Eddie the Eagle
27/09/16 Filed in: Wimblington Film Club
I didn't catch Eddie the Eagle at the cinema but we chose it for our monthly film at the Wimblington Film Club. After a few 'heavier' titles this film was just what our audience needed, and judging by the spontaneous applause at the end, they thoroughly enjoyed it.
I remember Eddie the Eagle as an unlikely olympian who caught the public's imagination by coming last, a very British attitude. It was interesting, therefore, to watch this film and learn the full story, which I accept may have been somewhat dramatised in the film.
The desire of Eddie from a young age to become an olympian was both inspiring and humorous in equal measure. With support from his mother, but absolutely none from his father, he tries a range of sports until he actually gains some expertise at dry slope skiing. Hoping to be selected for the British downhill team he is to be disappointed because, as the story is told, his face didn't fit.
I remember Eddie the Eagle as an unlikely olympian who caught the public's imagination by coming last, a very British attitude. It was interesting, therefore, to watch this film and learn the full story, which I accept may have been somewhat dramatised in the film.
The desire of Eddie from a young age to become an olympian was both inspiring and humorous in equal measure. With support from his mother, but absolutely none from his father, he tries a range of sports until he actually gains some expertise at dry slope skiing. Hoping to be selected for the British downhill team he is to be disappointed because, as the story is told, his face didn't fit.
Undaunted he takes up ski jumping, probably one of the most dangerous winter sports, and seeks selection for the British team on the basis that nobody else has applied. But he has to meet a qualifying standard, a standard that creeps up as the British Olympic administration seek to avoid the embarrassment of having a novice representing the country. But shear determination wins through, and Eddie goes to Calgary, where he doesn't win, far from it, but his pure pluckiness and crowd pleasing antics make him a hero.
A very uplifting film that doesn't demand much from the audience and delivers more than its fair share of feel-good energy.
A very uplifting film that doesn't demand much from the audience and delivers more than its fair share of feel-good energy.