Movies About Rowing
More accurately, movies that feature rowing or use it for their own cheap, deep, profound, prosaic, or artistic purposes. I haven’t seen many of these, so, more about some of them later. Some may actually be about rowing and some may just have drive-by scenes. But that’s OK. I honestly think my introduction to rowing, such as it was, was the three-second clip in the opening credits of the old “Banacek” TV series (George Peppard probably matted into an opening sequence on the Charles, in a single, with what I already know was lousy form), so there’s no telling which of these might matter to somebody.
Judging by the trailers, it appears that according to Hollywood, all rowing is team-oriented, competitive rowing. If there is a film that treats rowing the way, for example, “A River Runs Through It” treats fishing, I haven’t found it yet.
So, in no particular order:
The Novice — young woman takes up rowing, gets pretty good at it, goes out for crew, learns life lessons about obsession. If you’re going to use rowing as metaphor, this may be the way to do it. Some lovely and intense rowing scenes, too.
A Most Beautiful Thing — an unlikely and elite crew reunites on the water after 20 years, muses on what they did, have done, and can do and about what makes discipline in general and rowing in particular satisfying for them. Amazon Prime.
Heart of Champions — Is it “Hoosiers” on the water? If it isn’t, it shouldn’t be called what it is. I’m being unfair; I need to have a look before engaging snark mode.
Oxford Blues — American impersonates a good student, goes to England in pursuit of dream girl, somehow bribes his way into Oxford then somehow gets on an elite crew as a means to impress Ally Sheedy, probably does not get the girl, is supposed to have learned important lessons along the way (prove me wrong or shoot me now).
True Blue — ibid until shown otherwise.
The Strawberry Statement — the movie may be here just because of a few shots of 8-man shells before the male lead quickly decides that there are better and more important things in life than listening to a coxswain yell at him. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it. If it has anything to do with rowing, it’s more about not fitting in with anything so regimented as an ivy league crew. The book is a nice memoir of antiestablishmentarianism in the late 60’s / early 70’s and the movie is a fluffier version of the book (with Kim Darby). In the context of this post, I have to think that if the book’s author, James Kunen, wanted to spend time on the water, he would have been happier in a single. That much, I understand completely.
Blondie Goes to College (Really? I’m just taking Google’s word that has something to do with boats.)
Losing Sight of Shore — four women row an open boat across the Pacific from California to Australia, without support. OK, wow, it’s a hell of a true story, but is it so alien that it has naught to do with the business at hand? Probably. And probably well worth watching just the same.
Backwards
The Boys of ’36
Dare to Be — more women in boats. A documentary about various levels of the game and what it takes to get serious about progressing in the sport. It’s competitive rowing on figurative (but not literal!) steroids. So, y’know, a good thing to watch to remember that there is vast enjoyment to be had at way less than 32 strokes per minute. Think of it as a cautionary tale: know what you want out there on the water, and keep within your limits, or you, too, may need an epidural just to go mess about in a boat.