Last night my wife and I watched the recent movie "The Boys in the Boat", directed by George Clooney. It is a very nice and entertaining movie and most of it is an accurate depiction of the time and events leading up to the 1936 Olympic Games. However a few things were changed for the movie's running time, and to include some dramatic effects.
This documentary is much shorter, at 53 minutes, but is more historically accurate. For example, where the movie leads us to believe everything depicted occurred in 1936, in fact it was over the 3-year period 1933 to 1936.
This program uses actual film footage from the period, practicing and racing, the transatlantic ocean voyage, the final Olympic race. It also includes an interesting thing, when the crew went to New York to compete, the crew had an off day and decided to visit President Roosevelt at his home in Hyde Park, north of Poughkeepsie. He wasn't home, of course, but his son, also a rower, invited them in and they talked rowing.
All in all a very interesting and well made documentary. At home, streaming on the PBS site.
This documentary is much shorter, at 53 minutes, but is more historically accurate. For example, where the movie leads us to believe everything depicted occurred in 1936, in fact it was over the 3-year period 1933 to 1936.
This program uses actual film footage from the period, practicing and racing, the transatlantic ocean voyage, the final Olympic race. It also includes an interesting thing, when the crew went to New York to compete, the crew had an off day and decided to visit President Roosevelt at his home in Hyde Park, north of Poughkeepsie. He wasn't home, of course, but his son, also a rower, invited them in and they talked rowing.
All in all a very interesting and well made documentary. At home, streaming on the PBS site.
