Murderball (film) explained

Murderball
Director:Henry Alex Rubin
Dana Adam Shapiro
Producer:Jeffrey V. Mandel
Dana Adam Shapiro
Jeff Sackman
(Executive Producer)
Starring:Keith Cavill
Andy Cohn
Scott Hogsett
Christopher Igoe
Mark Zupan
Bob Lujano
Joe Soares
Brent Poppen
Music:Jamie Saft
Cinematography:Henry Alex Rubin
Editing:Conor O'Neill
Geoffrey Richman
Studio:MTV Films
Paramount Pictures[1]
Participant Productions
A&E IndieFilms
Distributor:THINKFilm
Runtime:88 minutes
Country:United States
Language:English
Budget:$350,000
Gross:$1.8 million[2]

Murderball is a 2005 American documentary film about athletes who are physically disabled[3] who play wheelchair rugby. It centers on the rivalry between the Canadian and U.S. teams leading up to the 2004 Paralympic Games. It was directed by Henry Alex Rubin and Dana Adam Shapiro, and produced by Jeffrey V. Mandel and Shapiro. It was nominated for Best Documentary Feature for the 78th Academy Awards.[4] Murderball was the first and only MTV film released through THINKFilm as well as Participant Media.

Production

Murderball was shot on a low budget. The main camera used was a Panasonic AG-DVX100; a Sony PD150 was used to shoot some of the early interviews. The crew rigged a Sennheiser shotgun microphone to use as a boom, and relied heavily on Lavaliere wireless microphones as well. Available lighting was used almost exclusively. Additional light was provided using an inexpensive china ball. In one example of on-the-spot lighting, a flashlight was diffused using only a napkin.[5]

Reception

Murderball garnered almost universally positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 98% based on reviews from 141 critics, and an average rating of 8.37/10. This film also appears on the Rotten Tomatoes countdown of the top sports movies in 14th place as of 2023.[6] Metacritic gives an aggregated score of 87 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[7] Murderball also received positive reviews from Hollywood.com[8] and Roger Ebert, who said "This is one of those rare docs, like Hoop Dreams, where life provides a better ending than the filmmakers could have hoped for."[9]

In December 2005, as part of the United Nations' International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs screened the film at the Dag Hammarskjöld Auditorium in its New York City headquarters. The movie was particularly celebrated for examining sexuality after spinal cord injuries.[10]

In April 2024 it was selected by Britain's The Observer newspaper as one of their "20 best sports movies".[11]

Awards

Award Category Recipient Result
Sundance Film Festival Audience AwardBest Documentary Feature
78th Academy AwardsBest Documentary Feature
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival Audience AwardBest Feature
Indianapolis International Film Festival Audience AwardBest Feature Film
Best Non-Fiction Film

Musical score and soundtrack

Music from the Film Murderball
Type:Soundtrack
Artist:Various artists
Released:June 28, 2005
Genre:Film score
Length:48:39
Label:Commotion
CR011
Producer:Dana Adam Shapiro, Tracy McKnight, Jeff Mandel, Walter Yetnikoff
Chronology:Jamie Saft
Prev Year:2005
Next Year:2006

The film score was composed and performed by Jamie Saft and the soundtrack album, which featured selections from Saft's score along with previously released tracks by Ministry, Ween, The Polyphonic Spree, Sam Prekop, The Moldy Peaches, The Whiles, Chessie and Scratch Massive used in the documentary, was released on the Commotion label in 2005.[12] Additional music composed for the film was released on Saft's A Bag of Shells (Tzadik, 2010).Allmusic's James Christopher Monger said "Hearing Ministry's Alaine Jourgensen screaming "thieves, thieves & liars, murderers" over the clash of metal on metal during a wheelchair rugby match dutifully amplifies the primal nature of competition, especially when all of the players involved have overcome near-death physical (and psychological) injuries. ... The film's producers have compiled a rousing soundtrack that reflects the sport's brutality while maintaining an undercurrent of regretful stoicism. Keyboard player/composer Jamie Saft provides Murderballs backbone, laying down an original score that boasts atmospherics which are both tender and visceral. Other highlights include the engaging "Something" from the Sea and Cake's Sam Prekop, a trippy instrumental from Ween and the Moldy Peaches "Anyone Else But You."".

Track listing All compositions by Jamie Saft except where noted
  1. Ministry: "Thieves" (Paul Barker, Al Jourgensen) – 4:59
  2. Jamie Saft: "Murderball Remix" – 4:44
  3. Ween: "The F**ked Jam" (Aaron Freeman, Michael Melchiondo) – 2:55
  4. The Polyphonic Spree: "Light & Day" (Tim DeLaughter) – 3:24
  5. Sam Prekop: "Something" (Sam Prekop) – 3:47
  6. Jamie Saft: "Robert's Theme" – 2:27
  7. "The Moldy Peaches: "Anyone Else but You" (Kimya Dawson) – 2:57
  8. "The Whiles: "Song for Jerry" (The Whiles) – 1:31
  9. Chessie: "Follow Me Home" (Chessie) – 6:51
  10. Jamie Saft: "Penultimatum" – 3:21
  11. Scratch Massive: "Keep on Workin'" (Sebastien Chenut, Maud Geffray) – 5:12
  12. Jamie Saft: "Dungeonous Warfare" – 1:27
  13. Ministry: "Waiting" (Jourgensen, Mike Scaccia, Max Brody) – 5:04

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: March 2006 . Young Lions of Cinema . Lemire . Jonathan . www.college.columbia.edu . 29 October 2021.
  2. Web site: Murderball (2005) - Financial Information . The Numbers .
  3. Web site: A layperson's guide to wheelchair rugby classification . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120910232227/http://www.iwrf.com/resources/iwrf_docs/Laypersons_Guide_Classification.pdf . September 10, 2012 . 2013-01-30 . International Wheelchair Rugby Federation.
  4. Web site: NY Times: Murderball . https://web.archive.org/web/20090211031759/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/318807/Murderball/details . dead . 2009-02-11 . Movies & TV Dept. . . 2009 . 2008-11-23.
  5. Web site: June 4, 2009 . Murderball + Monster Man . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160307225616/https://doublefeature.fm/2009/murderball-monster-man . 2016-03-07 . Double Feature.
  6. Web site: Best Sports Movies of All Time . 14 May 2023 . Rotten Tomatoes.
  7. Web site: Murderball: Reviews . . February 22, 2018.
  8. Web site: Murderball (2005) . . https://archive.today/20130125133504/http://www.hollywood.com/movie/Murderball/2427758/reviews . 2013-01-25 . dead.
  9. Web site: Ebert . Roger . July 21, 2005 . Mobile jocks smash clichés . rogerebert.com.
  10. Web site: Bellando . Edoardo . November 29, 2005 . 'Murderball', Award-Winning Documentary on Athletes with Disability, to be Shown at the United Nations on 1 December . April 23, 2022 . United Nations.
  11. News: Lodge . Guy . Game, set and match: the 20 best sports movies . 29 April 2024 . The Observer . 28 April 2024.
  12. Web site: Murderball (2005) . Soundtrack Collector . February 22, 2018.