The World's Fastest Indian
by Roger Donaldson
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DVD details
Actor: Aaron Murphy, Anthony Hopkins, Diane Ladd, Iain Rea, Tessa MitchellDirector: Roger Donaldson
Brand: MAGNOLIA FILMS
Writer: Roger Donaldson
Producer: Barrie M. Osborne
Producer: Charles Hannah
Producer: Don Schain
Producer: Gary Hannam
Producer: John J. Kelly
Producer: Masaharu Inaba
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 127 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-06-13
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Magnolia
Product features:
- Anthony Hopkins stars in the true story of Burt Munro, a motorcycle enthusiast from New Zealand who designs and builds one of the fastest bikes in the world. The story includes his legendary 1967 performance at the famed raceway at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, where he set the land speed record., The life and triumph of Burt Munro, the elderly Kiwi man who, at the far from spritely age of 68, br
DVD Reviews of The World's Fastest Indian
DVD Review: SpeedReaders.info Review
Summary: 5 Stars
The World's Fastest Indian
by Roger Donaldson
(Note to readers: This review is co-authored. Comments by Helen V Hutchings are printed plain text and Kevin Clemens words are in parentheses.)
The World's Fastest Indian is not a documentary. It was made commercially to distribute and play in theaters for entertainment--with the object to generate income through box office sales. With Anthony Hopkins portraying the legendary Bert (Herbert James) Munro, the New Zealander from Invercargil with a dream to set a record at Bonneville on the Indian motorbike that he had owned for forty-some-odd years, since purchasing it new in 1920, with Diane Ladd and others in fine supporting roles--including a scene-stealing youth played by New Zealand actor Aaron Murphy--there's much to enjoy.
(I frankly didn't expect much, but went to see this film when it was first released in theaters anyway. Let's face it; most fictional feature-length motion pictures that deal with cars and/or bikes have been pretty awful. The story lines are usually contrived, the action often improbable, and the car-guy or motorcyclist stuff is rarely right.)
Bert Munro's story is a grand one even if liberties were taken by Roger Donaldson, the writer/director/producer. And we'll clue you in with some of the real facts so you can, if it pleases you, harrumph and awe your buddies with your knowledge. But don't let any of that detract from your watching and enjoying, because the overall take-away is structured to allow the viewer to see and enjoy all of the best bits of Munro's story with experiences from several years of challenging Bonneville combined into one year, one adventure.
(Happily, The Fastest Indian has managed to bypass all of the usual complaints to be really worth watching. Academy Award winning actor Anthony Hopkins plays the role of Bert Munro with a gritty, grimy charm that is recognizable to anyone who has ever spent anytime around an old time auto repair or motorcycle shop. Hopkins gives us a masterful performance of a man who has become so obsessed with his goals for so long, that he has fallen out of step with the world around him. The fact that the film compresses many of those years into a shorter time-span is part of the magic of movie-making...)
Between the reality of several trips to Utah, Bert Munro did precisely what all Bonneville racers do; he kept making improvements to his machine. His mods were accomplished typical of self-sufficient Kiwis--do-it-yourself. When Bert Munro first brought his Indian home in 1920 its motor displaced 600cc. By the time he took the bike to Bonneville he had increased its displacement to 950cc. In turn he'd cast the pistons by melting down other metal bits and machining the results to fit. He hand-carved the connecting rods from a Caterpillar tractor axle and then hardened and tempered them. He outfitted the Indian with 1,000 pound, 17-plate pressure clutch and triple-chain drive. And then there was the streamlined body shell. It too was his own design and he handcrafted it.
The movie portrays Bonneville's racers and support folks in a way that pays proper credit to their competitiveness and humanity. Other vehicles shown running for records are indeed true, historic vehicles, rented from their current day restorers-owners.
(Indeed, for car and bike guys of any gender and age, one of the best parts of this film is the joy of seeing the Bonneville Salt Flats covered with the broad assortment of record machinery. Speed Week still provides an assemblage of one of the most unusual assortment of cars and bikes every year and director Roger Donaldson manages to capture the chaos, excitement, and adventure.)
No one can say for certain that two men, Rollie Free and Marty Dickerson, shown in the movie as hand's-on helpers, ever actually knew, much less helped Munro. But each were famed salt runners on two wheels which makes their inclusion by name a nice subtlety--although it is likely lost on all but the really knowledgeable viewers.
(Having seen the film in its theatrical release, I knew it was one of the few car/bike movies that I would want to have in my home collection so I could see it again. It has been released by Magnolia Home Entertainment for a very reasonable price. Yes, it is a film about obsession, but it is the kind of obsession that many of us who love mechanical devices share. It's the kind of film that you can watch on a cold winter's evening as you dream of warm summer motorcycle rides on gleaming old machines.)
The movie is aptly and correctly named for although Bert and his Indian never actually went 200 mph, the class record he set, achieving 183.586 mph, on that Indian across the flat, hot, white salt of Utah, stands unbroken to this day in the streamlined under 1,000cc displacement class--Bert Munro and his Indian are indeed The World's Fastest Indian.
(and another Note to conclude: we scoured any number of documents, books--some spell Munro's first name Burt, some Bert. As his given name was Herbert, we settled on Bert as the logical spelling for the diminutive.)
Copyright 2009 Helen V Hutchings and Kevin Clemens (speedreaders.info)
DVD Review: what a spectacularly up picture for the whole family
Summary: 5 Stars
as with "SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISCHER" , but more so , this amazingly gratifying true story (which you can see with the older kids) is very smart , well crafted and uplifting . i don't know how long ago it was that ANTHONY HOPKINS established himself as the most mature and exceptional actor of our times . perhaps around 1980 with "THE ELEPHANT MAN" ? perhaps sooner in "MAGIC" . too many fine performances to begin enumerating . one of the best films you'll (hopefully) see . DVD Review: Persistence
Summary: 5 Stars
Very entertaining, especially the original interviews in the documentary made some 20 years before the movie was produced.DVD Review: Package arrived with a rattle
Summary: 1 Stars
The item was ordered to be given as a gift. It arrived sealed, but the package rattled. I wraped it in gift paper and sent it off, however the recipient of the gift never commented. I don't know if the condition was good, or if the rattle indicated a damaged DVD jewl box.DVD Review: excellent!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of those rare movies these days that has a great story with an excellent actor to portray the part of the main character. The quality of both picture and sound is superb especially on this blu-ray version. Strongly recommend it especially if you are a fan of Anthony Hopkins.
Description of The World's Fastest Indian
WORLD'S FASTEST INDIAN THE (DVD MOVIE)A movie that exudes affection and goodwill, The World's Fastest Indian is an unabashed mash note to a lovely character from New Zealand's recent past. Burt Munro, played by Anthony Hopkins, is a cantankerous Kiwi with an obsession: he's been tinkering with his 1920s-era Indian brand motorcycle for years, pushing it to ever-faster speeds. It's the 1960s, and Burt has the utterly mad idea of taking the bike to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, site of world records for speed racing. The movie takes a while to get to the journey--and then the journey takes a while--but the genial atmosphere prevails. (People of a certain age, for whom the word "Bonneville" evokes pleasant associations with hotrods and world-speed records, will not be disappointed in the film's location shooting, or its sense of awe.) Hopkins is not quite on-the-money casting for the jovial, happy-go-lucky Munro, and his accent wavers, but he nails the emotional scenes and the fascination with speed. Smaller bits are well-filled by Diane Ladd and Christopher Lawford (son of Peter), who looks uncannily of the era. New Zealand director Roger Donaldson doesn't take any chances here, but the story clearly means something to him, and that sense of commitment carries the film through its sleepier moments. --Robert Horton
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