The Express
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Actor: Dennis Quaid, Rob BrownBrand: Universal Studios
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.40:1
Running Time: 130 minutes
Published: 2009-01-01
DVD Release Date: 2009-01-20
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Universal Studios
DVD Reviews of The Express
DVD Review: The Express: A Solid Touchdown
Summary: 4 Stars
Based on a true story, The Express follows the bittersweet yet extraordinary life of Ernie Davis (played by Rob Brown), the first African American to win the prestigious Heisman Trophy in the Civil rights era. His fight for equality and respect forever changed the face of American sports and his story continues to inspire new generations.
This docudrama begins with Davis as a stuttering youth, growing up in a small coal town outside of Pittsburgh with his grandfather, affectionally known as Pops whom he is very close to. Ernie later moves to Elmira with his mother, where he joins a small football league. With Ernie's extraordinary skills, he is eventually sought after by 50 colleges which was a huge feat for a black person during the civil rights era. An era when Black players were unwelcome in the South. Ernie is soon called by coach Ben Schwartzwalder (Dennis Quaid) and football legend Jim Brown (Darrin Dewitt Henson) who make Ernie part of their team, the Syracuse Orangemen. Ernie Davis leads the team to an undefeated season. Despite all the racism he faces at nearly every point of his life, determined Ernie becomes the first African American to win the Heisman trophy and goes on to play for the Cleveland Browns.
The Express isn't just about football; it shows black pride and determination despite the racism. An important scene in the movie that portrays this determination, is when the team travels to West Virginia University to play the mountaineers. The coach removes Ernie from the game because he fears that if he scored a touchdown, the audience would react violently. However, Ernie refuses to be removed from the game and scores a touch down. Afterwards the coach and Ernie have an angry confrontation where the coach states " If I let you carry that goal all the way across the board, we might not get on the bus in one piece, thats how it works around here." Ernie, angered by this statement tells the coach to respect him as an equal part of the team and not give in to racism. As the growing civil rights movement divided the country in the 60's, Davis became a symbol for achievement that transcended race. Davis refused to flinch from others' prejudices and achieved all his goals. He was referred to by John F. Kennedy as an " Outstanding young man of great character who served as an inspiration to young people of this country."
Having received many positive remarks, critics have also pointed out some flaws. In a USA Today article by Mike Clark, The Express is said to have "mostly conventional storytelling." The movie fails to recognize the rest of Davis' life. It doesn't bring up the fact that after being drafted by pro football in 1961, Davis developed leukemia and died in 1963 never having played a pro game. This shows that The Express attempted to only present the happy sides of Davis' life and disregard the rest.
Also, according to journalists and film critics there are some historical inaccuracies. The locations shown in the movie are fictitious. The Express changed the location of where the games actually took place. Frank Lovece, a Film Journal International critic stated "That game is falsely shown as taking place at WVU's Mountaineer Field" in Morgantown, West Virginia, rather than at Syracuse's own Archbold Stadium." As a result, the film has drawn the ire of many West Virginians, including the state's governor, Joe Manchin, and university officials. A similar mistake was also made at the scene in the finished film, whose original script didn't involve West Virginia. This scene was supposed to depict a 1958 game at the Tar Heels Stadium in North Carolina. This is completely inaccurate. In the season of 1958 Davis was still a freshman and therefore didn't play on the Orangemen's varsity team. Syracuse didn't even play North Carolina until 1995. As far as the sequence of plays and scores go, The Express shows them completely out of order. But these are just minor inaccuracies which don't effect the movie or its reputation much.
Referencing the inaccuracy of the location of the game, Frank Lovece, a Journal International critic stated that, "The Express plays fast and loose with the historical record, and while dramatization is a given in biopics, these scenes here veer remarkably toward outright slander."
All together, The Express is an extremely inspirational movie. This docudrama can strengthen anyones determination to achieve their goals. It can also teach people to stand up for their beliefs despite what others think. Despite the historical inaccuracies, The Express is a solid touchdown.
Description of The Express
Witness the inspirational true story of a real American hero. Rising from the humblest of beginnings, Ernie Davis (Rob Brown) overcame impossible odds to become the first African-American to win college football?s greatest honor ? the Heisman Trophy. Starring Dennis Quaid as the hard-nosed coach that helped drive him to greatness, The Express is a powerful story of triumph on and off the field that will have you cheering again and again!Bestsellers in DVD
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