KNUTE ROCKNE-ALL AMERICAN (DVD/P&S-1.33/ENG-FR-SP SUB) DVD

Knute Rockne, All American
Knute Rockne-All American was Pat O'Brien's finest hour: thanks to intensive rehearsals and numerous makeup applications, he so closely resembled the title character that, in the words of Rockne's widow, "I almost expected him to make love with me". The life of the legendary Notre Dame football coach is recounted from his childhood, when young Rockne (played by Johnny Sheffield) startles his Norwegian-immigrant parents by announcing at the dinner table that he's just been introduced to "the most wonderful game of the world." As an adult, Rockne works his way through Indiana's Notre Dame university, under the watchful and benevolent eye of Father Callahan (Donald Crisp) A brilliant student, Rockne is urged by Father Nieuwland (Albert Basserman) to become a chemist, or at the very least remain a chemistry teacher. Newly married to Bonnie Skilles (Gale Page), Rockne at first sticks to academics, but the call of the gridiron is too loud for him to ignore, and before long he has built his reputation as the winningest college football coach in America. One of his most significant contributions to the game is the invention of the tactical shift, inspired by the precision choreography of a team of nightclub dancers! Among the players nurtured by Rockne are the immortal Four Horsemen-Miller (William Marshall), Stuhlreder (Harry Lukats), Laydon (Kane Richmond) and Crowley (William Byrne), and of course the tragic George Gipp, superbly enacted by Ronald Reagan. His career continues unabated until his death in a plane crash in 1931. The screenplay of Knute Rockne-All American tends to be all highlights and little story, with several of the more dramatic passages telegraphed well in advance (just before her husband's death, Bonnie Rockne comments forebodingly "It's gotten cold all of a sudden"). Still, the film remains one of the best and most inspirational sports biographies ever made, with a heart-wrenching conclusion guaranteed to moisten the eyes of even the most jaundiced viewer. Ironically, the film's most famous scene, George Gipp's deathbed admonition to "Win one for the Gipper", was for many years excised from all TV prints due to a legal entanglement stemming from an earlier radio dramatization of Rockne's life; fortunately, this and several related scenes were restored to the film in the early 1990s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Pat O'Brien as Knute Rockne Gale Page as Bonnie Skiles Rockne Ronald Reagan as George Gipp Donald Crisp as Father John Callahan Albert Basserman as Father Julius Nieuwland John Litel as Committee Chairman John Qualen as Lars Knutson Rockne Henry O'Neill as Doctor Owen Davis Jr. as Gus Dorais Dorothy Tree as Martha Rockne Johnny Sheffield as Knute: age 7 Nick Lukats as Harry Stuhidreher Kane Richmond as Elmer Laydon William Marshall as Don Miller Howard Jones as Himself Glen S. "Pop" Warner as Himself Alonzo Stagg as

Crew Robert M. Haas - Art Director Nick Lukats - Consultant/advisor J.A. Haley - Consultant/advisor Milo Anderson - Costume Designer Lloyd Bacon - Director Ralph Dawson - Editor Ray Heindorf - Composer (Music Score) Ferde Grofé, Sr. - Composer (Music Score) Leo F. Forbstein - Musical Direction/Supervision Perc Westmore - Makeup Tony Gaudio - Cinematographer Robert M. Fellows - Producer Hal B. Wallis - Producer Jack Warner - Producer Rex Wimpy - Special Effects Byron Haskin - Special Effects Robert Buckner - Screenwriter

Knute Rockne, All American
Endlessly quoted and highlighted, Knute Rockne, All American is one of the screen's most famous sports biographies. At the center of the film is Pat O'Brien's stirring performance as Rockne. He's fun to watch, particularly in his famous "Win one for the Gipper" speech. The Gipper himself is nicely played by Ronald Reagan, who would later become known by that nickname as well. The film is a leading example of the sports-mythology genre, the polar opposite of such realistic athlete biopics as Martin Scorsese's searing Raging Bull (1980). Director Lloyd Bacon was one of Warner Bros.'s most reliable studio hands, and he insures that Knute Rockne is successful at what it sets out to accomplish: telling an inspiring story with just enough real-life accuracy to make it credible. ~ Richard Gilliam, All Movie Guide
 

Library of Congress, U.S. National Film Registry (winner)

General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: English, French, Spanish Sound Processing: DD1: Dolby Digital Mono Additional Features: Oscar-winning technicolor historical short Teddy, The Rough Rider Classic cartoon Porky's baseball broadcast Audio-only bonus: Radio Show With O'Brien and Reagan Theatrical trailer DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1: Pre-1954 Standard MPAA Rating: NR DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 98 min   DVD Chapters: Disc #1 -- Knute Rockne All American 1. Credits and Foreward [2:06] 2. All Americans Now [5:34] 3. College Men [4:38] 4. His Right Place [2:49] 5. Forward Pass Offense [3:32] 6. Whipping West Point [4:01] 7. Coach For a Year [2:19] 8. Life's Work [4:26] 9. Families Man [4:36] 10. George Gipp [5:28] 11. Sore Throat [4:38] 12. Win Just One For the Gipper [3:26] 13. Triumphant Teamwork [4:05] 14. Backfield Shift [5:31] 15. Four Horsemen [2:43] 16. Broken Record [5:41] 17. Still Got Rock [4:19] 18. Lots of Spirit [3:31] 19. Striken [4:10] 20. Invoking the Gipper [3:18] 21. Investigative Committee [6:20] 22. Interrupted Vacation [2:57] 23. Tragedy [3:25] 24. Rockne's Legacy [3:29] 25. Cast List [:38]