As the incredible snowboarding documentary, The Art Of Flight, is released on DVD, we take a look at some of the greatest sports docs ever made…
Described as a new breed of action sports film, The Art Of Flight follows snowboarder Travis Rice and a cast of the best riders in the world on a two-year quest to redefine what’s possible on a snowboard.
The film, which was directed by Curt Morgan and shot on state-of-the-art filmmaking equipment, takes us on an incredible journey from Chilean Patagonia's Darwin Range to Alaska's Tordrillo Range to Wyoming's Snake River Range to Aspen, Colorado to the Andes all the way to British Columbia’s Kootenay Mountains.
To celebrate the impending DVD and Blu-ray release of this awesome project, we’ve taken a look at six of the best sports documentaries ever made...
Senna (2011)
When it came to telling the life story of the Formula 1 legend, director Asif Kapadia sifted through 15,000 hours of footage and emerged with one of the greatest sports documentaries of all time. An uplifting, awe-inspiring and, ultimately, heartbreaking film that charts the Brazilian’s journey from go-karter to F1 champ to that fateful day in Imola, it’s an incredible essay on the ambition, charm and skill needed to become a legend.
Mount St. Elias (2010)
If you like your sports documentaries with a big dollop of excitement and a side serving of insanity, then you should totally check out Mount St. Elias, the story of three mountaineers and their attempts to pull off the longest ski descent ever. Set against the backdrop of Alaska’s imposing titular mountain, Axel Naglich, Jon Jonhston and Peter Ressmann (who tragically lost his life earlier this year during a climbing expedition in the Austrian mountains) mix heroism with good, old-fashioned foolishness as they attempt to pull off a seemingly impossible challenge.
Hoop Dreams (1994)
Hailed by film critic Roger Ebert as one of the best films ever made about what it means to be an American, this is the story of William Gates and Arthur Agee, two kids from inner-city Chicago with big dreams of becoming pro-basketballers. According to the film, they had a 0.00005% chance of that dream becoming a reality, but that didn’t stop them from putting their heart and soul into the game. The film follows the two kids over the course of a few years and delving into issues of race, class and poverty, it’s impossible to not get caught up in their journey.
When We Were Kings (1996)
Focussing on Muhammad Ali and George Foreman’s legendary Rumble In The Jungle, this stunning film depicts the former Cassius Clay at the height of his powers. Told with archive footage and featuring talking heads from the likes of Norman Mailer, George Plimpton and Spike Lee, it delves into the social and political consequences of one of the most important boxing matches of all time.
Riding Giants (2004)
Stacey Peralta's surfing documentary dives into the story of giant waves and the men and women who are inextricably drawn to, well, ride them. A film purely about the sport and the passion that drives these people to take on the next challenge, it’s a beautifully shot ode to the relationship between man and the awe-inspiring power of Mother Nature.
Dogtown And Z-Boys (2001)
The story of how one group of young skaters changed the sport forever, this is essential viewing for anyone who has ever stepped onto a board. The Z-Boys were a group of bored teenage kids whose love of surfing took them to boarding in dried-out swimming pools, inadvertently inventing aerials and subsequently becoming superstars. Part cautionary tale, part celebration of the birth of something great, it’s a genuine classic.
The Art Of Flight comes to Blu-ray, DVD and iTunes worldwide on September 8, 2011.
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