I finally watched Hoop Dreams a year or two ago after hearing so many good things about it, and I was completely amazed. The way the two stories intersected, then went in opposite directions, then came together again, this kind of film can only be made with an extraordinary amount of time and commitment.
This article is a long read, quite fitting for a behind the scenes reflection on a 3 hour documentary, filmed over many years. It gives the point of view of the film makers, subjects, and distributors who helped bring the film to cinemas, rather than just the PBS TV broadcast it was initially intended for. Some great reflections on the awkwardness of filming people at both their high and low points, maintaining the relationships over such a long time, both between filmmaker and subject, and between the key filmmakers. And I found it especially interesting to read about the editing process, and how the breakthrough was to realise that they could stick with one character's story for an extended period, and didn't need to 'ping pong' too often, or keep the 2 stories tightly lined up chronologically.
Also, I find it cute that they've used the term 'oral history' to describe this kind of article. I'm not sure if that's because it's quite a lengthy piece, or because there's minimal intrusion from the writer. In any case it grabbed my eye and feels kinda old fashioned in a sweet way.
An oral history of Hoop Dreams, 20 years after its premiere
I can't wait to check this out. I saw hoop dreams at uni and re-watched it again recently, after I started spotting the re-released DVD in places. I still remember the characters and their families so vividly.
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