Going Vertical (Russia, 2017) (scenes, action, sport, actors)

[good_deal_maker]

This movie had a great success in Russia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Going_Vertical

This is a story about the 1972 Olympic Games. The USA and the USSR basketball teams played for the champion title.

These are fragments of the conversation between producer Anton Megerdichev, actor Kirill Zaycev and journalist Jury Kobaladze.
https://echo.msk.ru/programs/sorokina/2113070-echo/

Why did the Soviet team win?

Spoiler

The Soviet sportsmen threw the ball twice. The Americans won first but the rules were broken and the point wasn’t counted. The timer was broken. Then the timer was repaired and the scoreboard was valid but the time was set incorrect. The Americans won second time but they heard “No, boys”. Finally everything was valid and the Soviet sportsmen had three seconds. Edeshko Ivan made the pass through the whole field and Alexander Belov got the ball. The Soviet sportsmen had the result and wrested the victory.

The nowadays basketball and the basketball of the 1970s

Spoiler

We showed the more modern basketball than it was in the 1970s. We gave all modern methods to the players of the 1972nd because we wanted to make a bright show. The nowadays sport fans saw acting of Mickle Jourdan yet twenty years ago.

The sporting clothes

Spoiler

If a basketball player wore the sporting form of the 1972nd now everybody would look at him. This looks very funny now. The perception of beauty is other now. In that period there were short sports trunks and shirts. Very short sports trunks. We only lengthened sports trunks according to the growth of a sportsman so that they didn’t look like schoolboys. Well I bought volleyball trunks. They are short. Then I came in these sports trunks to our first meeting with the Americans those came from Los Angeles. They laughed at me, than I laughed at them when they dressed these sports trunks. Because there are open thighs but the nowadays sports trunks are long to ankles. You should get used to it.

The sporting shoes

Spoiler

Just basketball shoes made a long step forward. If now you have enough money then you buy the real basketball shoes. They are comfortable and safe. They have a high front side and it fastens the foot. But we used other shoes at shooting. They were very simple and flat. They have no amortization. The Americans have the same shoes. In those years we all thought these are the best sports shoes.

The clothes of the 1970s

Spoiler

We had a big crowd scene. These people dressed the clothing of the 1970s. We tried to hold the fashion. We didn’t want to create something vulgar like Woodstock. This was about the viewers. The girls had long hairs, short skirts. The boys had flared trousers. The basketball players were Afro-Americans by 90%. Now short haircuts are in fashion. But in 1970nd the haircuts were longer. And we made special wigs. First the Americans laughed at them and then got used to them. The boys became like their characters – Mike Bantom, Tom Henderson, the real American basketball players of the 1970nd. I hope the picture is familiar for the nowadays viewer and meanwhile we made a great jump to the 1972th.

Tattoo

Spoiler

It was very interesting that all Afro American boys had tattoo on their arms. All their hands. There was no like this in the 1972d. They poor people had to come every day of the shooting one and a half hours earlier to hide tattoo. They looked like being in respirator during this action. We made photos. They sweated and weren’t comfortable. Many boys now have tattoo and this was otherwise in those years.

The opinion of the American actors

Spoiler

Most people heard something about the victory. But I can’t say they were savage American fans or pointed at the wrong judgment. But they were rather surprised about the scope of our shooting. They spoke there weren’t such grandiose movies about basketball in America. There are some movies like «White Men Can't Jump (1992)» or «Blue Chips (1994)». And they were surprised about our six cameras and enthusiasm of the actors. We tried to make a realistic and bright movie.

The American actors

Spoiler

You have to be a professional sportsman to feel sure in the basketball arena and to show grace. We looked for basketball players and actors at the same time. We made a casting in Los Angeles in the open air. They played basketball and the expert said "...This boy jumped well, this one is like Bantom and this one is like Henderson". And so on. Then we shot with a camera short scenes and went to Moscow. After watching and analysis we spoke with our producer that was in the USA and he invited the boys to Russia. I’d like to say the American actors were stronger than the Russian actors. Basketball is very popular in the USA, it’s a folk play. There are more skilled people in the USA. We saw a few champions of student leagues and they seemed to be born with a ball. I mean Afro-Americans. But I’d like to add something. In conversation they would say: «How can you do these dodges?» I said: I watched YouTube and learned. And they were surprised that I could do this.

Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONaSz-Sc5Dw

Arrival to the USA and street basketball

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrGOuUkqGE0