Brian's Song

After more than 30 years, this movie has earned its place as the standard for all television movies that followed it. A great score, a great cast............it just does not get any better than this. That remake (2001) does not measure the quality or the warmth of this 1971 standard bearer.

I still remember sitting down with my family to watch "Brian's Song", the made for TV movie in 1971. I was 13 years of age, and my 3 brothers and I thought we were going to watch a sports movie. It's funny thinking back to that night, as all the brothers fought back tears during the final scenes. We jumped up at the end, and tried to act macho and pretended we all had colds and runny noses. Watching the movie today, it doesn't have quite the same impact, but it remains touching and dramatic. James Caan and Billy D Williams work well together. They act without any arrogance and tough-guy attributes they picked up later in their careers. The movie score wraps around the scenes to add to the poignancy without disrupting the mood. Shelly Fabarase is the perfect wife. It is a touching tribute to a ordinary football player, Brian Piccolo, who lead a extraordinary life. A updated version of "Brian's Song" attempted to capture the magic of 1971's version, but as is usually the case, the attempt falls short of the goal. The original does the best at mourning Piccolo's death, but most importantly, celebrating his life. It is a touchdown!

The 1970's gave rise to the "made for TV" movie on a regular basis, and a lot of them were pretty disappointing, with weak stories and poor acting. But then there's "Brian's Song" - which 40 years later still has to rank as one of the best (if not the best) TV movies ever made. It's a "football" movie to an extent, but it's far more than a football movie. It's a story about a friendship that known no bounds and that overcomes a lot of odds. In 1965, Gayle Sayers and Brian Piccolo were rookie running backs for the Chicago Bears. The should have been rivals and not friends. They were competing for starting positions; Sayers was black and Piccolo was white. There should have been too many divides for them to cross to build a friendship, and yet they did build a friendship.

Billy Dee Williams and James Caan were wonderful in these title roles. For I would say two thirds of its short run time (minus TV commercials, it comes in at a little under an hour and a quarter) this is essentially a football movie. The friendship is well developed, but there's a heavy emphasis on training shots and a lot of really good real football footage, mostly of some spectacular runs by Sayers. The movie really takes off though once Sayers suffers a knee injury that knocks him out of the lineup. Piccolo takes his place, and Piccolo wants him back and helps him get back into game shape. For a while they share the backfield, and then the movie becomes a powerful tearjerker, as Piccolo is diagnosed with cancer, and Sayers sees him through his final illness.

Yes, this is a made for TV movie. It's not flashy, but it's good - very good. And it's very moving. You can't help but feel sad as it comes to an end. Let's face it. 26 years olds (football players or not) shouldn't die, but they sometimes do - and it's very sad. But sad though it is, in the end you have to feel uplifted by this movie about the power of a friendship that overcomes all the odds against it. The movie also features a pretty strong performance from Jack Warden as the legendary Chicago bears coach George Halas. You can't ask for much more than this. (9/10)

In times of racial trouble, inner family strife, and complete distrust of your fellow man, this movie showed what the world would really be like if people got rid of "oneupmanship" and lived life for life itself.

I HIGHLY recommend the original version (1971)

The acting was not campy, there was nothing to be really showy about, the football clips were some of the best ever incorporated (they actually became part of the plot), and other male leads were extremely believable in their roles.

The females weren't too bad, either.

This is one of the best football films ever made. Yes, it's not that long, but it is great. Billy Dee Williams and James Caan were just starting out their careers and TV movies were still fairly new. This is a story of two opposites, one who was shy and kept to himself and the other who was cocky and confident. There would eventually see past their differences and become the best of friends. I like the chemistry that Williams and Caan had in this film. They made you belive they were Sayers and Pic. What was the part that made me cry? It was the scene where Gale has to tell the team before a game that Brian has cancer. Even if I have to force it, I love to cry at that scene. It's the best part of the film. The musical score is also great. The theme has a tone to it I can't describe. I tried watching the remake when it came out, and couldn't make it through the first 15 minutes. It was Disneytized for my viewing displeasure. In my heart, Williams and Caan will always be Sayers and Pic. No doubt about it.