Frank Capua is a rising star on the race circuit who dreams of winning the big one - the Indianapolis 500. But to get there he runs the risk of losing his wife Elora to his rival, Luther Erding, and strains the relationship with his stepson.
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Very best movie i ever watch
Absolutely the worst movie.
A Masterpiece!
This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows
A number of films in the 1960s and early 70s challenged conventional notions of "victory", "success" and "winning" ("Smile", "Downhill Racer", "The Candidate", "Bad News Bears", "Slap Shot"). One of the more obscure ones was 1969's "Winning", directed by James Goldstone.The plot? Paul Newman plays Frank Capua, a professional race car driver whose obsession with being top dog isolates him from his wife (Joanne Woodward). As a response, she embarks on an affair which wrecks the couple's marriage. Sounds clichéd? Maybe. And yet virtually every sequence in Goldstone's film is approached from a fresh angle. Newman and Woodward, married in real life, are particularly good, the duo telling a story of shattered marriage with hushed whispers and naturalistic dialogue.7.9/10 - Worth one viewing.
I first saw "Winning" in 1969 and was utterly unimpressed with it. When TCM recently showed it, I decided to watch it again to see if my opinion of it had changed after 36 years. Nope. Underwritten, episodic plot line, dull characters , documentary-style, almost indifferent racing footage and, worst, the usual restrained, passionless chemistry between Newman and Woodward. Whatever has kept these two together for almost 50 years remains a mystery. Both Woodward and Newman have shown a playful sexiness with other screen partners (most notably, Woodward in "3 Faces of Eve"). However, I wish they'd given Newman another love interest. About the only high point of "Winning" is Richard Thomas as Woodward's son. Thomas works very well with Newman. Maybe they should have made HIM Newman's love interest. Oh well. I give "Winning" a "5".
Newman is a successful driver who marries a small-town divorcée (Joanne Woodward), soon after they've met As usual, he devotes too much time to his career and ignores everything else, and, as in "From the Terrace," Woodward turns in desperation to another manhere a rival driver (Robert Wagner). Newman finds them in bed, and becomes estranged from her (again, as in "From the Terrace"), but after winning the big race, he realizes his life is empty, and attempts a reconciliation (the theme of the "winner" who's really a loser).The relationship is superficially written, but Newman and Woodward make us care about it Their first film together since "A New Kind of Love," it's their best since "The Long Hot Summer." They exude a naturalness, intimacy and spontaneous affection that one suspects come from their own feelings for each other It is apparent in their first scene, where he is slight1y drunk, delightfully playful, and confident (but no longer unpleasant) in his attempt to pick her up; and she responds with smiles and applause at his tricks with a fireman's hat, but looks slight1y uncertain about this glamorous stranger Following their wedding, they sit on a swing, drinking beer from cans, talking and laughing quietly She describes her previous loneliness, and he responds, typically, "Beer's a lot less complicated." They smile, she rubs his back and leans her head on his shoulder: these are people who really know each other, and who have attained a maturity about themselves Newman exhibits this maturity throughout His loose, casual style, evident in "Cool Hand Luke," has given way to an almost complete mellowness Perhaps because of the confidence gained from his directing experience, he has gotten rid of his mannerisms; and except for the intense determination he shows while racing, he's more relaxed than ever before Although the script tells little about his past, there's a wealth of experience etched into his face, especially in his brilliant, silent reaction to finding the couple in bedone of quiet resignation that suggests a lifetime of pain and frustration Newman has many fine scenes of quiet underplaying: his camaraderie with Wagner early in the film; his solitude after the race; his genuine warmth in the relationship with his stepson (Richard Thomas). The scenes in which they drink champagne and come home drunk together project for the first time in Newman's career a really paternal feelingonly vaguely suggested in strikingly similar scenes in "Hud."
The feeling I had during the movie is: this could have been better if it was totally different: More relations between characters and less cars. And even when there is a race, we get weird 60's shots of people not even watching the race. How about more about the rivalry between Newman and Wagner. What does Joanne do- is she a housewife, raising by herself a child since he was three? Richard Thomas (Charlie) and Newman should have had more scenes before Charlie is sad of the breakup; I would have been sad losing a father like Newman, but we should see why Charlie is sad. Newman puts as much character to Frank as the script allows. Too long, not too predictable (not that there are any big surprises, other than the credits coming a bit early in the last scene). Paul and Joanne are great together, see Mr. and Mrs. Bridge (1990).
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