the film I found myself constantly shaking my head in disbelief, not only that someone could so stubbornly profess innocence, but that so many people wanted to believe Armstrong was clean, no matter how much information began to pile up against the multiple Tour de France “winner”. I can honestly say I never really liked the Texan, but for the sake of the sport and those who looked up to him as a cancer survivor and supporter of those in the fight against the disease, I was holding out hope that this was some type of conspiracy against the American.

   It is amazing how the pro cycling scene has changed, with very few athletes able to enjoy their victories without a cloud of doubt, questions and accusations about performance-enhancing drugs. While Armstrong was just one cyclist in a sport-wide culture of cheating, the extent of his actions have irreparably affected the public perception of the sport.

A few more quick picks:

Hell On Wheels – a behind-the-scenes look at the Telekom pro cycling team as it competes in the 2003 Tour de France.

Bicycle Dreams – covers the 2005 edition of the brutal Race Across America, in which competitor Bob Breedlove was killed in a head-on collision with a pickup truck.

Clean Spirit - the “clean” Argos-Shimano team is followed during their successful 2013 Tour de France, during which German sprinting star Marcel Kittel took four stage victories.

Rising From Ashes – details the efforts of controversial American cycling legend Jock Boyer in his attempts to field a national cycling team in Rwanda, a country recovering from one of the World’s most devastating genocides.