Second Wind (1976 film): Difference between revisions
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A review by [[Marni Jackson]] suggests that Shebib was aware of the film having shortcomings, "and from Shebib’s point of view this has as much to do with the teen-age Canadian film industry as his own limitations."<ref name="Jackson">{{cite journal |last1=Jackson |first1=Marni |title=Scrimpin’ down the road |journal=Maclean's |date=5 April 1976 |url=http://archive.macleans.ca/article/1976/4/5/scrimpin-down-the-road |accessdate=22 December 2018}}</ref> He is quoted as complaining about having to raise funds for projects: "You use up all your energy raising money instead of making films if you're a director in this country ... I’m sick and tired of starting back at zero with every new film."<ref name="Jackson"></ref> The film was shot on a budget of [[Canadian dollar|C$]]500,000, which Jackson quips wouldn’t buy doughnuts for the cast of ''[[Barry Lyndon]]''.<ref name="Jackson"></ref> |
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===Casting=== |
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Revision as of 05:06, 22 December 2018
| Second Wind | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Don Shebib |
| Written by | Hal Ackerman |
| Produced by | James Margellos |
| Starring | James Naughton Lindsay Wagner |
| Cinematography | Reginald H. Morris |
| Edited by | Don Shebib |
| Music by | Hagood Hardy |
Production company | Olympic Films |
| Distributed by | Ambassador Film Distributors |
Release date |
|
Running time | 92 minutes 40 seconds |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Budget | C$500,000 |
Second Wind is a 1976 Canadian sport comedy film,[1] directed and edited by Don (Donald) Shebib, written by Hal Ackerman, and produced by James Margellos. This was the first feature film role for star James Naughton, who portrays a stock broker whose new jogging hobby turns into an obsession to excel at long distance running, straining his career and his relationship with his wife (Lindsay Wagner).
The film is Shebib's fourth feature. Commercially unsuccessful, reviews of Second Wind were mixed, tending to praise the cinematography and acting, but usually faulting the script, which Shehib himself admitted could have been better.
Cast
- James Naughton as Roger Mathieson
- Lindsay Wagner as Linda Mathieson
- Kenneth Pogue as Pete
- Tedde Moore as Paula
- Tom Harvey as Frank
- Louis Del Grande as Howie
- Gerard Parkes as Packard
- Jonathan Welsh as Simon
- Cec Linder as Graham
- Allan Levson as Kevin
- Vivian Reis as Winnie
- Robert Goodier as broker
- Mike Hurley as runner
- Robyn Jaffe as Rodger's secretary
- Robert Slee as broker
- John D. Henderson as runner in park
- Julie Bird as Howie's neighbour
- Les Rubie as old man at cabins
- Ken Camroux as broker
Themes
In a 2013 interview with Sam Weisberg, director Don Shebib described the themes of the film: "I like what it says and what it’s about, the guy chasing a dream, getting caught up in obsessions."[2]
Production
Writing
In the same interview with Weisberg, Shebib says that Hal Ackerman's "script was weak in some ways, and I didn't have time to fix it."[2]
Financing
A review by Marni Jackson suggests that Shebib was aware of the film having shortcomings, "and from Shebib’s point of view this has as much to do with the teen-age Canadian film industry as his own limitations."[3] He is quoted as complaining about having to raise funds for projects: "You use up all your energy raising money instead of making films if you're a director in this country ... I’m sick and tired of starting back at zero with every new film."[3] The film was shot on a budget of C$500,000, which Jackson quips wouldn’t buy doughnuts for the cast of Barry Lyndon.[3]
Casting
Michael Walsh remarks that the film was made when Canadian producers found it easier to obtain financing if they cast American actors in starring roles, a regular strategy used by producer James Margellos. This was the first feature film for James Naughton, who had featured in television roles since 1972, and was best known at the time from the single-season 1974 television series Planet of the Apes.[4] Lindsay Wagner was known for her lead role on the American science fiction television series The Bionic Woman.[3]
Filming
Shebib's fourth feature film was shot on 35mm (aspect ratio: 1.85:1) in Toronto, Gravenhurst, and London, Ontario[5]
Release and reception
Second Wind had its premiere at Plaza 2 in Toronto on 9 April 1976.[5]
Commercial performance
The film was a commercial failure, Shebib's third following Rip-Off and the critically-applauded Between Friends.[6]
Critical response
Michael Walsh gave Second Wind an overwhelmingly positive review, calling it a "wonder", "an exciting, stylish picture that can be enjoyed by the whole family" and a "first-class film". Walsh hails the direction, the script, the cinematography and especially the cast, who are "little-known but solidly professional performers who put it across to near perfection", reserving particular praise for Naughton. "Shebib provides him with top direction and solid support in all departments. Cameraman Reginald Morris’s cinematography is slick and sophisticated. Hagood Hardy’s inspired musical score knows just when to shut up and when to come on strong." And writer Hal Ackerman "skillfully steers a course between plot excesses and banality".[4]
Clive Denton, while less effusive, nevertheless also praised the film for its music, cinematography and direction, calling the script "well-structured", and "often sharp and witty", though he felt there was some "sketchiness" to the family relationship, saying the script is "below its best level" with the wife and the son seems like a "perky little visitor" rather than their own child.[7] Marni Jackson thought the story was "a good idea" and called the film "dutifully pretty," but called the characters "so diaphanous you can see daylight through them," concluding the project suffered from a low budget, "which says more about the Canadian film-making climate than Shebib."[3]
John Reeves said that Second Wind is well filmed and acted, but faulted the script as unbelievable: the film does not accurately show the realities of training for competition, and thereby relegates itself to the realm of melodrama.[8] TV Guide gave the film a rating of 2 stars out of 5, calling it an "innocuous saga," and faulting it for not explaining why the protagonist "refuses to explain the character of his obsession to his wife."[9] Wyndham Wise called the film "indifferent".[10]
Accolades
Canadian Film Awards 1976:[11][12]
- Best Editing (Don Shebib)
- Best Supporting Actress (Tedde Moore)
References
- ^ "Second Wind (1976)". British Film Institute. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
- ^ a b Weisberg, Sam. "Sung Antiheroes: An Interview with "Goin' Down the Road" Director Donald Shebib". Hidden Films: Sam Weisberg's guide to obscure/rare movies not available for streaming. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
- ^ a b c d e Jackson, Marni (5 April 1976). "Scrimpin' down the road". Maclean's. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
- ^ a b Walsh, Michael. "Survival run". Reeling Back. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
- ^ a b "Item: Second wind". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
- ^ Pevere, Geoff (2012). Donald Shebib's Goin' Down the Road. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 99. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
- ^ Denton, Clive (April 1976). "Don Shebib's Second Wind". Cinema Canada: p. 53-54. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
{{cite journal}}:|pages=has extra text (help) - ^ Reeves, John (May 1976). "The soup opera route". Cinema Canada (No. 28): p. 22--23.
{{cite journal}}:|issue=has extra text (help);|pages=has extra text (help) - ^ "Second Wind". TV Guide. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
- ^ Wise, Wyndham. "Donald Shebib". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
- ^ Wise, Wyndam (ed.) (2001). Take One's Essential Guide to Canadian Film. Toronto, Ont.: University of Toronto Press. p. 263. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
{{cite book}}:|first1=has generic name (help) - ^ "The Winners: The Canadian Film Awards 1976". Cinema Canada. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
External links
- Second Wind on IMDb
- Second Wind on AllMovie