WILMA

WILMA - 1977

RATED - PG-13 (I would have given it a G rating)

RATINGS - 3 Amazon (4.5/5), 2,209 Netflix (3.5/5), 56 IMDB (5.4/10).

STARRING - Shirley Jo Finney, Cicely Tyson, Joe Seneca, Denzel Washington (screen debut).

THEMES - Perseverance, love, family, relationships.

STORY - This made for TV docudrama is the true story of Wilma Rudolph, one of America's greatest Olympic athletes. Wilma was born into a poor (by our standards), black family in Tennessee and rose to become the crowd favorite at the 1960 Olympics in Rome where she became the fastest woman in the world and the first American woman to win three gold medals in the same competition. Her journey included overcoming a debilitating case of polio at a young age which forced her to wear a brace and heavy shoes for several years and receive daily therapy. She also lived and competed in a world where being black in the deep South meant being segregated and second class. She also had to overcome an unwanted pregnancy which threatened to end her career early. It is an amazing story of perseverance and the love of a family and the support of her coach and community. As with Jesse Owens ahead of her and so many athletes, there is a coach behind her success, Ed Temple, the track coach at Tennessee State who saw in Wilma the raw potential of a great athlete. The movie builds to a climax with the Rome Olympics and shows all three of the actual events in which she won the gold medals. She also went on to become a role model for young women and the first real superstar female athlete and also an ambassador for amateur athletics. Enjoy the story of this amazing woman and athlete. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 07/22/2008.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB, ROME 1960

HEAT WAVE

HEAT WAVE - 1990

RATED - NR but probably PG for language & violence. Rated PG in Canada.

RATINGS - 6 Amazon (5/5), 913 Netflix (3.2/5), 70 IMDB (7.0/10).

STARRING - Cicely Tyson, Blair Underwood, Sally Kirkland, James Earl Jones

AWARDS - EMMY for Best Supporting Actor (Jones) plus five other wins & one nomination.

THEMES - Racial discriminiation, injustice, relationships, family.

STORY - The film, based on a true story, begins with a scene from the Watts riot with two cousins (Bob Richardson & J.T. Turpin) arguing over whether to throw a molotov cocktail. It then flashes back to show how they and their family arrived at that point. How did a routine traffic stop flare into one of the worst riots in our history? How did the flames of racial prejudice get so hot? Richardson (Underwood) moved, along with cousin J.T. Turpin and their family, from Alabama to LA. It was supposed to be the land of opportunity but for the Turpins it becomes another racial ghetto and they end up in dead end jobs and alcohol. Richardson goes on to college and a tour of duty in the military. He returns and gets an entry level job as a messenger with the LA Times. He has finally entered into the lowest level of a white dominated profession and has ambitions of advancing. When the riots continue, the white reporters don't dare return to the scene and Richardson volunteers. A very realistic and sobering look at the racial situation in our country during that time (today?). There are several hopeful relationships such as the one Richardson formed with a young white police officer and with Junius Johnson (Jones), both of whom tried in their own way for reconciliation among blacks and whites. Those were voices ignored by both sides for the most part. An overlooked and underrated film. Still relevant and important today. Very well done. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 04/26/2008.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB