September 16, 2005
The Greatest Game Ever Played
Kelli and I went to see “The Greatest Game Ever Played” last night. This Walt Disney film is based on the true story of Francis Ouimet, a 20-year old ex-caddy who played in the 1913 US Open. I am always a little leery of films that are “based on” history, because that often translates into a story (like ‘Pearl Harbor’ and ‘Titanic’) that contains fictional people set against an historical background or real people’s names thrown into a fictionalized story. It is probably fortunate that I know nothing about the history of golf; my ignorance allowed me to simply take the story at face value.
And it’s quite a story. Ouimet was born in turn-of-the-century Boston, the son of a French father and a (presumably) Irish mother. Despite our notion of the United States as a giant melting pot, this was only true to a degree. By the middle of the nineteenth century, the social and political elite in this country had managed to establish a class system that was very, very similar to what had existed in England for centuries. Ouimet, being the son of immigrants, was not in the class that belonged to country clubs and attended parties requiring a tuxedo or cocktail dress. Thus, the closest he came to this world was as a caddy at the elite Boston country club that was across the street from his parents’ home.
The movie focuses on two facets of Ouimet’s life. First is his struggle to not only play golf, but to play at a world-class level despite the logistical and social roadblocks before him. Second is the tortured relationship with his father. The senior Ouimet is a man who has accepted his station in life as a day laborer and does not want his son to experience the disappointments he knew as a young man because he dared to dream for something better. This leads to obvious, but touching, confrontations.
A surprising angle found in the story is the sub-plot involving Harry Vardon, a professional player from England who is Ouimet’s hero. Vardon spends most of the movie battling his own demons and the memories of leaving his family home because it was knocked down to make way for a golf course. A scene with Vardon, set in an exclusive English country club, is heartbreaking. As time goes by, we realize that the contrasts between Vardon and Ouimet are insignificant compared to what they have in common as men striving to be their best.
This film is family-friendly with nary an obscenity to be found. I am no prude, but I believe it is very important that family movies be made that adults can enjoy. This is one of them.
Posted by Matthew at September 16, 2005 12:23 PMTrackBack URL for this entry:
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What I enjoyed most about the movie, was the uniquely "American" experience. Let me explain...Ouimet was a young man struggling to live up to his father's expections of a hardworking immigrant tradesman and knowing that he was meant to do more important things in life. Golf was a gift Ouimet was given at a very young age and it is what he was passionate about to the end of his life. What a rare gift it have a job that you love as opposed to a job you tolerate to put food on the table.
Mark Frost's biography "The Greatest Game Ever Played" goes into much more detail of both Ouimet & Vardons early lives and the draw this game had on them both. I recommend this movie for anyone who wants to believe in dreams again.
Posted by: Kelli![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.opaquelucidity.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at September 16, 2005 12:38 PM
I haven't seen this film, but based on your recommendation, I might suggest that you pick up a film called October Sky.
A similar touching family film about about a boy who's dreams to build rockets conflicts with his station in a coal mining town.
Posted by: Troy Overton at September 16, 2005 02:39 PM
Troy,
Nice of you to suggest the movie. However, everyone knows Matt is a sports fanatic! I will check the movie out though.
Posted by: Sly at September 16, 2005 03:08 PM
Actually, I saw October Sky when it was in theaters. I think it was actually a better movie than Greatest Game.
There's a scene in October Sky that gets me every time I see it. When Homer and his friends get arrested for supposedly starting the forest fire and their dads go down to get them from the police station, the one boy's stepfather is hitting him back in the alley across the street. Homer's dad grabs him, throws him up against the wall and says something like "you touch him again and I'll kill you".
He then gets back in his car (with Homer and the boy who just got hit), turns back to the kid and says, "Your dad was the finest man I've ever worked with. I was lucky to know him." He then drives on like nothing ever happened.
Posted by: Matt_D at September 16, 2005 05:27 PM