Prefontaine (1997)

Director:

Steve James

Writers (WGA):

Steve James (written by) and
Eugene Corr (written by)

Release Date:

24 January 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Sport

Tagline:

He beat the odds... And became a legend!

Plot:

Based on the life of Olympic hopeful Steve Prefontaine, a long distance runner who lived in Oregon and died young

Plot Keywords:

Coach | College | Olympics | Running | Shoe

Cast

Jared Leto	...	Steve Prefontaine
R. Lee Ermey	...	Bill Bowerman
Ed O'Neill	...	Bill Dellinger
Breckin Meyer	...	Pat Tyson
Lindsay Crouse	...	Elfriede Prefontaine
Amy Locane	...	Nancy Alleman
Laurel Holloman	...	Elaine Finley
Brian McGovern	...	Mac Wilkins
Kurtwood Smith	...	Curtis Cunningham
Adrian Amadeus	...	Finnish Teammate
Laurence Ballard	...	O'Hara
Ryan Brewer	...	12 year old kid
Robert Burke	...	Young Pre
Kevin Calabro	...	3rd Airport Reporter
George Catalano	...	Patron #1

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Marysville, Washington, USA

Company:

Hollywood Pictures

Goofs:

Continuity: During the football scene at the start of the movie, when Steve first puts his helmet on it has no side ear pads. When he's hit a moment later and is on the ground the pads are there.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Bill Bowerman: Pre turned distance running into a blood sport. You wanna know what he meant to folks around here? What was it
[indecipherable]
Bill Bowerman: kids said back then? "You just had to be there."

Movie Connections:

Version of Without Limits (1998)

Soundtrack:

Once You Get Started

Pre is god.

As a runner, I cannot resist but love the story of Steve Prefontaine's rise and fall. He is an inspiration to all who lace up and head out the door for an hour long trek through the woods trails and roadsides. The movie truly captured the spirit of Pre and the emotions experienced by many athletes, not just runners. This was the one movie I watched on the bus ride up to Vermont's State Track meet. As I ran, my lungs and legs burned and all I could think of is this one scene: Pre running and all that can be heard is his breath, the camera focuses on his chest, up and down. When running, I am in my own world, just as the movie shows, everything around me is just a backdrop, a supplement to my race against myself, my own times, and my fellow runners. They push me, I push them, like Viren does Pre. This movie captures all of the aspects of a race and the qualities of a true runner. If you run for fun, your drive to strive will reach unfathomable levels.