happily ever after ( french : ils se marièrent et eurent beaucoup d'enfants ; translation : they married and had many children ) is a 2004 french comedy drama film .

the film is written and directed by yvan attal , produced by claude berri , and starring charlotte gainsbourg and yvan attal .

it was released in english in north america .

for english-speaking audiences , the film is highly recognizable for the lengthy cameo appearance of johnny depp , who speaks fluent french .

the soundtrack also features radiohead .

happily ever after ( 2004 film )

johnny - happily ever after 2004 speaking french fluenty . how beautiful ! ! !
johnny - happily ever after 2004 speaking french fluenty . how beautiful ! ! ! - youtube
johnny atuando no filme happily ever after falando fluentemente francês - 2004 johnny acting in this film and speaking french fluently .
johnny depp . . . and they lived happily ever after ( 2004 ) . . . creep - radiohead ( cover by lior davidi )
happily ever after is never as insightful or as funny as woody at his best . but the film has a fine - tuned approach to human behavior .
looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing happily ever after ( 2005 ) near you .
available on dvd ! urltoken the trailer for the movie
happily ever after .
based on a best - selling manga by yoshiie gouda . with english subtitles . dvd now available ! urltoken
if i spent a lot of time performing a census of the cast , it is because the movie seems to rotate among its characters as if taking inventory . nothing happens in
happily ever after
that i cared much about .
tres amigos , tres mujeres y alguna más ocasional , engaños y desamores . podría contar esto menos directo pero esta es precisamente la forma directa en que se narra este film francés del 2004 del director tarsem singh .
told from the male perspective , despite a deceptive focus on attal ' s real - life partner , charlotte gainsbourg , who plays discontented wife to his distracted husband , happily ever after shows why betraying their allies comes so easily to the french : they practice it at home .
happily ever after
is among other things a dirge for the death of the french style of adultery . these parisian philanders seem no more chic than your average cheating american . recall the elegance of the adultery in a film like renoir ' s
rules of the game ,
and then regard a couple in this film having a food fight . of course , in renoir the elegance was all upstairs among the aristocrats , while the gamekeeper and the footman chased each other around the kitchen , fighting over the gamekeeper ' s wife . has everyone in france moved into the kitchen ?
this film is not currently playing on mubi but 30 other great films are . see what’s now showing
johnny depp ' s special appearance and the last bit was quite predictive after the montage of gabrielle answering calls about the house .
if charlotte gainsbourg is present in a certain film , you automatically know it will be good - at least a little bit good . and so ' . . . and they lived happily ever after ' is one of those ' a little bit good ' films . it discusses life and marital issues that people have to face sometime half way through their lives ( if they made those sorts of choices earlier on , that is ) . it ' s decent . it ' s french . what more could anyone want if you ' re just looking for a film to waste some time and distract you from real life for a night ?
though this french film features good acting , it lacks the wit and charm one would expect to see .
challenged by a friend to watch something at random from a foreign obscure film list . well here we are !
i really enjoyed this film ' s cross - section of people dealing with various facets of coupledom , love , fidelity , marriage , etc . the elevator ride with johnny depp was quite poetic and a wonderful close to the film .
the reviews say that happily ever after is a film about infidelity . it is not . comparisons to they don ' t live here anymore or even closer miss the point . other lovers are mere punctuation . imagined or consummated , adultery is just an illusion here—not an escape from or rebellion against ( i love you , vincent says , and i love my wife ) , but the spark that makes the marriage work , or makes it feel like it might as well ( “i don ' t care if it hurts ; i want to have control” ) . know that superstition about three on match ?
there ' s nothing much wrong with the film ; my complaint is that there ' s nothing much right about it .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
if there are support groups out there for single women still wishing they were not— happily ever after — from director yvan attal ( my wife is an actress ) , who also stars—should be run on a loop through all of their meetings . it would cure them in an instant . ( i ' m beginning to wonder if my satisfaction with being single hasn ' t everything to do with my spending some formative romantic years in paris ) . the tongue in the title ' s cheek is not entirely sardonic , though . . . cataloguing as it does the myriad ways in which successful marriages make people miserable , the film ' s message is ultimately pro misery .
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…
there ' s nothing much wrong with the film ; my complaint is that there ' s nothing much right about it . why do i need to see it ? what do i learn ? why should i smile ? does the movie approve of the feminist wife , disapprove , or consider her merely as a collection of character traits ? why is so little made of the indians , who after all have mastered the happiness the others seek ? what does it say about a couple when a food fight escalates into an action scene ? i don ' t know , and i don ' t care , and if they are all really going to live happily after it will not be in this movie or even , at their rate of growth , in its sequel .
happily ever after - a woman revisits the ‘ex - men’ of her past as she seeks to understand why a fairy tale ending eludes her . available on itunes : urltoken get it on google play : urltoken watch the full film on jman : urltoken subscribe to journeyman for daily updates : urltoken tatjana bozic is on a quixotic journey to discover why her romances seem doomed to fail . she ' s revisiting the ' ex - men ' that populate her whimsical , sometimes stormy , past . what happened , she wonders ? why didn ' t they work out ? a funny , skilful doc , with a little bit of all of us within . witfilm - ref . 6136 every week journeyman offers a brand new documentary , fresh out of the cutting room . they ' re award winning documentaries , some destined for the festival circuit and some for broadcast . the one thing you can know is that here you get to see them when they ' re fresh , often before they appear anywhere else . to watch them in full go to our vod platform at http : / / jman . tv
movies and tv shows are certified fresh with a steady tomatometer of 75 % or higher after a set amount of reviews ( 80 for wide - release movies , 40 for limited - release movies , 20 for tv shows ) , including 5 reviews from top critics .
the final leg of shooting is underway in paris on the french remake of us film humpday ( special jury prize at sundance and selected in the cannes directors’ fortnight 2009 ) . title - less for the time . . .
a down - on - his - luck american indian recently released from jail is offered the chance to
star
as the victim of a snuff film , the resulting pay of which could greatly help his poverty stricken family .
french take on infidelity . moving at times , but in all honesty i struggled to sympathize with any of the male characters , which left the film feeling a bit tawdry even though the female characters were beautifully developed and acted .
it ' s like the director didn ' t know what his story would be about so he mashed all of his ideas into one film . also why is johnny depp at the top of the credits when he was in 2 minutes of this whole movie ? ?
i found i liked this admittedly sometimes uneven french comedy / drama about love , marriage and fidelity much more the 2nd time around . yes , there are still moments that are banal and cliché ' . and yes some of the supporting characters tend towards stereotypes . but there ' s a life and a playfulness to the film , an almost delirious sense of energetic film - making , peppered with both a truly odd but effective johnny depp cameo , and some great rock songs popping up along the way . the basic story exploring the inherent rockiness of marriage may be old hat , but the cinematic approach and the performances ( especially charlotte gainsbourg ' s irresistible young wife and mother ) make many of the old ideas often feel new . a film of memorable moments ; sexy , complicated , funny and sad . much like love it can bit over sweet , or painful , but is very worth the time
i don ' t have much to add , the film does very little with regards to investing you into the world at all , and yet its not badly directed by any stretch . it just gets bogged down into . . . well . . . useless non - enlightening scenes about love and sex that…
cineuropa is the first european portal dedicated to cinema and audiovisual in 4 languages . with daily news , interviews , data bases , in - depth investigations into the audiovisual industry , cineuropa aims at promoting the european film industry throughout the world . welcome to a platform where professionals can meet and exchange information and ideas .
from all appearances they have a strong , if not - what - it - used - to - be marriage . there are still highs in their relationship ( particularly when they pretend they don ' t know each other ) , though they are more playful than passionate ( how they cover each other with food - stuffs shows the difference between an affair of 9 ½ weeks and a marriage of 9 ½ years ) , and they don ' t whine or yell . the film ' s odd sideline of a soft - spoken indian couple with an active sex life after 20 years notwithstanding , vincent and gabrielle are the couple to beat ( the other couples serve just to put them into relief ) . and wouldn ' t you know it , therein lies the rub . . . something is rotten . . . etc . and so forth .
the film . . . is . . . forgettable . however , there is one sequence that i thought was just great in a music store with no dialogue - and great music to boot ( it was worth watching just for that as a self - contained sequence ) . phenomenal direction and acting actually , it would be better if it wasn ' t johnny depp though : /
if the movie had given gabrielle and the man something to actually say or do , none of these questions would be anywhere near the surface of my mind . depp would be playing a role , instead of making a cameo . the cuteness of his appearance is an emblem of the film ' s self - absorbed satisfaction with itself : it need not extend itself to involve or amuse us , because its characters are so content to circulate among each other ' s genitals .
these two men join in an occasional poker game with fred ( alain cohen ) , a bachelor and obsessive ladies ' man , and an indian man who enjoys frequent and satisfying sex with his wife after 20 years . the plot , which is generous with its characters , also provides vincent with a mistress ( angie david ) , who at one point is actually talking to him on her cell phone while sitting at the next table in a restaurant from vincent ' s wife . we also meet vincent ' s parents ( anouk aimee and claude berri ) and the mistress ' s mother ( aurore clement ) , looking uncannily like a mistress herself .
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it begins with three men . they’re in their early forties and are taking stock of their lives . vincent lives with gabrielle and georges lives with nathalie . they each have a five year old son and feel as though they’re suffocating , becoming staid and have even been trapped by a society that pushed them into working , getting married and having children . they’re envious of the third man of the trio . fred is free , single . he goes out with beautiful women and doesn’t live by the clock . naturally , fred dreams of only one thing : to be like vincent and georges – settled and married with kids – and to try at last to give a meaning to his life . but we learn that vincent is having a relationship with another woman , “a mistress . ” no one knows , none of his friends , know about the relationship . but gabrielle does . but he doesn’t know that gabrielle knows . from then on , we follow her . we see her coming to terms with the situation . she loves her husband and waits for him patiently . she’s a real estate agent and we find her at the end of a rather calm day in virgin megastore where she is listening to a disk beside a man she doesn’t know . her imagination begins to run wild , the way it does each time she gets a client to visit an apartment , when she imagines another life , for better or for worse… without the man she loves .
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is the love compatible with coupledom ? and what of freedom and fidelity ? these are some of the questions facing two married men .
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a young refugee traveling from russia to america in search of her lost father falls for a gypsy horseman .
a
normal
guy who is married to a hot actress gets worried that she is involved with her costar . this worry turns into jealousy and causes problems in their relationship . this is a story about trust and a comedy about the actions between men and women .
the story of john wilmot , a . k . a . the earl of rochester , a 17th century poet who famously drank and debauched his way to an early grave , only to earn posthumous critical acclaim for his life ' s work .
the story of two adolescent boys who are guests at a florida resort for the week - end . their only interest is , of course , chasing girls , but fate has much more in store for them .
american journalist paul kemp takes on a freelance job in puerto rico for a local newspaper during the 1960s and struggles to find a balance between island culture and the expatriates who live there .
manoli and fernando are a couple of communist ideas which wants to live their love freely running away from any bourgeois convention . at first , the couple refuses the help from manoli ' s . . . see full summary »
jacob asch is hired by gerald mcmurty to find his ex - wife laine and their son in palm springs . jacob finds laine and a teenager named donnie who may or may not be gerald ' s son . he also . . . see full summary »
a young new yorker goes to arizona where he finds freedom to both love and dream .
an unimpressive , every - day man is forced into a situation where he is told to kill a politician to save his kidnapped daughter .
what makes a marriage ? georges and natalie argue and shout constantly ; fred , a bachelor playboy approaching 50 , sleeps with many women , loving them all , living with none . vincent , nearing 40 , best friend of georges and fred , is married to gabrielle and they have a son . he keeps his feelings to himself . he and gabrielle are playful and passionate with each other , then bored and detached . is vincent holding back , and if so , why ? a colleague accuses him of believing in romantic fairy tales . gabrielle imagines them separated . are the basics of life women working and men chasing skirts ? is marriage the alternative to possibilities ?
: i got the wrong door . not like it ' s a crime ! i got the wrong door . let ' s call the police .
you ' re surrounded . you got the wrong door .
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enjoy a night in with these popular movies available to stream now with prime video .
attal knows that no matter how adult we feel when we say , ' i do , ' marriage is all child ' s play : jealousy , lies and pure , unconditional love . perplexing , but not a bad option .
a meditation on the joys and frustrations of monogamy that manages to be a diverting and funny character study at least most of the time .
attal taps into that unexpectedness - - the inability of just one person to captain the course of a relationship no matter how hard they try - - and he plays it for all it ' s worth .
there are a few quality moments , but this fairy tale is far from enchanting .
whatever points screenwriter / director attal is trying to make about relationship envy get lost as the marital conflicts become more contrived and shrill .
attal doesn ' t illuminate vincent ' s motives for straying , and unwisely suggests vincent ' s philandering and gabrielle ' s daydreaming are somehow morally equivalent .
in a world filled with empty lust and marital discord , yvan attal ' s wistful comedy is about a guy who loves his wife .
an interesting study of three men who are friends , in different marital situations , and who have different approaches to love and happiness . it explores fidelity and what constitutes happiness within the family unit . charlotte gainsbourg is lovely in this as gabrielle , wife of vincent ( yvan attal ) . some bizarre games transpire between these two and the cover art is taken from one of those playtimes . lots of interesting camera work , a lively script , and some lovely actors keep things from becoming too trite , but it ' s not all that deep either . mildly entertaining at best .
this is a really realistic story and fine acting especially by the core cast . the only problem i had with it is the ending seems to be inserted smack dab in the middle of the story , which left me a bit confused . its a bittersweet tale about marriage ; an old subject to be sure , but refreshing with this french perspective . enjoy !
basically the story of a man forced to finally see the injustice around him . riley’s movie is designed to do the same thing to you . …
roger ebert ' s speech on empathy for the
11th hour
series on april 9th , 1994 , being republished here in honor of his birthday june 18 .
roger ebert was born on this day in 1942 , and died a little over five years ago . i owe a good part of my success…
a look back at robert zemeckis ' half - animated classic , who framed roger rabbit , on its 30 - year anniversary .
a tribute to the late tab hunter , a gay matinee idol and hollywood trailblazer .
the movie opens with a man making a crass pickup attempt at a bar . the woman who is his target efficiently dismisses and humiliates him , turns her attention to another man , and picks him up . in no time at all they are plundering their netherlands in a parked car , and it is only when they get inside an apartment that we realize they are man and wife . it ' s a game to bring a little spice into their marriage .
that couple is vincent , played by yvan attal , who also wrote and directed the movie , and gabrielle ( charlotte gainsbourg , his real - life wife ) . another couple in the story is the miserable georges ( alain chabat ) , whose feminist wife nathalie ( emmanuelle seigner ) finds fault with everything he does , including buying gender - appropriate toys for their children . what does a little boy need ? a toy vacuum cleaner , obviously .
there is a scene where gabrielle is at a virgin megastore , listening to an album on headphones , and johnny depp joins her at the same kiosk and listens to the same song . they smile enigmatically , about the album , i guess , and he walks away . later , gabrielle , who is a realtor , discovers she is showing an apartment to a man who is - - why , it ' s johnny depp . they get on the elevator , and find themselves kissing , and the elevator goes up , and up , and up , no doubt being circled by the stairway to heaven .
scenes like this cause me to become unreasonably restless . does gabrielle know this man is johnny depp ? does the movie ? does depp ? is the movie so cool everybody knows he ' s johnny depp but just doesn ' t say so ? is his appearance intended as an endorsement ? or is he not supposed to be johnny depp , in which case why was he cast ?
an interview with terry gilliam , director of
the man who killed don quixote .
the ebert club is our hand - picked selection of content for ebert fans . you will receive a weekly newsletter full of movie - related tidbits , articles , trailers , even the occasional streamable movie . club members also get access to our members - only section on urltoken
one of them doesn ' t make it . ( for all their casual sexuality , the french are barely more tender towards “the other woman” than we are , or the saudis , for that matter , but i digress . the other is irrelevant . ) .
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it starts with three men , they ' re in the early forties and they ' re thinking about their lives . vincent lives with gabrielle , georges with nathalie . they each have a 5 year old boy and they feel like they ' re suffocating , becoming
bourgeois
and trapped by a society that ' s forced them to work , marry and have kids . . . they ' re jealous of fred ' s freedom , the third man , a bachelor who sleeps with pretty girls and has no schedule . ( original title : ils se marrièrent et eurent beaucoup d ' enfants )
johnny depp from 6 to 53 years old - evolution from 6 year to 53 years .
a meditation on the joys and perils of relationships , which follows three male friends and the women in their lives .
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urltoken
what makes a marriage ? georges and natalie argue and shout constantly ; fred , a bachelor playboy approaching 50 , sleeps with many women , loving them all , living with none . vincent , nearing 40 , best friend of georges and fred , is married to gabrielle and they have a son . he keeps his feelings to himself . he and gabrielle are playful and passionate with each other , then bored and detached . is vincent holding back , and if so , why ? a colleague accuses him of believing in romantic fairy tales . gabrielle imagines them separated . are the basics of life women working and men chasing skirts ? is marriage the alternative to possibilities ? written by
charlotte gainsbourg and yvan attal play parents to their real - life son ben attal . see more »
features tom and jerry in the hollywood bowl ( 1950 ) . see more »
is love compatible with coupledom ? and what of freedom and fidelity ? these are some of the questions facing two married men .
just charming and well made enough to get by , but never particularly engaging and ultimately not very rewarding .
they say so what if there ' s a goal keeper , that doesn ' t mean you can ' t score a goal and win . but from personal experience and being an acod i think any person who encourages an affair with the knowledge of the other being in a relationship is just nasty or inhumane .
it ' s maybe true that mankind isn ' t made for monogamy and most animals tend to have a polygamist approach to life . but having the knowledge and breaking up a relationship is just bad .
mantiene una estructura clásica en el montaje centrándose en la fotografía . las actuaciones definitivamente muy buenas sobre todo por parte de charlotte gainsbourg , yvan attal
um roteiro que não sabe bem de onde vem e pra onde vai . yvan attal até tem uma mise - en - scène interessante ao longo do filme , mas se perde na condução / construção de seus personagens . o cameo de johnny depp no primeiro momento é estiloso e parece conduzir a trama a algum lugar , mas só parece . . pois logo em seguida tudo volta ao
normal
e sua reaparição ao final somente coroa o péssimo mal gosto deste filme . vale pelas aparições da emmanuelle seigner num papel divertido , mas infelizmente subaproveitado .
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three parisian men in their early 40s re - examine their love lives in yvan attal’s second outing as director , which also stars his real - life wife charlotte gainsbourg .
johnny depp ' s cameo . . . that scene is the dream of 90 % of women .


brian 's song is a 1971 abc movie of the week that recounts the details of the life of brian piccolo ( played by james caan ) , a wake forest university football player stricken with terminal cancer after turning pro , told through his friendship with chicago bears running back , teammate and pro football hall of famer gale sayers ( billy dee williams ) .

piccolo 's and sayers 's sharply differing temperaments and racial backgrounds made them unlikely to become as close friends as they did , including becoming the first interracial roommates in the history of the national football league , and the film chronicles the evolution of their friendship .

the production was such a success on abc that it was later shown in theaters by columbia pictures with a major premiere in chicago ; however , it was soon withdrawn due to a lack of business .

critics have called the movie one of the finest telefilms ever made .

a 2005 readers poll taken by entertainment weekly ranked ' brian 's song ' seventh in its list of the top " guy-cry " films ever made .

the movie is based on sayers ' account of his friendship with piccolo and coping with piccolo 's illness in sayers ' autobiography , i am third .

the film was written by veteran screenwriter william blinn , whose script , one dallas television critic called , " highly restrained , steering clear of any overt sentimentality [ yet conveying ] the genuine affection the two men felt so deeply for each other . "

although based on a true story , the film did include some fictional scenes .

one example was when george halas ( played by jack warden ) told gale sayers that he wanted to bench brian piccolo when he suspected that there may be a problem affecting his performance .

he later learned of brian 's cancer .

in reality , jim dooley was the head coach at that time , as halas had retired from the position following the 1967 season .

brian ' s song

james caan ( l ) portrayed brian piccolo in 1971 ' s
brian ' s song .
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brian ' s song by michel legrand | j . w . pepper sheet music
the arrangement details tab gives you detailed information about this particular arrangement of brian ' s song - not necessarily the song .
we’d love your help . let us know what’s wrong with this preview of brian ' s song by william blinn .
an entertainment weekly poll lists brian’s song as the seventh - best ”guy - cry” flicks of all time .
brian ' s song
is the first significant movie made for television to be remade for television .
superman had kryptonite . the rest of us have brian ' s song , the first - - and still most surefire - - male tearjerker . others have followed , but let ' s not forget : brian ' s song opened the floodgates .
if you want to answer the questions ,
who starred in the movie brian ' s song ?
and
what is the full cast list of brian ' s song ?
then this page has got you covered .
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this cast list of who was in brian ' s song includes both lead and minor roles . ( 33 items )
brian ' s song digital sheet music . contains printable sheet music plus an interactive , downloadable digital sheet music file .
with
brian ' s song ,
they felt they had encouragement from the two major surviving figures to add more material .
in 2001 , columbia tristar television made a remake of brian’s song with sean maher playing the role of piccolo and mekhi phifer portraying sayers .
brian ' s song cast list , listed alphabetically with photos when available . this list of brian ' s song actors includes any brian ' s song actresses and all other actors from the film . you can view additional information about each brian ' s song actor on this list , such as when and where they were born . to find out more about a particular actor or actress , click on their name and you ' ll be taken to page with even more details about their acting career . the cast members of brian ' s song have been in many other movies , so use this list as a starting point to find actors or actresses that you may not be familiar with .
billy dee williams and james caan filmed scenes for
brian ' s song
at the bears ' 1971 training camp at rensselaer , ind .
brian’s song is a love story that transcended race , taking camaraderie , loyalty , friendship and teamwork to an emotional level that usually results in tears .
except , this is disney taking on
brian ' s song ,
and you can see the inherent problems with that coupling 100 yards away .
oh ,
sighed a colleague , when told they were going to remake
brian ' s song .
oh , no .
on its own , somewhat obvious level , brian ' s song worked . not least in its favor were two exceptionally fine performances : james caan as brian piccolo and billy dee williams as gale sayers .
tonight , abc and
the wonderful world of disney
offer up a remade version of
brian ' s song
because . . . let ' s see here . . . the producers say the original was too short , the female characters were slighted the first time and many young viewers today have never seen
brian ' s song .
now ' ' brian ' s song ' ' has been remade , as a two - hour film , that will be shown on ' ' the wonderful world of disney ' ' tonight at 7 . but why would abc , which showed the original ' ' brian ' s song ' ' 30 years ago , remake it now ?
reel classics presents
brian ' s song ,
starring james caan and billy dee williams , on sunday , nov . 4 at 9 p . m . et .
inc . has learned abc is planning a remake of the network ' s 1973 made - for - tv classic
brian ' s song ,
the heart - tugging story about the friendship between former bears gale sayers and brian piccolo , the latter who died of cancer .
almost everyone else agreed . at the time , brian ' s song was the fourth most - watched film ever to air on television , behind only the theatrical blockbusters ben - hur , the birds and the bridge on the river kwai . it received 11 emmy nominations and was briefly released in theaters . its theme song - - brian ' s song , or the hands of time - - made the charts , burrowing into ears and never leaving .
a journalist’s conscience leads her to reveal her source to the fbi . here’s why .
before brian ' s song , the cultural proscription against men crying was so strong that piccolo himself , sometime after his diagnosis , reportedly told his wife , joy :
you can ' t cry . it ' s a league rule .
brian’s song is a book about two very different people competing for the same job . gale sayers and brian piccolo were competing for the running back of the chicago bears . gale was shy but brian was talkative . gale was the starter and brian was on the bench . still , they both became friends and battled challenges together . my favorite character was brian piccolo . brian has a talkative and headstrong personality . “people are going to say that i got in on a pass , lucky break , and i won’t take it t
there ' s no question that brian piccolo ' s story was amplified by the movie . and now generations later , you don ' t know how many guys who ordinarily would be loath to admit that they shed a tear , will tell you at the drop of a hat , i still cry every time i see brian ' s song ,
says bob costas on espn classic ' s sportscentury series .
from a four - decade remove , it ' s easy to forget the impact of brian ' s song . the scene in which piccolo and sayers run slow - motion wind sprints in the park - - to a lachrymose theme song that would become unshakeable - - long predated the same tableaus in chariots of fire and rocky iii and countless other sports movies .
sayers ( williams ) visits piccolo ' s ( caan ' s ) bedside . . . after somebody took caan ' s cigarette and coke .
the 1971 made - for - television movie
brian ' s song
tugged at the nation ' s heart , telling the story of piccolo ' s friendship - - one that shattered racial boundaries - - with his african - american chicago bears teammate gale sayers and piccolo ' s final days . piccolo was played by james caan and sayers by billy dee williams .
people who didn ' t know football , or even the movie , were still touched by brian ' s song . shortly after the film ' s second airing , in december of 1972 , ella fitzgerald asked a reporter visiting her home in beverly hills :
what was that show about football ? you know , one of the guys dies ? brian ' s song . such a beautiful song . michael legrand wrote it .
and then , in her own den , she sang it . johnny mathis and perry como and henry mancini , among others , would record it , too .
correction : december 9 , 2001 , sunday an article last sunday about the remaking of the television film ' ' brian ' s song , ' ' about the former chicago bears player brian piccolo , misstated the surname of his widow . she is joy piccolo o ' connell , not mcconnell .
the inspiration for brian’s song came from a book , i am third , written by piccolo’s chicago bears teammate gale sayers . the two men , both running backs , had been the first interracial roommates in the national football league . piccolo was white and sayers an african american .
brian’s song is a true story about two people named gale sayers and brian piccolo . they are both competing for the same job of being running back for the chicago bears . they became best friends through competing and rooming together . gale plays most of the time over brian but are still friends . in one game gale breaks his knee and brian is there for him . near the end of the book they both get spots on the field playing together . but that all changed when something happens to brian . my favorite
in reel life : sayers and piccolo are , by all appearances , best friends . in real life : although
brian ' s song
is based on a chapter in gale sayers '
i am third ,
sayers never claims that he and piccolo were as close as the movie suggests . sayers says they came to like each other very much , were good friends , and did hang out together . but , as joy piccolo o ' connell , brian ' s wife , told the chicago tribune last year ,
ralph kurek was truly brian ' s best friend . . . gale and brian , that was such a small part of brian ' s life .
quotes gale sayers : [ accepting the george s . halas award ] i ' d like to tell you about a guy i know , a friend of mine . his name is brian piccolo . and he has the heart of a giant , and that rare form of courage that allows him to kid himself and his opponent , cancer . he has a mental attitude that makes me proud to have a friend who spells out the word ' courage , ' 24 hours a day , every day of his life . now you honor me by giving me this award . but i say to you here now brian piccolo is the man who deserves the george s . halas award . it is mine tonight . . . and brian piccolo ' s tomorrow . coach george halas : brian piccolo died of cancer at the age of 26 . he left a wife and three daughters . he also left a great many loving friends who miss and think of him often . but when they think of him , it ' s not how he died that they remember - but how he lived . how he did live ! brian piccolo : i said thank you . gale sayers : i know . brian piccolo : well , usually when someone says thank you you ' re supposed to say you ' re welcome or how ' s your mother ? gale sayers : how ' s your mother ? ? brian piccolo : she ' s doin ' fine , thanks for asking protagonist antagonist rising action climax crisis terminal lung cancer external conflict internal conflict brian ' s song resolution setting brian piccolo gale sayers each other the society 1971 in chicago brian and gale get elected into the hall of fame brian gets sick falling action the many surgeries brian had gale gives his most courage player award to brian gale donated blood for brain gale paid for brian ' s medical bills brian ' s cancer is terminal brian and gale room together during training camp gale and brian both get starting positions gale hurts his knee brian helps gale train and rehab to get back faster gale comes back even better brian : trying to stay positive and cheering gale on yes brian was always positive gale : knowing his best friend is dieing of cancer no because he was on the road playing football brian : fighting cancer no gale : wishing he could help brian more no and yes brian will not be remember of he died rather of how he lived
forty years ago tonight , at 8 : 30 eastern time , half of all television sets in use in america were tuned to the premier of brian ' s song , a 90 - minute made - for - tv film about the brief , unlikely friendship between chicago bears ' teammates brian piccolo and gale sayers .
the original
brian ' s song
was that kind of movie . it told the true story of gale sayers , the stellar running back for the chicago bears played by billy dee williams , and his oil - and - water friendship with teammate and fellow running back brian piccolo . james caan played piccolo .
gale sayers and brian piccolo are both running backs for the chicago bears and great friends . when gale gets the starting job and brian doesn’t brian tries to prove himself by pushing himself harder than he ever has . then gale gets injured so brian gets the starting job but brian’s devolved cancer and he… my favorite character was brian piccolo because he came from not the best collage but he still made it . “gale - when i was in high school i was one of the best backs in the state . but unfortunate
if there hadn ' t been a
brian ' s song
30 years earlier , and it hadn ' t been regarded a genre classic , tonight ' s presentation would be easy enough to shrug off as inoffensive and informative , delivering its own lump in the throat at the end .
to sports - minded men now in their mid - 40 ' s and beyond , ' ' brian ' s song ' ' was a made - for - television revelation , a sentimental classic about the interracial friendship of a dying chicago bear , brian piccolo , and his star teammate , the transcendent gale sayers , that gave male viewers an oprahesque green light to cry .
the 1971 film
brian ' s song ,
written by william blinn and directed by buzz kulik , won that year ' s emmy for outstanding single program , comedy or drama , and took its place in pop culture as a television classic . it is still available on tape and dvd .
brian’s song is a book about two very different people competing for the same job . gale sayers and brian piccolo were competing for the running back of the chicago bears . gale was shy but brian was talkative . gale was the starter and brian was on the bench . still , they both became friends and battled challenges together . my favorite character was brian piccolo . brian has a talkative and headstrong personality . “people are going to say that i got in on a pass , lucky break , and i won’t take it that way . im going to beat you , magic” ( 61 ) . in this quote brian wants to compete for the job fair and square . he likes a challenge and work really hard to achieve the challenge . brian is my favorite character for these reasons . brian’s song is a unique book . the book is a screenplay and the text is in small portions . “hard cut to nfl footage - alternating between runs of piccolo and sayers” ( 75 ) . this quote is about the event and what is happening at the time . this type of text is not in all books . this is a very unique quality that the author put in the book . i will give brian’s song a 2 . the book was interesting at some parts but most of the book is just a normal life of a football player . my favorite parts of the book is when they work together to solve problems . the ending was interesting though . overall , i think brian’s song is a ok / bad book .
although critics praised brian’s song for its frank description of cancer when the disease was rarely discussed publicly , the reality of brian piccolo’s illness and death was quite different than what was portrayed on the screen . it turns out the actual story of what happened to piccolo is even more instructive , and especially relevant for modern cancer patients and health professionals struggling to balance hope and reality .
a year after its original broadcast , on the tuesday before thanksgiving of 1972 , brian ' s song re - aired , beginning a longstanding american tradition that would see my father exercise his tear ducts once a year , on a regular schedule , like old faithful or the fountains at caesar ' s palace .
good film . great character portrayals by james caan and billy dee williams . the chemistry and camaraderie between the two is what makes this film so great . brian ' s song is worth seeing , even if you ' re not a fan of football .
the musical theme to brian ' s song ,
the hands of time ,
was a popular tune during the early 1970s and has become a standard . [ 1 ] the music for the film was by michel legrand , with lyrics to the song by marilyn and alan bergman . nashville pianist floyd cramer performed a popular version of
the hands of time
.
morris , piccolo ' s biographer , agrees .
i had no problem with the first movie ,
she told the chicago tribune .
it was essentially true . they exaggerated brian and gale ' s friendship , but they didn ' t abuse the story . . . i think brian was a lot more important to gale than gale was to brian .
the mmqb’s jacob feldman shares the nfl’s best stories and biggest news ( plus an opinion or two ) every weekday .
me playing the theme from brian ' s song on the piano . * * please visit : www . albertaprigliano . net . cd ' s / downloads available ! ! * * sorry , sheet music not available as all arrangements are my own . my style comes from a juilliard education & 40 years of professional playing .
meron and zadan , who helped reshape the classics
cinderella
and
annie
for television , and who produced the critically acclaimed
life with judy garland : me and my shadows ,
had many choices to make in updating
brian ' s song .
the wives are well cast with paula cale from
providence
as joy piccolo and elise neal from
the hughleys
as linda sayers . ( coincidentally , mike farrell , who plays cale ' s father on
providence ,
is married to shelley fabares , who played joy in the original
brian ' s song .
)
copyright 2018 brian wilson productions . all rights reserved . website design and digital marketing : designsite
the book brian song is about two running backs , one white and one black , fighting for their jobs on the chicago bears that create a strong friendship . they go through joy and hardship , but in they are just great friends . this is a story for sports lovers and people that love inspirational stories . my favorite character in the story brains song is brian . he was so positive and he always had hope even when things got tough . he also made the book funny and exciting with his smart remarks . brian : “
when brian’s song aired as a made - for - television film forty years ago this week , it was such a hit that it was eventually shown in theaters . touching on sports , race relations and early death , it became known as the movie “men are allowed to cry at . ”
the book brians song is about two rookie running backs who are drafted on the the chicago bears together . both of them fight for the starting job but gale wins the job . gale and brian become best friends and when gale gets hurt , brian helps him back into shape . when brian comes back next season , he challenges gale for the starting job but fails . the coach soon realizes he has worked hard and rewards both of them starting jobs , brian at fullback . soon something terrible happens that will change t
brian’s song by william bin is a very good and heartfelt book . it is a story about two young football players who both play running back named gale sayers and brian piccolo . gale is black and brian is white . the book shows their relationship throughout their years playing football which includes hardships along the way . the author , william binn , has a very creative way of writing the story in a script form and also includes an intense and dramatic relationship between the main characters . in bri
brian’s song is a true story about a brotherhood between two football players , gale sayers and brian piccolo . their friendship grows as they face adversity and each other . they compete for the same running back position for the chicago bears . will their friendship fight through the adversity they face ? read to find out . people can be friends despite race . race doesn’t decide friends it should be based on character . brian and gale find a way to get through that . many people also don’t believe tha
this highly - acclaimed winner of five emmy awards is one of the best - loved movies ever made for television . it ' s the true story of a special relationship between two professional football players , gale sayers ( billy dee williams ) and brian piccolo ( james caan ) . both star players for the chicago bears , sayers and piccolo soon became roommates and best friends . when sayers suffers a knee injury in mid - season , it is piccolo who prods and inspires him to work toward a complete recovery . then fate deals a cruel blow : piccolo is stricken with malignant cancer . the constant support and friendship of sayers plays an important role in piccolo ' s heroic fight against the disease . also starring shelley fabares ( tv ' s coach ) as piccolo ' s loving wife , brian ' s song is a moving and unforgettable film . ( original title - brian ' s song ( 1971 ) ) © 1971 , renewed 1999 cpt holdings , inc . all rights reserved .
brian ' s song
first aired on nov . 30 , 1971 , won an emmy award , was frequently rerun on tv , and became a staple of school assemblies - - its message of racial harmony , friendship , gutsiness and compassion struck a chord then , and still does three decades later .
the 2016 golden globe nominations were announced this morning in los angeles .
love and mercy
was nominated for two awards : paul dano for
best performance by an actor in a supporting role in any motion picture
and brian wilson and scott bennet for
one kind of love
for
best original song – motion picture .
following is brian ' s statement upon hearing about the nomination :
brian ' s parents , joseph and irene , opened a sandwich shop in fort lauderdale . joseph had previously driven a greyhound bus and operated a driving school in massachusetts .
meanwhile , you ' ll never hear a better reading than the one billy dee williams gave to the film ' s simplest line :
i love brian piccolo .
why was the movie so well received ? the acting , featuring james caan as the upbeat piccolo and billy dee williams playing the introverted sayers , was terrific . many chicago bears , including coach george halas , played themselves . the music , especially the theme song , composed by michel legrand , was beautiful and elegiac . but mostly , brian’s song was the frank story of an athlete dying from cancer being told to a society insufficiently familiar with the disease .
the book brian’s song is about two football players who play for the chicago bears . one gale sayers is black and the other , brian piccolo is white . they both play running back and quickly become friends . the book is about the good times they have as well as the illnesses , injuries , and competition that they face . the theme of the book is probably that friendship , happiness , and determination can conquer all . my favorite character was brian for several reasons . he is pretty funny and easy going a
william blinn , the brian ' s song screenwriter , went on to win an emmy for roots , and created starsky and hutch and eight is enough , and produced the television series fame , among many other achievements . but he will also be remembered as an edison of sorts - - the inventor of man tears .
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i read this after loving the 2001 remake of brian ' s song . i wanted to learn more of the true story behind the movie and i realize i ' d have been better off with sayer ' s autobiography or brian piccolo ' s biography . oh well . it was enjoyable to be reminded of some of the good lines from the movie . there were some parts that were in the screenplay and not the remake and some parts in the remake were not in the screenplay . the screenplay format was a little difficult because of the way the setting of e
brian ' s song is a made for television movie made for abc in 1971 , that features james caan and billy d . williams . this sports movie is based on the book ,
i am third
, the autobiography written by gayle sayres . the story deals with the friendship of future hall of fame running back , gayle sayres and his roommate , brian piccolo and how they cope with brian ' s terminal illness . the movie was such a success for abc , abc released the movie to theaters where the movie did no business . adapted by veteran screenwriter , william blinn , a dallas newspaper critic said that blinn ' s screenplay was highly restrained and avoided overt sentimentalityyet conveyed the true friendshio that the men had for each other . in a 2005 entertainment weekly survey ,
brian ' s song
was listed as the 7th best
guy cry
movie ever made . note : the movie was remade by disney in 2001 . the remake is not worth watching . highly recommended .
william blinn ' s purpose for writing brian ' s song was to inform readers of a true bond of friendship that was created in a very unlikely way . brian piccolo , a white man , and gale sawyers , a black man , begin with only one thing in common , their love for football . they meet during pre - season for the chicago bears . the two start off merely joking around with each other in attempt to get on the other ' s nerves and by the end of the story , have become almost inseparable . this novel was intended for aud
oh , how melo - drama was enjoyable in the 70 ' s ! now a days , you can ' t even last a minute with a movie like that . in brian ' s song case , i lasted the whole film , enjoying moderate parts of it . also , no matter how much , i love football , i do not shed tears , only old yeller , can get that close .
when the coach comes in the room to talk to brian and gayle to let gayle know he will become number one full back , the boom mic ' s shadow shows above gayle ' s head in the shot when the camera focuses on coach and gayle .
if a reader enjoys a heartfelt story that is both inspirational and comical , then brian’s song by william blinn is the perfect read . the emotional , screenplay style story is based on true events that took place within the chicago bears football organization . two rookie half backs , brian piccolo and gale sayers , compete for the same starting position . in the beginning of the story , both compete using every ounce of strength , heart , and will . by the end of training camp , gale wins the starting role , and brian is given the backup role . during a regular season game against the san francisco forty - niners , gale injures his knee and is sidelined for the remainder of the season . brian steps in as the starting half back in the absence of his now close friend gale . at the conclusion of the season , brian pushes gale to get him back into shape so the two can compete yet again for the starting role . gale again wins the position however the coach recognizes the hard work of both men and gives the full back position to brian . just when all seems to be going well , brian is diagnosed with lung cancer and shortly after loses his battle with the disease . the story is one that has both joyful as well as tearful moments , and provides inspiration to athletes everywhere . brian’s song is not only one of the most inspiring stories i’ve read , but it is also the most interesting in regards to sports . the main idea found within brian’s song are that there will always be good days , and always be bad days , but no matter what kind of day it is or what it is one may be going through , it is better to go through it with a close friend . brian and gale depict a beautiful friendship that should inspire people to not only lift each other up , but push each other to be the best that they can be . brian and gale both overcome adversities , hardships , and injuries , and both work with each other to make each other better . i am giving this story a four out of five and i would recommend it to any athlete , especially young athletes who are looking for inspiration . brian’s song with bring both tears of laughter and sadness out from within a reader , and will undoubtedly affect the lives of the readers . the reason i am not giving the story a perfect five is because of the way it is written . the story is written in a screen - play script which can make it harder to understand and follow along . in the end , i was touched and inspired and after reading the story , would highly recommend brian’s song .
brian’s song by william bin is a very good and heartfelt book . it is a story about two young football players who both play running back named gale sayers and brian piccolo . gale is black and brian is white . the book shows their relationship throughout their years playing football which includes hardships along the way . the author , william binn , has a very creative way of writing the story in a script form and also includes an intense and dramatic relationship between the main characters . in brian’s song , william binn writes the story different than you expect from any other book . he writes it in a script form like it came straight off the movie . “exterior - campus - type area - day - on sign” ( 2 ) . this citation is just one of the many subheadings in the book as binn describes the camera angle of the movie . “closer angle - gale and cab driver” ( 3 ) . this is also another example of a subheading when binn describes the camera angle of the movie . in my opinion , i am not such a big fan of the script form of writing . sometimes it can become hard to follow along and can be very confusing when reading the book . william binn also creates a dramatic relationship between the main characters brian and gale . “brian grins . gale does not . his expression is neutral . a short beat” ( 5 ) . this citation is an example of the relationship between brian and gale , as you can tell , both characters are much different from each other . “wish i was as sure of that as you are . tell you the truth , sayers – i envy you” ( 23 ) . this is another example of brian and gale’s relationship as sayers and piccolo learn to respect each other . in conclusion , the relationship between brian and gale creates great drama throughout the book brian’s song included a unique script and a great conflict throughout the book with brian and gale . i would give this a book four stars and i would recommend it for sports and football readers .
after piccolo’s death , the brian piccolo cancer research foundation was founded by his widow and several friends . now , thanks to research , more men have been diagnosed and cured of testicular cancer .
winner : tom t . hall - tom t . hall ' s greatest hits
it wasn ' t football action that made
brian ' s song
a great vehicle 30 years ago . the relationship between the mismatched teammates and piccolo ' s battle with terminal illness in the prime of his life gave the film a rare emotional drive . the story combines a number of compelling themes - - friendship , triumph over adversity , death . adapted from sayers ' s book ,
i am third ,
the movie helped establish the idea that tv movies could be good movies . even great movies .
the true story of the relationship between brian piccolo and gayle sayers . just as heart - wrenching as the movie .
brian piccolo led the nation in rushing with wake forest in 1964 and rushed for 927 yards in four nfl seasons .
brian’s song is a true story about two people named gale sayers and brian piccolo . they are both competing for the same job of being running back for the chicago bears . they became best friends through competing and rooming together . gale plays most of the time over brian but are still friends . in one game gale breaks his knee and brian is there for him . near the end of the book they both get spots on the field playing together . but that all changed when something happens to brian . my favorite character was gale sayers . he was quiet , smart , and thought a lot too . “… he was as shy as a 3 year - old” ( 1 ) . gale was also very fast and a great football player . but , gale still knew how to have fun by playing tricks on brian . gale was able to pull through his knee injury and be there for brian when he needed his help the most . the unique thing about the text is it is for a play or movie . “closer angle - gale and cabdriver gale pays the cabdriver brian ( voice over ) heads up ! look out ! ” ( 3 ) . since it was written for a play it tells what angle the camera is at every paragraph . every time somebody talks the author starts a new paragraph . then when the author describes something , it starts another paragraph . the unique thing about the text is it is written for a play or movie . i’d give brian’s song a 3 . it was interesting because it was a true story about two really good football players . but it was confusing with all of the different camera angles and people talking . the book did not have a lot of action of them playing football . the ending of the story was confusing to . writing the book regular would have been better than as a script . brian’s song was an average book but was interesting book .
screenplay of the story about brian piccolo , a football player for the chicago bears who died at age 26 of cancer . this story begins with his beginning as a rookie until his death . he goes into his relationship with gale sayers , his roommate and a black . gale and brian were the first two players for the bears to room together and black and white . touching story - very brief and easy reading . they only deal with brian ' s dying at the very end , and then not in great detail . the other books on brian m
brian’s song is a true story about a brotherhood between two football players , gale sayers and brian piccolo . their friendship grows as they face adversity and each other . they compete for the same running back position for the chicago bears . will their friendship fight through the adversity they face ? read to find out . people can be friends despite race . race doesn’t decide friends it should be based on character . brian and gale find a way to get through that . many people also don’t believe that gale can play in the nfl . he proves every doubter wrong as he has success in the nfl and becomes best friends with brian . they help each other work on plays and work out with each other to get better . ” fantastic ! three more man ! . . . can you make it , huh ? ” ( 66 ) this shows that brain and gale help each other get better . my favorite character is gale because he works hard , is very kind , and supports brain . gale works hard after his knee injury to come back to the nfl and he inspires to be the best he can be . gale is very kind because he offers a little girl an autograph . he is also very respectful of all the coaches and teammates . ” little girl i met day i came in here . … told her i’d get your autograph . … be glad to . ” ( 93 ) this shows that gale is kind because he offers to give the little girl an autograph . i would give brian’s song an 6 out of 10 because it is a good story about two best friends . i am interested in sports and this is a good book about football . it is also written a little different , so if you want something different , read brian’s song . if you are interested in a short story about sports and friendship , read brian’s song .
its critical acclaim was nearly , but not quite , universal .
as a film , brian ' s song adds little to the art of cinema or even to the profession of filmmaking ,
wrote john j . o ' connor in the new york times .
as a movie , it is pretty much straightforward cliché . the basic story , however , is moving .
this highly - acclaimed winner of five emmy awards is one of the best - loved movies ever made for television . it ' s the true story of a special relationship between two professional football players , gale sayers ( billy dee williams ) and brian piccolo ( james caan ) . both star players for the chicago bears , sayers and piccolo soon became roommates and best friends . when sayers suffers a knee injury in mid - season , it is piccolo who prods and inspires him to work toward a complete recovery . then fate deals a cruel blow : piccolo is stricken with malignant cancer . the constant support and friendship of sayers plays an important role in piccolo ' s heroic fight against the disease . also starring shelley fabares ( tv ' s coach ) as piccolo ' s loving wife , brian ' s song is a moving and unforgettable film .
if a reader enjoys a heartfelt story that is both inspirational and comical , then brian’s song by william blinn is the perfect read . the emotional , screenplay style story is based on true events that took place within the chicago bears football organization . two rookie half backs , brian piccolo and gale sayers , compete for the same starting position . in the beginning of the story , both compete using every ounce of strength , heart , and will . by the end of training camp , gale wins the starting ro
original hit version of the beautiful tv movie theme , performed by the prolific , much - honored composer . from cd audio source , original issue on 45rpm : bell 45 , 171 - brian ' s song , composed , produced , arranged , and performed by michel legrand check out the daily music posts on my facebook group : 1950s hits - - every day ! urltoken musicprof78 on facebook : urltoken
the book brians song is about two rookie running backs who are drafted on the the chicago bears together . both of them fight for the starting job but gale wins the job . gale and brian become best friends and when gale gets hurt , brian helps him back into shape . when brian comes back next season , he challenges gale for the starting job but fails . the coach soon realizes he has worked hard and rewards both of them starting jobs , brian at fullback . soon something terrible happens that will change there lives forever . my favorite character in the book was brian . brian was a very loud person that was very crazy sometimes . “he is up on his chair , launching into the wake forest fight song” ( 16 ) . brian was a funny person who was very tough on the football field . he was very undersized that fought his way onto the football field . brian was my favorite because he would never give up . the book brians song was written in the movie script form . i personally did not like this because it was annoying to read . the author wrote it in a confusing way but it was the exact script of the movie . “atkins : ( yelling ) welcome to the chicago bears ! ” ( 33 ) . but with the movie script the book is much shorter but it was very strange to read like that . overall i liked this book very much . i believe this is a four out of five book . this is a great story that everyone should know about and many sports fans would love it . this is a very great book .
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the film ' s emotions are obvious and blunt , but they get the job done .
in reel life : piccolo ' s married , but there ' s little mention of children except a line that
joy ' s expecting again .
in real life : joy and brian piccolo had three daughters , lori , traci and kristi , who were between 1½ and 4½ years old when he died . they barely remember their father and know him mostly through the stories others tell about him , but , along with their mother , they honor him by supporting the brian piccolo cancer research fund , which now supports breast cancer research .
in reel life : bernie casey plays bears captain james
j . c .
caroline . in real life : casey was an excellent wide receiver for the los angeles rams and san francisco 49ers before beginning his acting career . he played from 1961 to 1968 , catching 359 passes for 5 , 444 yards and 40 touchdowns .
brian ' s song
was the third of his 53 films to date .
american football players brian piccolo , of italian descent with the gift of the gab , and gale sayers , black and a social cripple , both join the chicago bears . they don ' t get along , but coach ' s plan to mix races as roomies forces them to do so . when gale is about to give up with a knee injury , brian kicks and helps him till he gets back , and they become friends . just when brian gets off the bench in a new position , he ' s diagnosed with embryonal carcinoma , and when that ' s cured other dangerous cancers : his career is over , and his life a painful struggle for survival at best . . .
based on the real - life relationship between teammates brian piccolo and gale sayers and the bond established when piccolo discovers that he is dying .
brian piccolo , who led the nation in rushing and scoring at wake forest in 1964 , rushed for 927 yards in four nfl seasons .
brian and joy were high school sweethearts and married in 1964 . they had three daughters , two of whom have six children between them .
wednesday marks the 45th anniversary of the made - for - tv movie brian’s song . the iconic film about the iconic friendship between pro football hall of fame running back gale sayers and his chicago bears teammate , running back brian piccolo , who died in 1970 of testicular cancer . based on william blinn ’s adaptation of sayers’ 1971 autobiography i am third , sales of the autobiography soared after the movie aired as the abc movie of the week . and billy dee williams and james caan , who were relatively unknown when they assumed the roles of sayers and piccolo , were catapulted into superstardom . the film would also go on to win four of its eight emmy nominations .
i read this after loving the 2001 remake of brian ' s song . i wanted to learn more of the true story behind the movie and i realize i ' d have been better off with sayer ' s autobiography or brian piccolo ' s biography . oh well . it was enjoyable to be reminded of some of the good lines from the movie . there were some parts that were in the screenplay and not the remake and some parts in the remake were not in the screenplay . the screenplay format was a little difficult because of the way the setting of each scene was listed out . it wasn ' t too hard to read , though . if you want to know the story of brian piccolo i ' d recommend just watching one of the two movies because they ' re so well done . reading this is only worth it if you ' re a fan or really like the screenplay format .
and then piccolo ' s own story changed all that . the nation ' s leading rusher as a halfback at wake forest in 1964 , he joined the bears and became roommates with the great sayers . the men were positional rivals , and the first interracial roommates on the team , but piccolo parodied the period ' s racial tensions with a subversive sense of humor . as production wrapped on brian ' s song , jim murray wrote how piccolo was once asked what he and sayers talked about .
oh , the usual racist stuff ,
piccolo replied .
he calls me by my nickname , ' honky ' . we get along fine as long as he doesn ' t use the bathroom . he sleeps in the lampshade .
in reel life : when gale sayers ( billy dee williams ) arrives in training camp , brian piccolo ( james caan ) is there to greet him . in real life : so were the real chicago bears . these scenes were filmed during the team ' s 1971 training camp at st . joseph ' s college in rensselaer , ind .
hbo ' s new series sharp objects premieres july 8 and follows amy adams as camille . . .
in mr . gray ' s script , though , the friendship between the players evolves more slowly , and linda sayers voices her objections to her husband ' s becoming piccolo ' s roommate . actual game footage is replaced by mr . maher and mr . phifer playing , sometimes filmed in super 8 .
the original
brian ' s song
could never break into the lineup in disney ' s wonderful world because it is a product of its time - - i . e . , pre - p . c . by a good two decades - - and features some coarse and / or racially insensitive dialog that would never make it past the save - us - from - ourselves censors . even though the very point of including that dialog in 1971 was to underscore how the friendship between the athletes , one black , the other white , transcended social barriers .
even if the remake is more detailed and perhaps truer than the original , the filmmakers do not say that they have created a better ' ' brian ' s song . ' ' ' ' in the theater , ' ' mr . zadan said , ' ' you can revive a show and nobody bats an eye , but in television people do . people have this preconception that once you make a movie , you can ' t make it again . ' '
screenplay of the story about brian piccolo , a football player for the chicago bears who died at age 26 of cancer . this story begins with his beginning as a rookie until his death . he goes into his relationship with gale sayers , his roommate and a black . gale and brian were the first two players for the bears to room together and black and white . touching story - very brief and easy reading . they only deal with brian ' s dying at the very end , and then not in great detail . the other books on brian might be more interesting because this includes all the movie directions , but some may be ore interested in the screenplay because they had seen the movie .