"Miracle"

This week I watched the 2004 Kurt Russell film "Miracle" that tells the story of the US Hockey team's victory in the 1980 Olympic Games. The film centers on the life of Herb Brooks, and claims to be the "true story" of his experiences coaching this team. The film begins with a photo and video montage that displays the key events in the United States from 1969-1979, essentially setting the stage for the movie. It seems that the main purpose was to display the state of seeming chaos and disillusion that Americans were in during the 1970s, highlighting events such as Watergate, the defeat in Vietnam, the gas shortages and economic difficulties, etc. The directors set the movie up in such a way that the eventual match between the USSR and the US hockey teams in the qualifying rounds exemplified the tensions of the cold war, and in the minds of many Americans the US victory enlivened in them hope and optimism for the country's future. As I was not alive during this event, I do not know if this is really how the country felt about this game. However, the film did an excellent job of establishing the historical context in which this took place and really allowing the viewer to see how the US hockey team's victory over the USSR and their winning of the gold medal could have been seen as a nationally significant event beyond the world of sports.

As I am not a huge sports fan, and had no previous knowledge of this event or its significance in the world of sports, I cannot say how accurate the film's portrayal of the game or of Brooks' coaching was. However, the film did place this event in context by including events in the film such as the Iran hostage crisis and a broadcast of President Carter's "Malaise" speech that would have been very much on the national radar during this time. Overall, I thought this was a pretty good film, in spite of Kurt Russell's awful attempts at a Minnesotan accent,and an entertaining portrayal of a "true story" from our nation's past.