The World's Fastest Indian (5 Stars)

True Stories #38

Name: Burt Munro

Lived: 25 March 1899 – 6 January 1978

Film dates: March to August 1967

Film made in 2005

This is a film that almost wasn't included in my true stories feature. At the end of December I went through my film collection and picked the films I wanted to watch. I stood in front of my bookcases, running my fingers over the Blu-rays first, then the DVDs. I removed every film from the shelf that was a true story. There were about 50 altogether. I put them all on a desk, and went through them, removing films until there were only 30 left. I didn't put the other 20 back in my bookcase. I left them on my desk, which is just as well, because I later decided to increase my feature to 40 films, so I put 10 back in my main pile.

I didn't put the films in any particular order, except I was deliberately leaving the best films until last. Then yesterday I looked at my last three films and thought to myself, "Huh? Where's the World's Fastest Indian?" It was the highest placed true story in my top 100 film list, so why wasn't it in my pile of films? I went back to my bookcases, and there it was, filed under W. How did I possibly miss it? And more to the point, are there any other films I've missed?

That left me with four films, which would have been a total of 41, but I closely checked the other three, and I decided to omit one of them because it's not accurate enough. All true stories have a certain amount of dramatization to make them more interesting, but I don't want to include any films which deviate too far from the truth.

The Indian in the title refers to Burt Munro's 1920 Indian Scout motorcycle. For years he'd been modifying it in his shed in Invercargill, New Zealand, increasing the speed from the original top speed of 54 miles per hour to more than 150 mph. Now, at the age of 68, he finally wanted to travel to the Bonneville Salt Flats in America to set a new land speed record.

The film is a road movie, from New Zealand to America, with a large portion of the film showing his journey from Los Angeles to Bonneville. In my last review I promised that I would post a gallery of the colourful people he met on the way. Here they are in chronological order.

Tom, Burt's next door neighbour and biggest fan.

Tom's parents, who like Burt, except when he revs up his motorbike at 5:30 am.

Burt's girlfriend Fran.

Burt's first contact in America: a grumpy taxi driver who picks him up at the airport in Los Angeles.

Burt's first friend in America: a transvestite called Tina.

A waitress in a Los Angeles diner. 

A used car salesman from El Salvador. Is he honest? Maybe.

An Indian called Jake helps Burt when he breaks down on the way to Bonneville.

Ada seduces Burt after letting him repair his trailer at her house.

Burt stops at a roadside bar to buy a cup of tea. "We ain't seen a cup of tea in here ever", is the reply. The closest the barmaid can serve him is a glass of Coke.

Burt exchanges a few words with a hen-pecked husband called Leroy.

That's the hen. Leroy could do worse.

Rusty picks up a hitchhiker, a young soldier on leave from Vietnam. He talks enthusiastically about his work spreading something called Agent Orange. He tells Burt that the war will be over in six months.

The first person Burt meets in Bonneville is Jim Moffet, who wants to set a speed record with a car. We don't find out whether or not he succeeds. He's highly respected in the racing community, so he manages to pull a few strings to help Burt compete.

Rolly and Marty aren't competitors, they're just spectators who like to watch fast bikes.

This is a better photo of Marty, played by the underrated actor Walton Goggins.

I'm not sure what Wendy and Alice do. They probably work at the Bonneville Salt Flats, but I have no idea what their job is.

They hang out with the competitors. Who wouldn't want to sit with a beautiful woman?

And here's one last photo of the amazing Anthony Hopkins.

This is a heart-warming film. It's not enough to say that it's a feel-good movie. That's an overused expression. In my first review I wrote, "When the final credits roll you will close your eyes and feel glad to be alive". That's no exaggeration. If you don't believe me, watch it for yourself.

	Order from Amazon.com
	Order from Amazon.co.uk

Tracks (5 Stars)

True Stories #37

Name: Robyn Davidson

Lived: 5 September 1950 – still alive

Film dates: 1975 to 1978

Film made in 2013

This is a film that touches me on different levels. The scenery is bleak but beautiful, and it's about a woman I admire immensely. Robyn Davidson did something that no man before or after her has been able to do: she walked from Alice Springs (the centre of Australia) to the west coast, a distance of 1700 miles (2700 kilometers). The quickest route, according to Google Maps, is 150 miles shorter, but she had to take some diversions, for instance to avoid sacred aborigine land.

 

Why did she do it? The simple answer is "Why not?" She just wanted to prove it could be done. If no man had ever attempted this feat, why shouldn't a woman do it?

She made the journey with four camels and her pet dog Diggity. The camels were used for carrying her tent and other equipment. No, she didn't ride on the camels. That would have been cheating. Diggity died a month before the end of the trip, which almost made her give up.

Her hindrances on the journey were sometimes by well-wishers. The journey was sponsored by National Geographic, on condition that she would let herself be photographed along the way. A photographer called Rick Smolan was assigned to meet her several times on the way. This annoyed her, but she had to put up with it to get the money she needed. Rick wanted to see her once a month, but she insisted that it couldn't be more than once every three months. He was attracted to her and wanted to travel with her for a few days, which would have turned into weeks, but she refused.

As she travelled on, her fame increased. She was called the Camel Lady. People came from far and wide looking for the Camel Lady, to talk to her and take photos. This was most unwelcome.

After 195 days in the desert Robyn and her four camels reached the ocean. Was Robyn Davidson crazy? Maybe, but this is the sort of crazy we need more of in our world. Not the sort of crazy that starts wars.

Mia Wasikowska puts on an excellent performance as Robyn Davidson. She looks similar enough to carry the role, not to mention her detached acting, as if she's living in a different world to those about her. I've read that Julia Roberts was originally chosen for the role. I'm sorry, Julia might be a good actress, but she would have been wrong for the role. Totally wrong.

Why did this film fail at the box office? I don't know. Wasn't it exciting enough? Was it was too Australian? I have no idea. It hasn't even been released on DVD in America. I hosted it for the Birmingham Film Group, and only one person went with me to see it. That's sad.

Success Rate:  - 2.4

	Order from Amazon.co.uk
	Order from Amazon.de

Lovelace (4 Stars)

True Stories #36

Name: Linda Lovelace

Lived: 10 January 1949 – 22 April 2002

Film dates: 1970 to 1980

Film made in 2013

Ten years ago the actress Julie K. Smith was active on Facebook. I often spoke with her. She read my blog, and she commented on my reviews of her films. She recommended the film "Lovelace" to me. She said that it had Oscar written all over it. I'd missed the film in the cinema, but I bought it on DVD as soon as possible, based on Julie's recommendation. No, it didn't win any Academy Awards, and it wasn't even nominated. To be honest, I didn't expect it to win any awards. It's not the sort of film that finds recognition.

The film is based on Linda's autobiography, written in 1980, but many of the people mentioned in the book claims that she's lying. Her publisher asked her to take a lie detector test. She passed, but there are ways of beating the machine. When I was at university one of my professors, an ardent opponent of lie detectors, gave his class instructions on how to beat the machine. I still remember everything, just in case I ever have to take a test.

The film is shown in two halves. In the first half we see Linda as the world saw her. It was a glamorous  life, and she was envied by all. In the second half her story begins again, and we're shown what really happened behind closed doors.

Linda Boreman was born in New York in 1949. After an unwanted pregnancy her family moved to Florida to get her away from temptation. She married a man called Chuck Traynor. In his own words, he owned a restaurant which sold good food and had beautiful waitresses. That was a euphemism for a titty bar. Linda didn't approve, so she stayed away from the restaurant and never asked Chuck about it.

Chuck was always in debt. He had connections in the pornography industry, so he got her a role in a film. He didn't even tell her what she was auditioning for. She thought it was a serious film, but it was actually the infamous movie "Deep Throat". This made her famous, bringing her together with film stars and other celebrities. She even became friends with Hugh Hefner, who's played by James Franco in this film.

That's a handsome young Hef. Did he really look so good?

In the second half of the film we see what the first half omitted. Linda was never happy with her husband. Chuck raped her on her wedding night. Is that at all possible? Evidently, yes. He had sex with her in a way that hurt her, and he didn't listen when she repeatedly told him to stop. Adding insult to injury, the next morning he was enthusiastic about how good it was. In the following months and years he often beat her.

The casting for "Deep Throat" was more than just reading lines. Chuck told her she had to sleep with four men from the film studio. When she refused, he held a gun to her head and threatened to kill her if she didn't go through with it.

Linda made the film, doing everything that was expected of her. When it was finished, she was credited as Linda Lovelace. She never picked the name for herself. It was given to her by the film producers, and they didn't even consult her.

Linda was ripped off. The film made over $30 million at the box office, and another $500 million in video sales. She was paid $1250, and she didn't even receive that, because Chuck took it to pay off his debts. She was asked to film a sequel, but she refused. "Deep Throat" was the beginning and end of her film career.

If you check IMDB, you'll see that she made another two films, "Deep Throat 2" and "Linda Lovelace for President". That's where different stories are told. Linda claims that these two films were patched together from unused footage for "Deep Throat". The film producers contradict this. 40 years later it's impossible to be certain, but my gut feeling tells me to believe Linda's words.

While watching the first half of the film I thought to myself that I ought to watch "Deep Throat". It's a gap in the education of a serious film fan. After watching the second half I said No on principle. I don't want to watch any film that a woman is forced into against her will.

Today Linda Lovelace is still considered to be the most famous porn star of all time. That's remarkable, considering she was only a porn star for 17 days.

Success Rate:  - 4.4

	Order from Amazon.com
	Order from Amazon.co.uk
	Order from Amazon.de

Fighting with my Family (5 Stars)

True Stories #35

Name: Saraya Bevis

Lived: 17 August 1992 – still alive

Film dates: 2005 to 2014, mostly 2010 to 2014

Film made in 2019

This is the story of the WWE wrestler known as Paige. The young woman from Norwich had a whirlwind career, leading to winning the WWE women's championship

Saraya started wrestling when she was 13. Her parents and her two elder brothers were all wrestlers in the family owned business, the World Association of Wrestling. In 2011 she and her brother Zak auditioned for the WWE in London. Saraya was accepted, Zak wasn't. This was heart-breaking for both of them. It had been Zak's dream all his life to join the WWE. It hurt Saraya because she loved her brother and didn't want to be separated from him.

The training in Florida is hard. At first Saraya, who's now taken the name Paige, isolates herself from the other female trainees. She's the only woman from a wrestling family. The others are models or cheerleaders.

People who don't understand professional wrestling say that it's fake. It's not fake, it's scripted. The level of athletic prowess needed to perform in the ring is immense. Despite Saraya's former experiences in England she had difficulty getting through the training programme.

The film ends with Paige's debut on Monday Night Raw on 7th April 2014. It's unusual for a true story to be made so soon after the real events. Florence Pugh does an excellent job portraying Paige. She had help and coaching from the real Paige. Several real wrestlers appear in the film, including the Rock (Dwayne Johnson), the Miz and the Big Show.

Success Rate:  + 1.8

	Order from Amazon.com
	Order from Amazon.co.uk
	Order from Amazon.de

WWF 1997.02.17 - Monday Night Raw

Location: Nashville Arena, Nashville, Tennessee

Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Jim Ross

This episode of Monday Night Raw is taking place the day after the Final Four PPV. Yesterday Bret Hart became the WWF champion. Today he has to defend his title against Sycho Sid.

Match 1. WWF championship, Bret Hart vs Sycho Sid

The WWF championship match opens today's Raw. It doesn't get very far. Before the match can begin, Steve Austin runs into the ring and attacks Bret Hart. Sid attacks Steve Austin, but in the altercation his leg is injured and the match is postponed. In an interview with Kevin Kelly he says that nothing will stop him facing Bret Hart later today.

Match 2. Marc Mero vs Savio Vega

Marc Mero is accompanied to the ring by Sable. Savio Vega is accompanied to the ring by five members of the Nation of Domination. During the match Sable kicks one of the PG-13 rappers. Crush chases her into the ring, where she's surrounded by the Nation of Domination members. The referee disqualifies Savio Vega, but the Nation of Domination still wants to attack Marc and Sable. Ahmed Johnson runs into the ring to stop them.

Match 3. Intercontinental championship, Rocky Maivia vs Leif Cassidy

It was only last Thursday that Rocky Maivia won the Intercontinental championship, and he's had to defend the title twice in the following four days. And he's still smiling.

Sunny comes to the ring. Is there a reason? Does anyone care?

Sunny flirts with Rocky, but he pushes her away. What's wrong with him?

She looks disappointed at being rejected, but everyone else still wants her.

Rocky defeats Leif Cassidy in a fair fight. There aren't many fair fights in the WWF. After the match Jerry Lawler rips an ECW sign out of the hands of a ringside fan. He says that the ECW, Extreme Championship Wrestling, is just an organisation for has-beens and wrestlers who aren't good enough to be in the WWF.

Goldust comes to the ring, accompanied by Marlena. He tells the audience that Hunter Hearst Helmsley should stop trying to take Marlena away from him.

Marlena says that despite his effeminate acts in the ring, Goldust is more man than Hunter Hearst Helmsley will ever be.

That insult is too much for Triple H to take. He runs to the ring and pedigrees Goldust. Then he turns to threaten Marlena. Some men just can't take No for an answer.

While Marlena is looking at Triple H, a woman comes into the ring from the crowd and attacks her. It's the same woman who attacked Marlena yesterday. Security guards rush into the ring and take her away.

Match 4. Tag team match, The Headbangers vs The Hardy Boys

Was this the first appearance of the Hardy Boys, Jeff and Matt Hardy, on television? I don't remember seeing them before. I did a little research and found that they weren't hired by the WWF until 1998. Before then they were jobbers, just stepping into the ring to lose. Yes, the Headbangers defeat them today, but Jeff and Matt put on a good show. They have a big future ahead of them.

Match 1 (reprised). WWF championship, Bret Hart vs Sycho Sid

The championship match is about to begin, but before it can start Steve Austin attacks Bret Hart outside of the arena. The match has to be postponed again.

Match 5. Owen Hart vs Flash Funk

Flash Funk comes to the ring accompanied by his two unnamed dancing girls. Owen Hart comes to the ring accompanied by Clarence Mason, who's still his manager despite his connection with the Nation of Domination. British Bulldog comes to ringside and tells Clarence to leave. The match progresses fairly, but at the end British Bulldog hits Flash Funk with Owen's Slammy award and holds his leg while Owen pins him. This is the reverse of last night's win. Owen wanted to win fairly, so he's angry that British Bulldog got involved.

While the match is on, Jerry Lawler receives a phone call from Paul Heyman, owner of the ECW. He says that he'll bring some wrestlers to Raw next week to show just how good they are.

Match 6. Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs Bart Gunn

Honky Tonk Man joins Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross at the commentary table. The wrestlers are equally matched until Goldust runs into the ring to provoke Triple H. They chase each other out of the arena, so Bart Gunn wins the match by a countout.

Match 1 (reprised again). WWF championship, Bret Hart vs Sycho Sid

The championship match is finally underway. At the beginning it's in Sid's favour, but Bret has more stamina and slowly wins the advantage.

Steve Austin hits Bret over the head with a chair when the referee isn't looking.Sid pins Bret and becomes the new WWF champion.

The Undertaker comes to the ring and the two stare at one another, nose to nose.

Der Hauptmann (4½ Stars)

True Stories #34

Name: Willi Herold

Lived: 11 September 1925 – 14 November 1946

Film dates: April to May 1945

Film made in 2017

I was lucky to see the German premiere of this film, attended by the Stuttgart director Robert Schwentke. It tells the story of a 19-year-old chimney sweep who impersonated a German officer and killed 200 people in the last two weeks of the Second World War. As Schwentke himself said, it's a story so absurd that it's difficult to believe that it's true.

Willi Herold was a deserter. In April 1945 he was alone and scared, trying to find his way home. By chance, he found a car abandoned by an air force captain. Documents were being burnt close to the vehicle, and the captain's uniform was in the back of the car, tidily folded, complete with his medals. The captain had obviously fled recently, but he was nowhere in sight.

Note: The German military rank "Hauptmann" is usually translated as "Captain", but due to the difference in ranks in German speaking countries it's only an approximate translation.

Willi put on the uniform and began a new life. At first it was an act of desperation, but it turned into courage. He met other deserters nearby, and he recruited them as members of his Kampfgruppe Herold. He told them that he had an important mission, directly from Adolf Hitler himself, and he'd lost his men, so he needed replacements.

So Willi and his band of deserters headed to a prison camp where German deserters were awaiting trial. His claims that he'd been sent to speed up the execution of the prisoners were received with joy by the camp's commander, Karl Schütte, who was angry that the deserters were receiving warm meals every day while faithful German soldiers were dying on the front line. Willi performed mass executions, dumping the bodies in a mass grave. Those who survived being shot were buried alive.

After the camp was destroyed in an air raid, Willi and his Kampfgruppe arrived in Aurich, a town that was preparing to welcome the British troops. He executed the mayor as a traitor, and he set up his headquarters in a hotel, where he tried and executed civilians every day, when he wasn't involved in drunken revelry.

How was it possible for an uneducated young man to achieve such power and carry out such destruction in a period of only two weeks? I have no idea. When his deception was uncovered (only days before the German surrender) and he was put on trial for impersonating an officer, the court found him innocent. The judge said that he'd done nothing to harm the German war effort. He was released, so that he could return to fight for Germany. But the war ended abruptly. His next trial was by the British armed forces, and he was executed as a war criminal.

The film is overwhelming. Too absurd to be true.

	Order from Amazon.com
	Order from Amazon.co.uk
	Order from Amazon.de