Hoop Dreams [Criterion Collection]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

This documentary about the aspirations of high-school basketball players from inner city Chicago won awards from the Sundance film festival, the New York Film Critics Circle, and the Academy Award (Oscar) for best editing. Two young men are followed during their entire high-school career, beginning with their participation in playground games and ending with their being recruited by colleges. The obstacles these young men face include parental drug addiction, family poverty, and inner-city violence, as well as the usual obstacles that arise in competition, including physical injuries. While each aspires to leave the ghetto, there are many reasons to suppose they may not be able to, despite each beating the odds against them by winning college scholarships. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Screen: Letterbox for TV
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Features:
  • Two audio commentaries: one with filmmakers Peter Gilbert, Steve James, and Frederick Marx, and one with stars Arthur Agee and William Gates
  • Segments of Siskel & Ebert tracking the acclaim for Hoop Dreams
  • Original music video
  • Theatrical trailers
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired
  • Plus: a 40-page booklet featuring new essays by cultural historian John Edgar Wideman and Sports Illustrated senior writer Alexander Wolff; Michael Wise's 2004 Washington Post follow-up article; and a dedication by the filmmakers

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Nominated Best Editing - 1994 (Steve James, William Haugse, Frederick Marx)

• Independent Spirit Awards

•     Won Special Distinction - 1994

• Los Angeles Film Critics Association

•     Won Best Documentary - 1993

• National Society of Film Critics

•     Won Best Documentary - 1994

• New York Film Critics Circle

•     Won Best Documentary - 1994

• Sundance Film Festival

•     Won Audience Award - 1993 (Steve James)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       William Gates - Himself
       Arthur Agee - Himself
       Emma Gates - Herself (William's mother)
       Sheila Agee - Herself (Arthur's mother)
       Earl Smith - Himself (Talent scout)
       Gene Pingatore - Himself (Coach)
       Isiah Thomas - Himself (Professional basketball player)
       Dick Vitale - Himself (Television sports commentator)
       Kevin O'Neill - Himself (Marquette University head basketball coach)
       Bobby Knight - Himself (Indiana University head basketball coach)
       Spike Lee - Himself (Film director)

• Director:

  Steve James

• Producer:

  Steve James, Peter Gilbert, Frederick Marx

• Cinematographer:

  Peter Gilbert

• Composer (Music Score):

  Ben Sidran

• Editor:

  Steve James, William Haugse, Frederick Marx

• Co-producer:

  Gordon Quinn

• Executive Producer:

  Catherine Allan

• Additional Cinematography:

  Edward Scott

REVIEW:

• The celebrated documentary from director Steve James, Hoop Dreams follows two young boys trying to take their basketball game from the inner-city streets of Chicago to the NBA. Tackling issues of racism, politics, and the dangerous power of hope, the film stands out as a complex and astute examination of the African-American experience. With the all-powerful image of Michael Jordan presiding over the film, Hoop Dreams exposes the way in which basketball has become the dominant force in the lives of so many African-American young men, who rely on their athletic skills to rise above the poverty surrounding them in a society that values only what these boys can do on the court. The film brilliantly elucidates a journey of lost innocence where the casualties of a game mean much more than simply losing on the court. ~ Rachel Deahl, Rovi