The Bronx is Burning

Someone might have said this earlier (I haven't read the whole thread), but the crowd shots behind the close-ups of players look like something from a video game -- a cheap video game. Very distracting.

 

It could have happened with someone else and the "Phil" name was assigned to the script. Much as it disappoints us, most of America isn't paying attention to the names of the writers in the show.

 

Most movies based on historical facts and source material create composite characters for simplicity and embellish scenes for dramatic or artistic purposes. It's as old as movies themselves. "Phil" could be three reporters rolled into one.

 

But ESPN isn't owned by Universal, it's owned by the Mouse...

What's a little revisionist history to avoid mentioning the competition.....

 

Only saw a couple scenes, but seemed Turturro was speaking with a Texas accent, which is odd, since Billy was born in the Bay Area.

 

I think you're all missing the point on the Phil Pepe deal, as I see it. According to Phil, as well as a few other writers who covered the Yankees of those days, while Billy may have had a bottle in his desk, none of them can recall a time he gave any writer a drink.

Obviously, the average viewer doesn't care about this but for the sake of accuracy, keep it in mind as you watch ... they are clearly taking liberties with some of the "facts."

 

This is still a step-up from most of the other ESPN movie attempts. Was this thing filmed in Canada too?

 

DVD coming out Sept. 25
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=7751

 

I know at least the stadium scenes were shot at the Giants Eastern League affiliate in Norwich, CT. Don't know about the rest of the movie.

 

New episode on.

Good stuff.

 

For those who've read it, how is the book. I am certainly interested in the baseball parts, but how much does it go into the election, blackout, Son of Sam? That stuff facinates me just as much.

 

I thought the book was sensational. It weaves the entire summer of '77 in much more than ESPN can in an 8-hour mini-series.
I actually never felt the focus of the book was the Yankees as much as it was the turmoil of the City that summer and the Yankees as a symbol of that turmoil.

That said, I think ESPN has done a good job with the way it did the movie, focusing on the Yankees with the rest of the summer on the periphery. The book however goes into far greater detail on the mayoral race, berkowitz and the blackout.