Endurance (1999)

The gold medal for the men's 10,000-meter race in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics is won by Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie.

Directors:

Leslie Woodhead, Bud Greenspan

Stars:

Haile Gebrsellasie, Shawananness Gebrselassie, Yonas Zergaw

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Haile Gebrsellasie	...	Himself
Shawananness Gebrselassie	...	Haile's Mother
Yonas Zergaw	...	Young Haile Gebrselassie
Tedesse Haile	...	Young Haile's Father
Bekele Gebrselassie	...	Himself (Haile's Father)
Alem Tellahun	...	Herself (Haile's Wife)
Assefa Gebrselassie
Tizazu Mashresha
Winishet Tesfaye
Abinet Tedesse
Berhane Tesfaye
Bekele Negash
Berhane Taye
Endale Workineh
Zinash Workineh

Storyline

The gold medal for the men's 10,000-meter race in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics is won by Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for brief nudity

Details

Country:

USA UK Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 May 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Einzelkämpfer von Atlanta

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$14,339 (USA) (14 May 1999)

Gross:

$229,128 (USA) (30 July 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Channel Four Films, Helkon Media AG, La Junta

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

During the close-up of an official at the final you can see runners passing by. One of them is wearing orange (clearly Dutch). In the final there was no Dutchman.

User Reviews

Triumphant and touching

This movie made my list of top sports films -- along with Lagaan and Chariots of Fire.

The story is simple and tells about the development of this particular writer. It starts with him as a little boy who develops a talent for running because he has to run to school every day. In addition, he has his daily chores. He grows up and wants to be a runner but his father disapproves. Those who like movies about other cultures will find it gentle and refreshing. Most adults should like it. And although the film is about running, it's also about spirituality, family, and running a spiritual race. Although the film has a documentary feel, and definitely marches to its own drum, most kids will identify with Haile as a child and will be as overjoyed at the Olympics scene as the runners family were.

When I used to teach I used to bring in films for my students -- if they were good-- to show them what the rest of the world was like. As I watched this film, it occurred to me that both school teachers and religious teachers could use this film in their classes.

The Ethiopian music on the soundtrack is wonderful.