Sports/Recreation, Basketball, Classic, Children, Personal Triumph, Documentary, Recommended, African Americans, African American Cinema, African American Culture
Description
One of the most critically acclaimed documentaries of all-time, HOOP DREAMS has become a model for how to construct a fact-based film, creating intimate and emotionally resonant portraits of its subjects while exploring the larger social issues that those subjects are negotiating with. The film focuses on William Gates and Arthur Agee, two teenagers from inner-city Chicago, and follows them for almost five years, the period where both enter and complete their high school careers. Both young men are talented basketball players, and as the title suggests, have their eyes on the college game and eventually the NBA as their best shot at escaping the poverty they grew up in. But as William and Arthur reach for their goal, they must contend with the pressing issues and difficulties of social class and racism, as well as the predatory practices of the basketball recruiters who entice the pair to attend their schools. In this way, HOOP DREAMS chronicles much more than just the individual experiences of two young men. It examines the larger problems that beset inner-city African-American families and how they cope with those difficulties through family support and friendship, as well as presenting a picture of the increasingly ruthless, big-business tactics of college and even high school sports. It remains a seminal documentary film, both affecting and thought provoking in its story of lives and dreams entangled by forces beyond their control.
DVD Features
Region 1 Keep Case Full Frame - 1.33 Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo Surround - English Additional Release Material: Music Video: Original Music Video Trailers: Theatrical Trailer Audio Commentary: 1. Arthur Agee - Actor/William Gates - Actor 2. Steve James - Director/Peter Gilbert - Filmmaker/Steve James - Filmmaker/Frederick Marx - Filmmaker Text/Photo Galleries: Essay: 1. John Edgar Wideman - Cultural Historian 2. Alexander Wolff - Sports Illustrated Senior writer 3. Michael Wise - WASHINGTON POST ARTICLE: LOOKING BACK AT BROKEN DREAMS. Additional Products: Booklet
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An excellent documentary about two inner city kids, Arthur Agee and William Gates, and their aspirations of reaching the NBA...and of how their dreams are broken, their lives fall apart, and how... Read the whole review at MatchFlick
