Brian's Song (1971)

Great Film overall

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

One of the great sagas in the history of professional sports in America was the friendship that transpired between Brian Piccolo, who was White, and Gale Sayers, who was African-American, while they were competing for the same position on the NFL's Chicago Bears frontline in the mid-1960s. At a time when professional football was still a White man's game, both Piccolo and Sayers developed a significant friendship, a friendship that only grew near the end of the Bears' rather disastrous 1969 season when Piccolo was diagnosed with embryonal cell carcinoma. This is the true-life saga told in the highly acclaimed 1971 made-for-TV drama BRIAN'S SONG, one of the best of its kind, and unquestionably one of the greatest sports films ever made, television or otherwise.Veteran TV/film director Buzz Kulik is at the helm of this film, where James Caan and Billy Dee Williams, both actors well on their way to illustrious careers but at that time not quite so well known, portray the two Bears legends who developed a closeness with one another at the time when segregation of hotel rooms according to race was still standard issue in the NFL, a precedence that was broken by the Bears organization. None of this is showed in any heavy-handed "message" form either in William Blinn's screenplay (based on Sayers' autobiography), or in Kulik's direction; it is just laid out in a very robust way by all concerned. Jack Warden ably portrays Halas, and the Chicago Bears, wisely enough, are played by the Chicago Bears themselves.The airing of this film on ABC on November 30, 1971, coming just a little less than a year and a half after Piccolo passed away at the all-too-young age of 27 from the cancer that, despite an operation that removed a cancerous lung and a pectoral, had spread to other parts of his body, was quite a big deal, and rightly so. With the inclusion of actual footage from NFL Films, courtesy of the legendary Steve Sabol, viewers of the time got a pretty good idea of just how rough the game of football really is up close and personal. The main body of the film, of course, is done with sentiment, given its subject matter, but at no time is it ever gushy or hackneyed. This isn't an easy thing to do, but it is pulled off in a hugely successful way, and topped off by a fine and ultra-memorable score from Michel LeGrand, who also did the score for the 1968 heist film THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, among others.If you want a sports film that touches on not just the sport itself but also the stories that happen behind the sport, BRIAN'S SONG is the one. Clearly it is among the best films ever made for television.

This television movie was made in an era of laden with stereotypes of gender roles, racial equality, and masculinity. I don't have to tell you what Brian's Song is about or how it ends. The story is very well known throughout the athletic community and amongst fans of the NFL. But if you don't know the story of Gale Sayers and Brian Piccolo then I suggest you watch this movie. While the above paragraph was very blunt and did not explain why I like this Brian's Song so much I will use one word to describe my undying love for this television move; simplicity. Yeah; simplicity is the reason. Now I do understand that CGI wasn't um a big thing back then but there was still big budget movies and television shows. The actors in the movie are top notch but did not peak in their careers until later on for almost another 10 years. Plus the movie didn't try and make a spectacle out of pro football. The television movie stuck to the story and draws emotion out of you by showing the budding friendship between two men. Even the strongest men and women will cry when watching this movie. The speech that Gale Sayers gives about his love for Brian Piccolo could move mountains with its emotion. The way it is spoken, versed, and yes the simplicity of the speech make it one of the most revered video clips ever. So sit back, grab a box of tissues, and get ready to join a cinema favorite of mine. Trust me if you are not moved to tears while watching this movie seek medical attention right away. :)

When this film began production,Brian Piccolo had only been gone for six months.As a result,most of the film takes on the atmosphere of being rushed to production.It has an obvious look that they were given a very small time frame to get this film made.They rushed it.Also,you have real,honest to goodness football players trying to act.They are trying to come across as though they are not reading their lines as they speak,but it's obvious that they are.All of that being said,Brian's Song is still an enjoyable film because of it's story.You are watching a friendship develop,evolve,and flourish into a brotherly love.This is the hook that keeps you watching,and ultimately brings you back to see it again.

This was such a touching film. Great actors coming together and making this film incredibly well done. James Caan was excellent as Bryan, and the chemistry he had with Billy Dee Williams was amazing. This film had me crying, it is just so sad to lose people to Cancer, but here, you have a great athlete that gets stricken with this in his late twenties. What a waste of an exceptional human being in general, not just an athlete.I recommend this film to anyone that wants to see a real and true story about life.One of James Caan's best performances, and then came Godfather. Not a bad movie either.