Four Minutes
by Charles Beeson
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Actor: Amy Rutherford, Christopher Plummer, Drew Carnwath, Jamie Maclachlan, Shaun SmythDirector: Charles Beeson
Cinematographer: James Chressanthis
Producer: Bud Greenspan
Producer: Gerald W. Abrams
Producer: Lynn Raynor
Producer: Michael R. Goldstein
Producer: Nancy Beffa
Writer: Frank Deford
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 90 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-12-06
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: ESPN Video
DVD Reviews of Four Minutes
DVD Review: An appreciation of Roger Bannister and breaking the four-minute mile
Summary: 4 Stars
There were scientists who thought that when they tested the first atomic bomb it would set the atmosphere on fire and incinerate the entire planet. There were those who maintained that the sound barrier could not be broken and if you have seen "The Right Stuff" you will recall that the sound of Chuck Yeager's sonic boom was thought to be the sound of the X-1 crashing. Then there were those who thought that if a human being tried to run the distance of one mile in less than four minutes they would literally drop dead.
Most of those who watched "The Right Stuff" knew that John Glenn would survive the trouble with his Mercury capsule when returning from orbiting the earth, but they may well not have known about Chuck Yeager and also be surprised that he makes it out of the movie alive. The name Roger Bannister is known because he was the first man to run a mile in less than four minutes (and the title gives away the ending to the rest of the world). However, while his name and his achievement are well known in the sports world, the story of Roger Bannister is not.
Sportswriter Frank Deford wrote the teleplay for "Four Minutes" based on his article "Hillary and Bannister," which compared the stories of the first men to climb Mt. Everest and to break the four-minute mile. One key commonality between the two Englishmen is that each had help in their respective treks to immortality. For Hillary it was the Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, while for Bannister it was Chris Brasher and Chris Chataway, who set the pace for Bannister to break the barrier at Iffley Road track at Oxford on May 6, 1954. This teamwork hardly takes away from Bannister's accomplishment, because as "Four Minutes" emphasizes, he was a most unusual sportsman.
Bannister (Jamie Maclachlan) was a brilliant Oxford medical student and one of my favorite scenes in the film comes early on when the whispered questions of other students draw the attention of the lecturing don to Bannister. The don grills the young student, questioning each and every remark until he reaches the end the Socratic exercise and acknowledges his agreement with "Doctor" Bannister's diagnosis. Not only does this speak to Bannister's intellect, but it sets up the idea that he ran long distance essentially for fun rather than for glory all the more impressive. Bannister seems to actively avoid his destiny, refusing to do any formal training with a coach and ignoring the attention of the British press that named his as Britain's greatest hope for an Olympic gold medal in track and field.
Ultimately it was not an Olympic medal that motivated Bannister, but losing one, and the idea of being the first to break the four-minute mile, which his father (Philip Craig) calls the last thing for man to conquer now that Everest had been scaled. Bannister finally turns to a coach, Archie Mason (Christopher Plummer), who works not only on the runner's technique but also comes up with the idea of use Brasher (Drew Carnwath) and Chataway (Grahame Wood) to set the proper pace to give Bannister the chance to make a mad dash towards the record on the final lap. We fully understand the grand strategy and watch as it works on the big day.
This ESPN made for television movie is much like Bannister's assault on the record, meticulous detailed and methodical in its approach. The end result is not as glorious as what we have seen in "Chariots of Fire," but still well worth watching for sports fans. The romantic subplot tries to round out Bannister's character, but clearly he is a runner (and a doctor) and not a lover. I especially like that the "Miracle Mile" essentially takes place in real time (I should have timed it and did not, but it certainly feels right). The DVD extras include the usual deleted scenes, outtakes and behind the scenes featurette, but there is also a trivia track, footage of Bannister breaking the record, and interviews with both Bannister and Chataway (actually Sir Roger and Sir Chris). The history outweighs the drama here, but then it is that history and the man who made it that this television movie honors.
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