June 17th, 1994 explained
Image Upright: | 1.0 |
Director: | Brett Morgen |
Country: | United States |
Language: | English |
Runtime: | 53 minutes |
June 17th, 1994 is a documentary film by Brett Morgen released as part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series.[1]
Summary
The documentary details the events of June 17, 1994, in which several noteworthy sporting events occurred during the police chase of O. J. Simpson.[2] Morgen says the diversity of the events provides an opportunity "to look at the soul of America".[3]
The documentary features no narration and also no interviews and consists simply of clips from news sources throughout the day.[3]
There are rare clips of sportscasters like Chris Berman and Bob Costas talking to their producers about how to deal with the O.J. story within the context of the events they were covering.[4]
Critical reception
Robert Lloyd wrote in The Los Angeles Times: "Morgen juxtaposes the events of that day in a kind of associative round robin, finding points of contrast and commonality, of similar action and visual consonance, on which to turn his film. But he offers no other, more remote perspective; this is not a summing up of events, but rather a meditation, of an elemental sort, not just on sports but on the way of the world."[5]
Rolling Stone writer Noel Murray ranks June 17th, 1994 as the best documentary in the 30 for 30 series as he saw the montage style of the film as a reflection on "how viewers process television", and argues that it comments on "how the media struggles to make sense of events that have no clear outcome."[1]
Jimmy Traina of Sports Illustrated called it a "tremendously fun watch".[6]
Events occurring during this day
The events detailed in the documentary that occurred during the chase of Simpson are as follows.
Aftermath
- The U.S. Open concluded on Monday, June 20, with Ernie Els winning a three-way playoff for the championship.
- The World Cup concluded on Sunday, July 17 with Brazil winning its 4th championship after Italy player Roberto Baggio missed a must-make penalty during a shootout to decide the title.
- The 1994 World Cup is also featured in another ESPN 30 for 30 documentary entitled The Two Escobars which follows Colombia men's national team player Andrés Escobar who scored an own goal for the United States on June 22. Escobar was murdered in Colombia on July 1, reputedly by cartel-connected hitmen, enraged that his error led to the team being eliminated from the World Cup tournament.
- The New York Rangers would not make another Stanley Cup Finals until the first meeting between teams from New York City and Los Angeles for a major professional sports championship since the 1981 World Series,[8] [9] when the team lost to the Kings four games to one, and they haven't won the Cup since 1994.[10]
- The NBA Finals concluded June 22 with Houston winning the series in seven games. The Knicks would return to the NBA Finals in but lost that series 4–1 to the San Antonio Spurs, and have not been back to the finals since then.
- The 1994 Major League Baseball season would end after the games of August 11 due to the player strike and with future Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. hitting a total of 40 home runs. Major League Baseball didn't return until the 1995 regular season, and the long delay resulted in 18 games being cut from the schedule (though the 1995 World Series did take place on time).
- won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature 23 years after the chase and was produced by ESPN, who were also responsible for this film.
- Simpson died of cancer at age 76 on April 11, 2024, about 30 years after the infamous chase.
External links
Notes and References
- The 30 Best '30 for 30' Films-Rolling Stone . . 2018-06-29 . 2018-06-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180630000323/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/lists/the-30-best-30-for-30-films-20141125/june-17th-1994-dir-brett-morgen-20141125 . dead .
- DeLessio. Joe. June 2010. Relive June 17, 1994, on ESPN Tonight. New York. July 8, 2014.
- Web site: Morgen. Brett. June 17th, 1994. ESPN. July 8, 2014.
- Web site: Review: '30 for 30′ is back with the outstanding 'June 17, 1994' and 'The Two Escobars'. June 16, 2010. HitFix.com. April 29, 2017.
- Web site: ESPN's 'June 17, 1994' recalls a fateful day in sports. Robert. Lloyd. June 16, 2010. April 29, 2017. LA Times.
- https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2020/06/17/june-17-1994-wildest-sports-day-ever June 17, 1994: Wildest day in sports history - Sports Illustrated
- https://tv.avclub.com/30-for-30-june-17-1994-1798165241 30 For 30: “June 17, 1994”|A.V. Club
- News: Branch . John . June 5, 2014 . New York vs. Los Angeles: Rivalry Revived . B11 . The New York Times.
- News: Barnes . Mike . June 1, 2014 . Stanley Cup Final: Kings vs. Rangers in L.A.-New York Championship Duel . . May 15, 2015.
- News: Remembering June 17, 1994, the day when sports collided. USA Today. Aria. Gerson. June 17, 2020.