This classic documentary from 1961 is one of the first to portray football as a social and cultural phenomenon. Concentrating on the state high school championship held at the Orange Bowl in Miami, “Mooney vs. Fowle” follows two coaches – Heywood Fowle of Edison High and Otis Mooney of Miami High – as they prepare their teams for a legendary showdown. Built up over 40 years, the rivalry between the two schools has reached a fever pitch that draws more than 40,000 spectators. Vividly bringing to life the intensity, pressure and excitement swirling around one epic face-off, the film surveys the stakes of intense competition.
Credits
Robert Drew
Executive Producer
James Lipscomb
Filmmaker
Bill Ray
Photographer
Abbot Mills
Photographer
D.A. Pennebaker
Photographer
Richard Leacock
Photographer
Claude Fournier
Photographer
Hope Ryden
Correspondent
Peter Powell
Correspondent
Leon Prochnik
Editor
Rosemary Hickson
Editor
Mike Jackson
Editor
Jerry Gold
Editor
Saul Landa
Editor
Bruce Torbet
Editor
Joseph Julian
Narrator
Awards
Outstanding Film of the Year London Film Festival 1962
Reviews/Media
"Often the cameras seemed right in the middle of play and under the noses of the distraught mentors"
Boston Globe"An early and near legendary example of American direct cinema"
Cynthia Fuchs, Popmatters.com"The doc is a gem"
Christopher Campbell, Nothing But the Doc"The editing is intensely effective at conveying the journey to the final victory and defeat"
Oksana Dykyi, Educational Media Reviews Online"A story that used a football for suspense instead of an operating table or a Colt .45"