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(More customer reviews)When you think about great moments in sports what comes to mind? If it isn't the eight game series of hockey superpowers in '72 than you're not Canadian and you're not a hockey fan. The television produced film from our neighbor to the north documents this titanic true encounter in the documentary style film `Canada Russia '72.'
For those of us old enough to remember the mood of the times when the Summit Series took place we understand how monumental these games were. The fact that they took place at all is a miracle in itself. The Cold War between East and West was at its zenith and without the vast communication network available today little was known about Russia and its population. The only thing we knew for sure that we hated them and they hated us. You couldn't ask for a better scenario for a film could you? This was a multi-layered cultural exchange with far-reaching ramifications encompassing athletic supremacy, political and ideological superiority and religious justification. Truly a contest for the ages.
'Canada Russia '72' was nominated for four Geminis (Canadian Emmy's): best direction, best casting, editing and supporting actor, winning in the category of editing and best supporting actor (Judah Katz as Alan Eagleson). It was also nominated for two Directors Guild Awards for editing and Best mini-series, winning again for best editing. Personally my favorite performance was delivered by Gabriel Hogan in the role of Ken Dryden (who also happens to be one of my favorite players of all-time). Not only did he look perfect for the part but in my estimation he was the heart and soul of the production and the glue that held the storyline together. Other favorites were Chris Szarka as Pete Mahovlich, John Bregar as Bobby Clarke, David Berni as Phil Esposito and David Miller as series hero Paul Henderson.
Being a Canadian production it obviously concentrates on the emotional ups and downs of the Team Canada players while leaving the personalities of the Soviet team somewhat unexplored and one dimensional, maybe with goalie Valislav Tretiak the exception. I'm not sure if this should be acknowledged as a minor fault in the story development, or quite possibly done on purpose to emphasize the Cold War mystique of 70's Russia and how little we really knew of this vast, foreign country. Where this film excels is in its ability to capture the defiant, fiercely independent spirit of both the Canadian team and the people of Canada.
`Canada Russia `72' is a must see for any real sports addict, hockey fan or not. See for yourself what happened when East and West collided on the ice. This was truly a war of wills not to be forgotten. Labeling this eight game series the "Friendship Games" was definitely a misnomer of the highest order.
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