ALEX GIBNEY'S ANTICIPATED 'THE ARMSTRONG LIE'
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THE GLORIOUS CORNER
By: G. H. Harding
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Lance Armstrong
THE ARMSTRONG LIE --- Last night we caught a special sneak at the Sony screening room of Alex Gibney’s much anticipated and talked about new movie, The Armstrong Lie. In 2008, filmmaker Gibney set out to make a documentary about Lance Armstrong’s comeback to the world of competitive cycling. Armstrong had brought global attention to cycling as the man who had triumphed over cancer and went on to win bicycling’s greatest race, the Tour de France, a record seven consecutive times. More than just an athlete, Armstrong had come to embody nothing short of the possibilities of the human spirit itself.
In 2013, Armstrong had admitted to using performance enhancing drugs and an investigation by the US Anti-Doping Agency effectively stripped Armstrong of all seven of his previous titles and banned him from all sport for life). Setting out to chronicle his comeback, The Armstrong Lie (opening Friday) instead emerges as a riveting insider’s view, chronicling the collapse of one of the greatest legends of our time. As Armstrong tells the camera: “I didn't live a lot of lies, but I lived one big one.” One of the film’s producers, Frank Marshall, was an Armstrong supporter when the film started production said, “We all drank the kool aid.”
As the main narrator of the movie, Gibney very clearly began the movie as a both a tribute and an homage to the man. The film paints Armstrong as terrifically passionate; very controlling; and, amazingly focused. With his steeled-eyed glaze, he literally compels almost everyone to do his bidding. As the film (which drags on and on … a good edit would help) continues, Gibney has many of his acolytes, who finally turned on Armstrong, re-appear and air their complaints. It’s worth noting that each of these now-turned Armstrong devotees began as supporters. Even Gibney himself admits that the film he first envisioned was not the film he ended up with.
Even as Armstrong participates in his last Tour de France, and it becomes clear that he is not going to win, Gibney himself even admits that he was cheering and rooting for Armstrong.
The look of the film is superb and the access that Gibney had rather extraordinary; from sudden drugs tests when Armstrong was training in Aspen; to post-event reflections in his hotel room one-on-one. You do feel as if you're there right with Armstrong.
Is Armstrong a sociopath? Who knows? The film begins with his confession at the altar of Oprah … but, even then, he adamantly states that he was racing drug-free in 2009. I found myself drawn between both ends; there is no question he inspired leadership and you wanted to believe; but, as I have found time and time again ... those are the most dangerous people of all.
It’s a fascinating film; I came away in some ways even more mystified by the specter of Armstrong. To be fair; Armstrong, a compelling personality, amassed millions for his charity and brought a focus to cycling that had never ever existed before. He was the sport; but, his downfall has been nothing short of catastrophic. In America, we love to build them up, bring them down ... and, build them up again! Stay tuned.
CLOSING NOTES --- Congrats to Bill DeBlasio on his win in yesterday’s mayoral election; though I have to say that as the campaign continued, I personally found myself leaning more and more to Joe Lhota. I've become a bit tired of DeBlasio's Tale of Two Cities refrain; this is New York, not Charles Dickens-land. I look forward to seeing what he does … Speaking of the elections: I have never seen my designated voting place is such disarray as I did yesterday. The volunteer workers were more confused than anyone. It’s ironic that all the candidates spend so much money on campaigning and then there’s mass confusion the actual day of voting. A sad state of affairs for sure…
In the history of superstar act touring together, this has to be one of the biggest. Paul Simon and Sting will go on the road starting February 8 with the Paul Simon and Sting: On Stage Together Tour. While the official announcement and dates will not be made until tomorrow, it is known that the tour will include a March 4 date at Madison Square Garden in New York. The initial announcement is expected to include eighteen dates with more possible. Billboard reports that the tour will be much like that of Elton John and Billy Joel where each artist will play a solo set and then will duet on each other's music at the end of the show. Each will be performing their sets with their own bands ...
Mary Hopkin is best known as one of the first artists to sign with the Beatles' Apple label and for her hit “Those Were The Days,” but she has stayed very active in music over the years, especially over the last ten years. Hopkin will release her sixth album in the last eight years in early-2014, Painting By Numbers. The set features "stripped down and bare arrangements of Mary's own songs." The majority of the songs were written by Mary while two were co-written with Brian Willoughby, who has worked with The Strawbs and Nanci Griffith, and Benny Gallagher of Gallagher and Lyle ...
And, finally, XM's Brett Winterble guests this Friday on WOR-talk. Winterble's been on a terrific run of guests, including photographer-Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, who produced the stunning PBS documentary on Lou Reed; which the station has been running; chef Robert Blakeslee and The Armstrong Lie-producer, the legendary Frank Marshall - who helped start Amblin with Steven Spielberg.
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