The Greatest Game Ever Played

Director: Bill Paxton Bill Paxton

Overview

The true story of an upset victory that helped change the sport of golf forever provides the basis for this period drama. Francis Ouimet (played by Shia LaBeouf) was born in 1893 to a working-class family in Massachusetts, and grew up fascinated by golf. However, at that time golf was considered a pastime of the wealthy and privileged, and British and Scottish players dominated the professional game. Ouimet's familial home was near the Brookline, MA, Country Club, and over the stern objections of his father, Francis got a job there as a caddy. Honing his skill in his spare time, Francis displayed a tremendous natural talent for the game and an understanding of its strategies, and 1913 he became the first amateur to play in the U.S. Open, held at the Brookline Country Club. Ouimet's presence was considered little more than a novelty at the time; Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane), a British champion with six tournament victories under his belt, was considered a shoo-in to win, with Ted Ray (Stephen Marcus) his only serious competition. However, Vardon, a fellow working-class boy who had overcome tuberculosis to become Britain's premier professional golfer, had more in common with Ouimet than anyone expected, and the tournament unexpectedly became a hard-fought competition between an established star and a promising unknown. Directed by Bill Paxton in his second directorial effort, The Greatest Game Ever Played also stars Elias Koteas as Francis' father, Josh Flitter as the ten-year-old boy who becomes Francis' caddy, and Peyton List as Sarah Wallis, Francis' sweetheart.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/11/2006
UPC:	0786936277920
Original Release:	2005
Rating:	PG
Source:	Walt Disney Video
Region Code:	1
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:01:00

Special Features

A view from the gallery: on the set of The Greatest Game Ever Played; Two legends and The Greatest Game; Feature film audio commentary: director Bill Paxton; Feature film audio commentary: writer Mark Frost; From caddy to champion: Francus Quimet

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Shia LaBeouf	Francis Ouimet
Stephen Dillane	Harry Vardon
Elias Koteas	Arthur Ouimet
Josh Flitter	Eddie Lowery
Peyton List	Sarah Wallis
Marnie McPhail	Mary Ouimet
Stephen Marcus	Ted Ray
James Paxton	Young Harry Vardon
Tom Rack	Black Top-Hatted Man
Armand Laroche	Black Top-Hatted Man
Peter Hurley	Black Top-Hatted Man
Gregory Terlecki	Black Top-Hatted Man
Jonathan Higgins	Embry Wallis
Matthew Knight	Young Francis Ouimet
Luke Askew	Alec Campbell
Amanda Tilson	Young Sarah Wallace
Jamie Merling	Young Louise Ouimet
Eugenio Esposito	Young Raymond Ouimet
Robin Wilcock	Bernard Darwin
Peter Firth	Lord Northcliffe
Michael Sinelnikoff	Lord Bullock
Justin Ashforth	Ted Hastings
Arthur Holden	Club Secretary
Len Cariou	Stedman Comstock
Nicholas Wright	Phillip Wainwright,Phillip Wainwright
Max Kasch	Freddie Wallis
Danette Mackay	Mrs. Wallis
Scott Faulconbridge	Billy
George Asprey	Wilfred Reid
Joe Jackson	Pub Pianist
Luke Kirby	Frank Hoyt
Timothy W. Peper	Walter Gibbs,Walter Gibbs (as Timothy W. Peper)
Mike 'Nug' Nahrgang	Baritone,Baritone
Dawn Upshaw	Soprano
James Bradford	Robert Watson
Marc James Beauchamp	Assistant Pro
Michael Weaver	John McDermott
Pierre Boudreau	Northcliffe's Valet
Johnny Griffin	Jack Lowery
Dennis St John	Wallis's Butler
Terry Reid	Vardon's Caddy Tommy
Stephen Spreekmeester	Ted's Caddy
Philip Preten	Comstock's Assistant
Walter Massey	President Taft
Melissa Carter	Reid's Escort
Melanie Beaulne	Reid's Escort
Jeremy Thibodeau	Raymond Ouimet
Alexina Cowan	Louise Ouimet
Frank Fontaine	Wallis' Chauffeur
Marcel Jeannin	Office Worker
Charles Doucet	Irish Crew Boss
Brian Wrench	Gallery Member
Nicole Braber	Girlfriend
Kyle MacDougall	Vardon's Assistant
Jesse Rath	Runner
Domenico Salvaggio	Bartender
Howard Ryshpan	Gallery Member
James Scavone	Copy Boy
Paul Cagelet	Passerby
Stephen Wallace Lowe	Reporter
Philip Pretten	Comstock's Assistant
Patrick Whitebean	McDermott's Caddy
Charles S. Doucet	Irish Crew Boss
Steven Wallace Lowe	Reporter
Brian Tyler	Conductor,Composer
Jackie Burroughs	Actor

Technical Credits

Mark Frost

Melissa Carter

Bill Paxton	Director
Mark Frost	Screenwriter,Producer
David Blocker	Producer
David Steinberg	Producer,Executive Producer
Larry Brezner	Producer
Dave McKeown	Stunts
Patrick Kerton	Stunts
Dominique Charete	Stunts
Helena Laliberté	Stunts
Maxime Vallée-Désourdy	Stunts
Marcello Bezina	Stunts
André Laperriere	Stunts
Alain Massé	Key Grip
Jeff Nichol	Key Grip
Andrea Kenyon	Casting
Stephane Byl	Stunts
Jere Gillis	Stunts
Stéphane Pilon	Key Grip
Mary Artz	Casting
Barbara Cohen	Casting
Mike Chute	Stunts
Ben Gauthier	Stunts
Alain Bérard	Stunts
Karine Lemieux	Stunts
Alex Cadieux	Stunts
Patrick Rousseau	Sound Mixer
Bob Beher	Sound Editor
Paul Poduska	Sound/Sound Designer
Soundelux	Sound Editor
Scott Wolf	Sound/Sound Designer
Peter Michael Sullivan	Sound/Sound Designer
Mark Ormandy	Sound/Sound Designer
Marc Beauchamps	Producer
Melissa Carter	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

It’s still called “a game for gentlemen,” but that was even truer of golf back in 1913, when a young working-class upstart challenged one of the world’s best players in the U.S. Open. That classic match is the subject of this charming, low-key movie directed by longtime actor Bill Paxton, whose Frailty (2001) revealed him to be just as talented behind the camera as in front of it. His latest effort is no less impressive. Shia LaBeouf plays Francis Ouimet, the son of immigrants, who grows up near a Massachusetts golf course and falls in love with the game, for which he shows remarkable aptitude at an early age. Despite the protests of his hardworking father (Elias Koteas), who believes that men should stay within their own class, Francis enters the U.S. Open and competes against British champion Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane), himself the product of a modest background. Although the film offers some very slight villainy in the form of Vardon’s sponsor, newspaper magnate Lord Northcliffe (Peter Firth), the principal conflict is the match itself. Anyone who has ever drowsed his or her way through a televised golf tournament will be surprised by the degree to which Paxton generates suspense from this event. He and his technical-effects people find infinite ways to show a golf ball’s passage through the air and along the ground, using different vantage points and precise editing to enhance the dramatic value of each stroke. In other ways, though, the film is fairly typical of its genre: The underdog with preternatural ability and supreme confidence rises to an inspiring challenge from more experienced, accomplished players. Still, Paxton’s inventive direction makes it more than your average Rudy wannabe.