Time to spread some more love for the incomprehensably awesome Viva Knievel! (1977). As my gift to you, I present the theme song from the film. Not since Handel's Messiah has there been a piece of music that heralds the glory of the composition's subject with such triumphant jubilation.As if that weren't enough, there's the cast: Gene Kelley as a drunken deadbeat dad and the beautiful Lauren Hutton as the cocky, hard-to-get journalist. Plus we get Leslie Nielsen as a ruthless drug lord (!) and Cameron Mitchell as his goon. Check out the photo below: Nielsen, Knievel and Dabney Coleman. If that doesn't qualify as a "When Legends Gather" image, then I don't know what does!
Let's not forget Frank Gifford, whose only purpose in this film seems to be to wear orange and yellow polyester and remark over and over again how "deadly" and "dangerous" Knievel's stunts are going to be.
One of my favorite moments in the film comes when Tommy (a combination of Adam Rich and Damien Thorne) is invited to Knievel's van. My jaded 2009 mind couldn't help but find this amusing.
I've read several reviews of the film, and, not suprisingly, they're extremely critical. I guess I was just appreciative of real stunts, not CGI fake looking crap. When Knievel jumped his bike off a bridge onto a moving semi, I knew it was the real deal.Plus, I think it's considered pretty corny these days to portray movie heroes as flawless. In this film, Knievel is a daredevil, spiritual healer, sexual dynamo, role model, and total badass all rolled into one.... and that's not always such a bad thing.
[go to Viva Knievel! part one]
