Four Minutes

Rating NR Formats DVD Genre drama Starring Jamie Maclachlan, Christopher Plummer, Shaun Smyth, Amy Rutherford, Drew Carnwath, Grahame Wood, Leon Pownall, and Audrey Gardiner Directed by Charles Beeson Publisher Walt Disney Video External Links Official Site

Television films can be a dangerous game. Usually they are plagued by bad production values, poor acting, and feature a story many have seen before. Refreshingly, Four Minutes, suffers from none of the before mentioned problems and turns out to be a pleasurable watch. With a teleplay by famed sportswriter Frank Deford, the film tells the story of Roger Bannister and his quest to be the first man to run a mile in under Four Minutes. The film delivers fine acting; a well paced story filled with realistic dialogue and succeeds in recreating the period. Four Minutes is now available on DVD from ESPN Original Entertainment and Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

Jamie MacLachlan stars as Sir Roger Bannister, a medical student and the man who would become the first to break the elusive four minute mile. Christopher Plummer is cast as Archie Mason, the former great runner who mentors Bannister and helps give him the belief this goal can be achieved. Grahame Wood and Drew Carnwath play Bannister's teammates Chris Chataway and Chris Brasher, who are vital to the outcome of the race. Amy Rutherford rounds out the cast portraying Moyra Jacobsson, Bannister's true love interest.

The film begins with Bannister running the beach as a child and then watching running footage with his father, who describes the four minute mile as the last great quest, besides climbing Mount Everest. We next follow Bannister arriving at Oxford to take up his studies in the field of medicine. His roommate Norris McWhirter (Shaun Smyth) tells Roger he must take up a sport and not simply stick to studying and Bannister finds himself running the mile soon after a failed rowing experiment. Bannister quickly proves himself to be successful on the track, as well as in the classroom, but he refuses to let running get in the way of his career. Bannister also starts spending time with a girl named Annabelle (Audrey Gardiner) before she heads off to America to study nursing.

Eventually, Bannister starts taking running as seriously as he does his studies, which his medical supervisor Dr. Sydney Walker (Leon Pownall) refers to as “running around in circles.” While preparing for the 1952 Olympics, Bannister meets Moyra and the two have an instant connection. While Bannister is seen as England's only hope for the gold medal, the running community seems miffed at Bannister's odd training, in which he does not work with a coach. After running into some trouble at the Olympics, Bannister believes his career on the track is over. After speaking with Moyra and Mason, Bannister dedicates himself to breaking the four minute mile, with the help of running friends Chataway and Brasher while under the coaching of Mason.

Four Minutes comes with a notable collection of bonus materials. It serves as a nice companion to the film. The Original Film from 1954 of Bannister breaking the record is truly a sight to be seen. Barrier Breakers is a feature that discusses the great quest to beat the four minute mile, and the three men who had the best chance of doing so, Bannister, John Landy, and Wes Santee. All three are present talking about the feat. On The Set: Four Minutes is an ESPN feature which features interviews with Deford, Plummer, and MacLachlan along with notes on the production design and the running sequences. Two Original Interviews are included, one featuring Sir John Bannister, and the other with his teammate Chris Chataway. Bannister shares stories of the joy he experienced running as a child, his training methods and the disappointment of the 1952 Olympics. Chataway talks first hand about training methods, and shares memories from the day of the actual race.

There is a short Outtakes segment, which is a blooper reel, and two Deleted Scenes. The scenes were cut due to running time issues and focus on Bannister' s activities before his record setting race. Also included as part of the bonus features is an Enhanced Trivia Track that can be played while viewing the film and an Audio Commentary featuring director Charles Beeson, producer Lynn Raynor, and executive producer Gerald Abrams.

Four Minutes is a well made film that recaptures the glory of one of the greatest sporting achievements of the twentieth century. The film is charming, engaging, and a beautiful story about the power of the human spirit. It also reminds us of a time when athletes were competing for nothing more than being the absolute best they could be, and not concerned if their highlights would be seen on Sportscenter.