Winning(film)

This article is about the film. For other uses, seeWinning (disambiguation).

Winningis a 1969 AmericanPanavisionactiondramasports filmdirected byJames Goldstoneand starringPaul Newman,Joanne WoodwardandRobert Wagner.The film is about a race car driver who aspires to win theIndianapolis 500.A number ofrace cardrivers and people associated with racing appear in the film, includingBobby Unser,Tony Hulman,Bobby Grim,Dan Gurney,Roger McCluskey,andBruce Walkup.

Winning
Directed by	James Goldstone
Written by	Howard Rodman
Produced by	John Foreman
Starring	Paul Newman Joanne Woodward Robert Wagner
Cinematography	Richard Moore
Edited by	Edward A. Biery Richard C. Meyer
Music by	Dave Grusin
Color process	Technicolor
Production companies	Newman-Foreman Company Jennings Lang
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release dates	May 17, 1969(1969-05-17)(Chicago) June 16, 1969(1969-06-16)(United States)
Running time	123 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$14.6 million (US/Canada)

Plot

Professional race car driver Frank Capua meets divorcee Elora. After a whirlwind romance they are married. Charley, Elora's teenage son by her first husband, becomes very close to Frank, and helps him prepare his cars for his races. But Frank is so dedicated to his career that he neglects his wife, who has an affair with Frank's teammate and main rival on the race track, Luther Erding. Frank finds them in bed together and storms out. The couple separate, but Frank still sees Charley regularly. Frank's bitterness fuels his dedication to his work, and he becomes a much more aggressive driver. At the Indianapolis 500, Elora and Charley watch while Frank drives the race of his life and wins. After winning, Frank attends a victory party. He is uninterested when attractive women throw themselves at him, and he slips away. Luther finds Frank and apologizes to him for the affair, but Frank punches him. Frank visits Elora and tells her he wants to start again. Elora is unsure. The film ends with a freeze-frame as the two look uncertainly at each other.

Cast

• Paul Newmanas Frank Capua
• Joanne Woodwardas Elora Capua
• Robert Wagneras Luther "Lou" Erding
• Richard Thomasas Charley Capua
• David Sheineras Leo Crawford
• Clu Gulageras Larry the Mechanic
• Barry Ford as Bottineau
• Karen Arthuras Miss Dairy Queen
• Bobby Unseras himself
• Tony Hulmanas himself
• Bobby Grimas himself
• Dan Gurneyas himself
• Roger McCluskeyas himself
• Bruce Walkupas himself

Production

Helmets worn in the film by Paul Newman and Robert Wagner on display at theIndianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.

During preparation for this film, Newman was trained for themotorsportby drivers Bob Sharp andLake Underwood,at arace trackhigh performance driving school—which sparked Newman's enthusiasm for the sport and led to his participation as a competitor insports car racingduring the remainder of his life. He would eventually launch the much successfulNewman/Haas Racingwith his longtime racing competitor and friendCarl Haas,winning more than 100 races and 8 Driver's Championships inIndyCar Series,although Ironically the team never won the 500.

The film includes footage taken at theIndianapolis Motor Speedway,the legendary 2.5 mile track. Most of the footage is from the 1968 race. The accident during the first green flag is from the 1966 race.

Other scenes were shot atRoad America,Riverside International Raceway,andIndianapolis Raceway Park.

Release

The film opened on May 17, 1969 at theChicago Theatrein Chicago.

Reception

Box office

The film grossed $55,000 in its opening week at the Chicago Theatre.The release expanded the following week and becamenumber onein the United States.It was knocked off the top spot byThe Killing of Sister Georgebut was second place for two weeks before it returned to the top spot.It went on to earn $6.2 million in rentals in the United States and Canada from an estimated gross of $14.6 million, which ranked as the 16th most popular film at the US box office that year.

Critical

Quentin Tarantino,when asked about his favorite race car films, was not a fan ofWinning."I’d rather saw my fingers off than sit through that again," he said.

Soundtrack

Thefilm scorewas byDave Grusin,and the originalsoundtrack albumwas issued onDecca Records.The opening moments of the film's theme, "500 Miles," was used byWEWS-TVinClevelandin the 1970s and 1980s as the theme for theirMillion Dollar Movie.The movie's opening theme was used in the early 1970s in TVG's US syndicated college basketball network's telecasts.

See also

• List of American films of 1969

External links

• WinningatIMDb
• Winningat theAFI Catalog of Feature Films
• Winningat theTCM Movie Database
• WinningatLetterboxd