Cheap Winning (DVD) (Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward) (James Goldstone) Price

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Customer Reviews of Winning

not top notch, nut still worth seeing
This movie is often mentioned as a member of the great pantheon of classic race movies, and it does belong there but it is more of a bottom feeder compared to "Grand Prix" and certainly "Le Mans". It is not the quality of the race footage or the throughout great performances of Newman, Woodward, and a very junior Richard Thomas, impressive on his movie debut. It is more the script that is the problem, and the movie lacks crucial time in the beginning to develop the characters and their relationships. Robert Wagner is a weak link in this movie since he never establishes himself as the friend and rival of the Newman character Frank Capua, and the whole delivery of his part in the affair with Capua's wife is weak. Where "Le Mans" does very much with little words, this movie sometimes fails to establish the relationship drama in key scenes, yet is very touching at times.
The track drama on the other hand is captured flawlessly, and the viewer gets some very interesting impressions on how the Indy 500 were run in the late 60ies, just before the hayday of the snakepit. With the right level of expectation this is an enjoyable movie, and the quality of the DVD leaves nothing to desire.

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Not as bad as Driven
Maybe it's because I watched this movie within days of the astoundingly great "Grand Prix", but I though "Winning" was a shambles of a movie. The thin plot barely made sense, and a the few stylized "racing" sequences weren't worth the time it takes to watch them. I like Paul Newman, but his performance in "Cool Hand Luke" was far better.
I'm hopeful that Le Mans will be better than this movie, which was edited with a sawzall.

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Winning a Winner
I hadn't seen Winning for maybe 25 years, so when I saw that it was available on VHS I thought it would be worth the $9.98. I recalled the premise of the movie - a racecar driver trying to find the balance between career and wife and son - but few of the details, but I remembered that I enjoyed it immensely.

Newman paired with Woodward, and Richard Thomas pre-John Boy! A tight script about marital infidelity coupled with fine directing and acting, mix in some grand cinematography at the old brickyard (shot during the actual race in 1968), and a fine Dave Grusin soundtrack, and the product is a real winner!

Where infidelity is concerned, we are often quick to blame one partner or the other. But if we are honest, we must ultimately see that both partners can be at fault. Winning shows that so often one partner can be responsible and the other to blame.

A thought-provoking movie, despite a glaring technical flaw - Newman carrying the Borg Warner trophy around like a bowling trophy (any racing fan would know the Borg Warner trophy weighs nearly 100 pounds; the winner actually gets a replica that stands about 14 inches tall and weighs about five pounds) - director James Goldstone gets the most not only from his actors, but also from the backdrop of the movie: the 1968 Indy 500. The excitement and pageantry of the "greatest spectacle in racing" are expertly captured. These finely tuned machines from the "golden era" of racing are shown gracefully circling the track, like a skater delicately balanced on a single skate blade. Even the wrecks, shown in agonizing slow motion, have a certain beauty about them, while one of Newman's pit stops manages to stylistically contrast sitting still while his car is being serviced with the exhilaration of being on the track and at speed.

For fans of Newman and Woodward and racing buffs alike, Winning is a winner. And at $9.98, it's a steal, too!