The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005)

Director:

Bill Paxton

Writers (WGA):

Mark Frost (book)
Mark Frost (screenplay)

Release Date:

30 September 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Sport

Plot:

A golf drama based on the true story of the 1913 US Open, where 20-year-old Francis Ouimet defeated his idol, 1900 US Open champion, Englishman, Harry Vardon.

Plot Keywords:

Champion | Golf | Golfer | Subjective Camera | Sportscaster

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

James Paxton	...	Young Harry Vardon
Tom Rack	...	Black Top Hatted Man
Armand Laroche	...	Black Top Hatted Man
Peter Hurley	...	Black Top Hatted Man
Gregory Terlecki	...	Black Top Hatted Man
Jonathan Higgins	...	Embry Wallis
Matthew Knight	...	Young Francis Ouimet
Luke Askew	...	Alec Campbell
Amanda Tilson	...	Young Sarah Wallis
Elias Koteas	...	Arthur Ouimet
Jamie Merling	...	Young Louise Ouimet
Eugenio Esposito	...	Young Raymond Ouimet
Marnie McPhail	...	Mary Ouimet
Stephen Dillane	...	Harry Vardon
Robin Wilcock	...	Bernard Darwin
Peter Firth	...	Lord Northcliffe
Michael Sinelnikoff	...	Lord Bullock
Shia LaBeouf	...	Francis Ouimet
Justin Ashforth	...	Ted Hastings
Arthur Holden	...	Club Secretary
Len Cariou	...	Stedman Comstock
Peyton List	...	Sarah Wallis
Nicolas Wright	...	Phillip Wainwright
Max Kasch	...	Freddie Wallis
Danette Mackay	...	Mrs. Wallis (as Danette MacKay)
Scott Faulconbridge	...	Billy
George Asprey	...	Wilfred Reid
Stephen Marcus	...	Ted Ray
Joe Jackson	...	Piano Player
Luke Kirby	...	Frank Hoyt
Tim Peper	...	Walter Gibbs (as Timothy W. Peper)
Mike 'Nug' Nahrgang	...	Baritone
Dawn Upshaw	...	Soprano
James Bradford	...	Robert Watson
Marc James Beauchamp	...	Assistant Pro
Michael Weaver	...	John McDermott
Pierre Boudreau	...	Northcliffe's Valet
Josh Flitter	...	Eddie Lowery
Dennis St John	...	Wallis' Butler (as Dennis St-John)
Terry Reid	...	Vernon's Caddy - Tommy
Stephen Spreekmeester	...	Ted's Caddy
Philip Pretten	...	Comstock's Assistant
Patrick Whitebean	...	McDermot's Caddy
Walter Massey	...	President Taft
Melissa Carter	...	Reid's Escort
Melanie Beaulne	...	Reid's Escort
Jeremy Thibodeau	...	Raymond Ouimet
Alexina Cowan	...	Louise Ouimet
Frank Fontaine	...	Wallis' Chauffeur
Marcel Jeannin	...	Office Worker
Charles S. Doucet	...	Irish Crew Boss (as Charles Doucet)
Brian Wrench	...	Know-It-All Gallery Member
Nicole Braber	...	Know-It-All Girlfriend
Kyle MacDougall	...	Vardon's Assistant
Jesse Rath	...	Runner
Domenico Salvaggio	...	Bartender
Howard Ryshpan	...	Gallery Member
Jamie Scavone	...	Copy Boy (as James Scavone)
Paul Cagelet	...	Man Passing By
Steven Wallace Lowe	...	Reporter (as Stephen Wallace Lowe)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Alexis del Vecchio	...	Ragtag Caddie (uncredited)
Joe DeMarco	...	US PGA Pro (uncredited)
Dominique Desrochers	...	Golf Pro (uncredited)
Johnny Griffin	...	Jack Lowery (uncredited)
David Rigby	...	US PGA marshal (uncredited)
Taryn Wheeler	...	Extra (uncredited)

Directed by
Bill Paxton

Writing credits (WGA)
Mark Frost		(book "The Greatest Game Ever Played: Harry Vardon, Francis Ouimet, and the Birth of Modern Golf")
Mark Frost		(screenplay)

Produced by
David Blocker	....	producer
Larry Brezner	....	producer
Mark Frost	....	producer
David Steinberg	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Brian Tyler

Cinematography by
Shane Hurlbut		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Elliot Graham

Casting by
Mary Gail Artz
Barbara Cohen
Andrea Kenyon

Production Design by
François Séguin

Art Direction by
Martin Gendron
Pierre Perrault

Set Decoration by
Suzanne Cloutier
Anne Gallea

Costume Design by
Renée April

Makeup Department
Chantal Bergeron	....	extras hairdresser
Chantal Bergeron	....	hair stylist
Madeleine Bourassa	....	extras hairdresser
Marie-France Cardinal	....	key extras hairdresser
Sandro Di Gioacchino	....	extras hairdresser
Dominique Dupras	....	extras hairdresser
Nancy Ferlatte	....	extras makeup artist
Christophe Giraud	....	key extras makeup artist
Réjean Goderre	....	key hair stylist
Linda Gordon	....	key extras hairdresser
Melanie Guimont	....	extras makeup artist
Alex Lambert	....	extras makeup artist
Martin Lapointe	....	hair stylist
Catherine Lavoie	....	makeup artist
Lorraine Le Compte	....	hair stylist (as Lorraine Le Comte)
Julie Mignot	....	extras makeup artist
Magali Métivier	....	assistant makeup artist
Denis Parent	....	hair stylist
Ghislaine Sant	....	hair stylist
Micheline Trépanier	....	key makeup artist
Christine Larocque	....	wig maker (uncredited)

Production Management
Daniel Auclair	....	unit manager
David Blocker	....	unit production manager
Manon Bougie	....	production manager
Marc-André Goyer	....	assistant unit manager
Patrick Legault	....	unit manager
Joel T. Pashby	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Fabrice Barrilliet	....	third assistant director
Anabelle Berkani	....	additional third assistant director
Jesabelle Boileau	....	additional third assistant director
Jesabelle Boileau	....	third assistant director: second unit
Ariane Côté-Chénier	....	additional third assistant director
Buck Deachman	....	first assistant director: second unit
Martin Doepner	....	additional third assistant director
Anna Ferenczi	....	trainee assistant director
Pedro Gandol	....	first assistant director (as Pedro B. Gandol)
Carl Kouri	....	third assistant director
Roxanna Macedo	....	second second assistant director
Jacinthe Noreau	....	additional third assistant director
Evelyne Renaud	....	additional third assistant director
Dandy Thibaudeau	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Frédéric Amblard	....	set designer
Eric Bardin	....	assistant property master
Claude Beaucage	....	set dresser
Cecile Braemer	....	art department coordinator
Real Capuano	....	scenic technician
Louis Dandonneau	....	set dresser
Katia Kim Depatie	....	on-set props assistant
Marcel Pierre Dussol	....	props
Lucie Fournier	....	head sculptor: art department
Vincent Gingras-Liberali	....	set designer
Michel R. Lambert	....	scenic technician
Étienne Lapointe-Proulx	....	set property master
Félix Larivière-Charron	....	set designer
Raymond Larose	....	set designer
Ludovic Poirot	....	swing gang
Benoit Robert	....	swing gang
Benoit Robitaille	....	set dresser
Alex Touikan	....	set designer
Lucie Tremblay	....	set designer

Sound Department
Julie Altus	....	adr recordist
Bob Beher	....	foley editor
Maxime Ferland	....	boom operator
David E. Fluhr	....	sound re-recording mixer
Nick Foley	....	adr recordist
Patrick J. Foley	....	dialogue editor (as Patrick Foley)
Nerses Gezalyan	....	foley mixer
Nerses Gezalyan	....	sound mixer
Gabriel Guy	....	sound recordist
Laura R. Harris	....	dialogue editor (as Laura Harris)
Michael Hertlein	....	dialogue editor
Chris Jargo	....	adr editor
Doc Kane	....	adr mixer
Randy Kelley	....	sound effects editor
Kimaree Long	....	dialog editor
Christian P. Minkler	....	sound re-recording mixer
Mark Ormandy	....	additional sound
Michelle Pazer	....	adr editor
Paul D. Poduska	....	additional sound (as Paul Poduska)
Katrina Siegmund	....	assistant sound editor
David Stanke	....	first assistant sound editor
Peter Michael Sullivan	....	additional sound
Ted Swanscott	....	adr mixer
Jeffrey Wilhoit	....	foley artist
Michael D. Wilhoit	....	supervising sound editor (as Mike Wilhoit)
Scott Wolf	....	sound designer
Dean A. Zupancic	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Marc Auclair	....	special effects assistant
Yvon Charbonneau	....	senior special effects technician
Louis Craig	....	mechanical effects supervisor
Louis Craig	....	special effects director
Thierry Craig	....	special effects technician
Pierre Côté	....	special effects technician
François Dion	....	special effects technician
Mario Dumont	....	special effects floor supervisor
Mario Dumont	....	special effects technician
Erick Herbert	....	special effects technician
André Laforest	....	special effects technician
Vincent Marion	....	special effects technician
Pierre 'Bill' Rivard	....	special effects coordinator (as Pierre Rivard)

Visual Effects by
Anuj Anand	....	digital compositor
Brian Anderson	....	lead animator
Barb Benoit	....	digital compositor
Dennis Berardi	....	visual effects supervisor
Kristy Blackwell	....	compositor
Kris Brockman	....	compositor
Jeff Bruneel	....	digital compositor
Cyril Frederick Chu	....	digital artist: texture and lighting (as Fred Chu)
Shawney Cohen	....	digital artist: texture and lighting (as Sean Cohen)
Rob Del Ciancio	....	digital compositor
Bonnie Dickson	....	digital compositor
Mike Diltz	....	roto artist
Jeremy Dineen	....	digital artist: texture and lighting
Jeremy Dineen	....	visual effects animator
Shane Glading	....	CGI supervisor
Robert Greb	....	digital compositor
Annu Gulati	....	digital compositor
Noel Hooper	....	additional compositor
Noel Hooper	....	digital compositor: Invisible Pictures
Colin Hui	....	crowd simulation technical director
Winston Lee	....	digital compositor
Jef Lonn	....	digital compositor
Brian Lui	....	digital compositor
Lisa Marra	....	visual effects coordinator
Seth Martiniuk	....	compositor
Sarah McMurdo	....	visual effects production manager
Daniel Mizuguchi	....	animator
Daniel Mizuguchi	....	digital artist
Mike Mulock	....	animator (as Michael Mulock)
Andrew Nguyen	....	matte painter
Aaron Pozzer	....	digital artist: texture and lighting
Matt Ralph	....	animator
Matt Ralph	....	digital effects artist
Darcy Reno	....	senior systems administrator (as Darcy Bangsund)
Eric J. Robertson	....	visual effects executive producer: Mr. X Inc.
Chris Ross	....	digital effects scanning
Geoff D.E. Scott	....	digital artist: texture and lighting (as Geoff Scott)
Scott Shapiro	....	visual effects producer
Dev Singh	....	visual effects coordinator
Karl Sisson	....	CG artist
Karl Sisson	....	animator
Karl Sisson	....	previz artist
Joel Skeete	....	additional compositor
Mark Stepanek	....	digital artist: texture and lighting
Michael Stewart	....	digital compositor: Mr. X Inc.
Tamara Stone	....	digital compositor
Derek Sunderland	....	pre-visualization animator
Brad Sutton	....	digital restoration
Wilson Tang	....	digital restoration
Brendan Taylor	....	visual effects coordinator
Hoa Tran	....	digital artist: texture and lighting
Mark Tureski	....	film scanning and recording
Allan Walker	....	matte artist
Aaron Weintraub	....	compositing supervisor
Fiona Campbell Westgate	....	visual effects producer
Colin Withers	....	senior technical supervisor: Mr. X Inc
Kyle Yoneda	....	effects animator
David Yrisarri	....	visual effects producer

Stunts
Marcello Bezina	....	stunts
Stéphane Byl	....	stunts
Alain Bérard	....	stunts
Alexandre Cadieux	....	stunts (as Alex Cadieux)
Dominique Charete	....	stunts
Mike Chute	....	stunts
Marc Désourdy	....	stunt coordinator
Ben Gauthier	....	stunts
François Gauthier	....	stunts (as Frank Gauthier)
Jere Gillis	....	stunts
Patrick Kerton	....	stunts
Héléna Laliberté	....	stunts
André Laperrière	....	stunts
Karine Lemieux	....	stunts
David McKeown	....	stunts (as Dave McKeown)
Maxime Vallée-Désourdy	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Eric Aubin	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera
Alain Bisson Doyal	....	best boy grip: second unit
Richard Boucher	....	crane operator: technocrane
Richard Boucher	....	dolly grip
Roch Boucher	....	second assistant camera
Stephen S. Campanelli	....	camera operator
Jean-François Dasylva-LaRue	....	lighting technician
Audrey David	....	loader
Roberto De Angelis	....	Steadicam operator
Roberto De Angelis	....	camera operator: "a" camera
David Desgroseillers	....	electrician
David Dinel	....	best boy grip
Yves Drapeau	....	first assistant camera
Thierry Fargeau	....	assistant camera
Gilles Fortier	....	key rigging gaffer
Jacob Fortier	....	best boy rigging gaffer
Julie Garceau	....	video assist operator
Dan Goyens	....	lighting technician
John Harris	....	daily electrician
Robert Lapierre Jr.	....	grip
Patrice Lapointe	....	dolly grip
Eric Lefèbvre	....	rigging electrician
John Lewin	....	gaffer
Alfonso Maiorana	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Nicolas Marion	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Frederic Martin	....	dimmer board operator
Alain Masse	....	key grip
Jeff Nichol	....	key grip: second unit
Mathieu Price	....	grip
Jeff Scott	....	best boy electric
Robert Stecko	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Bert Tougas	....	director of photography: second unit
Paul Viau	....	lighting technician/best boy
Martine Vincent	....	grip
Jonathan Wenk	....	still photographer

Animation Department
Brian Anderson	....	senior animator

Casting Department
Farrah Fox-Collis	....	casting associate
Sandy Holt	....	adr voice casting
Gabriel Lavina	....	extras casting supervisor: on-set
Mia Levinson	....	casting associate
Shawn Roberts	....	casting assistant
Randi Wells	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Julie Amyot	....	dresser
Jennifer Anderson	....	costume assistant
Sophie Beasse	....	key dresser
Colin Campbell	....	hat maker
Brunhilde Pradier	....	dresser

Editorial Department
Ron Barr	....	digital intermediate editor
Phillip J. Bartell	....	additional film editor (as Philip Bartell)
Karen M. Boyle-Anastasio	....	digital film conformist
Robert Brakey	....	additional editor
Jason Dale	....	first assistant editor
Nicolae Ilies	....	colorist: dailies (as Nico Ilies)
Trent Johnson	....	digital film colorist
Kristine McPherson	....	first assistant editor
Julia Nessling-Douglas	....	digital intermediate producer (as Julia Douglas)
Steve Porter	....	digital film colorist
Elizabeth Ross	....	editorial production assistant
Kurt Smith	....	film color timer
Kam Stocks	....	post-production assistant

Music Department
Sandy DeCrescent	....	orchestra contractor
Brian Dixon	....	assistant music engineer
Robert Elhai	....	orchestrator
Richard Ford	....	music editor: temp score
Tom Hardisty	....	assistant music engineer
Roger Hewett	....	sideline musician contractor
Oliver Hug	....	assistant temp music editor
Joel Iwataki	....	score mixer
Joel Iwataki	....	score recordist
Andrew Kinney	....	orchestrator
Gary Krause	....	music editor: score (as Gary L. Krause)
Joe Lisanti	....	music editor: score
Joseph Magee	....	music recordist: production music
Joseph Magee	....	production music mixer
Dana Niu	....	orchestrator
Peter Rotter	....	orchestra contractor
Adam Milo Smalley	....	music editor (as Adam Smalley)
James Thatcher	....	musician: french horn
Brian Tyler	....	conductor
Brad Warnaar	....	orchestrator
Booker White	....	music preparation

Transportation Department
Julie Marion	....	driver
André Michaud	....	driver
Daniel Ross	....	transportation coordinator
Manon Rufer	....	driver
Jerome Wheeler	....	driver production assistant

Other crew
Guillaume Beaudoin-Aubin	....	production assistant
Melanie Bergeron	....	key medic
Christian Biron	....	assistant location manager
Jennifer Bydwell	....	research and clearance
Jean-Philippe Collin	....	stand-in
Rick Cranford	....	script coordinator
Yves Desjardins	....	travel coordinator
Ida Durand	....	production coordinator
Eric Fitzgerald	....	title designer
Eric Fitzgerald	....	title montage
Josée Francis	....	assistant location manager
Jocelyne Gagné	....	key second asst accountant
John Gaskin	....	production auditor
The Godding Brothers	....	production assistant
Jean-Francois Hall	....	production assistant
Marjorie Hamel	....	assistant script supervisor
Marjorie Hamel	....	script supervisor: second unit
Brandon Hollyer	....	assistant post-production accountant
Tom Huckabee	....	executive consultant
Eva Jensen	....	studio teacher
Charles Jodoin-Keaton	....	assistant: Larry Brezner
Don Jordan	....	dance coach
Jean-Patrick Joseph	....	special equipment supplier
Elza Kephart	....	locations department assistant
Nutan Khanna	....	assistant: David Blocker
Liam Kiernan	....	assistant location manager
Silvy Kim	....	second assistant accountant
Erin Lander	....	adr loop group
Bernard Landry	....	animal handler
Steve Leblanc	....	truck production assistant
Cara Leibovitz	....	unit publicist
Michel Léonard	....	assistant location manager
Benoît Mathieu	....	location manager
Julie Mongeau	....	assistant: Mark Frost
Melanie Morin	....	extras payroll
Helene Muller	....	production coordinator (as Hélène Muller)
Helene Muller	....	production coordinator
Samantha Porteous	....	assistant: Bill Paxton
France Raymond	....	stand-in: Marnie Mc Phail
Mick Reinman	....	title artist: main titles
Deborah Ricketts	....	footage researcher: film and stills
Christine Ryan	....	assistant to director
Michèle St-Arnaud	....	key location manager
Tyler Brody Stein	....	photo double: Eddy Lowery
David Darrell Storey	....	pilot
Sophie Tessier	....	production assistant
Mike Townshend	....	additional title animator: titles
Mike Townshend	....	title designer: main titles
Kimi Webber	....	script supervisor
Rick Clifford	....	technical consultant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Fairway Films
• Walt Disney Pictures

Distributors

• Buena Vista Pictures (2005) (USA) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Buena Vista International (2006) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2006) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2006) (Switzerland) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Buena Vista International (2006) (Argentina) (all media)
• Disney Channel (2010) (Japan) (TV) (bilingual)
• Gativideo (2006) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Gativideo (2006) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (2007) (Japan) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Intrigue
• Invisible Pictures (additional visual effects)
• Mr. X (visual effects)

Other Companies

• Absolute Rentals  post-production rentals
• American Stock Photo  historical photographs courtesy of (as American Stock Photography)
• Annamode 68  costumes provided by (as Annamode 68 - Costumes - Rome)
• Artbeats Digital Film Library  historical footage courtesy of
• Buena Vista Negative Cutting  negative cutting
• Buena Vista Sound  sound re-recording
• Canada Film Capital  tax incentive consulting services
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  cranes
• Classic Images  historical footage courtesy of
• Corbis  historical photographs courtesy of
• Cosprop  costumes provided by
• FMR Costumes  costumes provided by
• Farrell's Costumes Ltd.  costumes provided by
• Flying Cam  close range aerial photography (as Flying-Cam)
• Getty Images  historical footage courtesy of
• Getty Images  historical photographs courtesy of
• Hollywood Records  soundtrack
• Hollywood Title  main title design
• Library of Congress  historical photographs courtesy of
• LoopEase  loop group
• O'Henry Sound Studios  production music recorded at
• Right Track Recording  production music recorded at (as Right Track Studios)
• Signet Sound Studio  score mixed at (as Signet Sound Studios)
• Soundelux  sound editing
• Technicolor Creative Services  high-definition dailies (as Technicolor Creative Services Montreal)
• Technicolor Digital Intermediates  digital intermediate
• Technicolor Digital Intermediates  opticals
• Technicolor  prints
• Tirelli Costumi  costumes provided by (as Tirelli Costumi Roma)
• Todd-AO Scoring Stage  score recorded at (as Todd Scoring Stage)
• Todd-AO Studios  foley recorded at
• UCLA Film and Television Archive  historical footage courtesy of
• Visual Motion  camera trucks and trailers provided by
• Walt Disney Music Library, The  music preparation

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated PG for some brief mild language

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Australia:G | Singapore:PG | UK:PG | Argentina:Atp | USA:PG (certificate #41843) | Germany:o.Al. | Denmark:7 | Netherlands:AL | Canada:G (all jurisdictions)

Filming Locations:

Kahnawake, Québec, Canada

Company:

Fairway Films

Trivia:

Filmed at the Kanawaki Golf Club outside Montreal, Quebec, producers had the club house painted yellow for the film from it's original white. Members so liked the change that they kept the color following filming.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The playoff wasn't close in score. Ouimet shot 72, Vardon 77 and Ray 78. But that doesn't make as good of a story as making a putt on the 18th hole to win, does it!

Quotes:

Francis Ouimet:All I want is a chance.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Jay Leno Show: Episode #1.84" (2010)

Soundtrack:

Roses From The South

Impressed

I was extraordinarily impressed by this film. It's one of the best sports films I've every seen. The visuals in this film are outstanding. I love the sequences in which the camera tracks the ball as it flies through the air or into the cup. The film moves well, offering both excitement and drama. The cinematography was fantastic.

The acting performances are great. I was surprised by young Shia LaBeouf.He does well in this role. Stephen Dillane is also good as the brooding Harry Vardon. Peter Firth, Justin Ashforth, and Elias Koteas offer able support. The film is gripping and entertaining and for the first time in my life actually made me want to watch a golf tournament.