Running (film)
| Running | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Steven Hilliard Stern |
| Produced by | Ronald I. Cohen Bob Cooper |
| Written by | Steven Hilliard Stern |
| Starring |
Michael Douglas Susan Anspach |
| Music by | André Gagnon |
| Cinematography | Laszlo George |
| Edited by | Kurt Hirschler |
| Distributed by | Universal Studios |
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Release date
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Running time
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102 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $4 million |
| Box office | $2.8 million |
Running is a 1979 drama/sports film directed by Steven Hilliard Stern. It is about the fictional American marathon runner and Olympics hopeful Michael Andropolis and his struggle to compete in the Olympic Games. It stars Michael Douglas and Susan Anspach.
Michael Andropolis (Douglas) is a US hopeful for the 1976 Olympic Games as a marathon runner. However, his life is fraught with trouble. His marriage, which produced two children, has fallen apart and ended in divorce. He struggles with unemployment and at one point in the movie is seen snapping due to frustration with the unemployment office bureaucracy. Additionally, his coach is reluctant to endorse him for the games. Andropolis always starts races strong, but because of his over-competitive strive, he pulls ahead of the pack too soon, sapping strength he'll need for the final minutes of the race. So he tends to not come in first, having used his stamina too early. His coach feels he is a quitter.
However, he providentially makes it through to the Montreal Olympics by finishing fourth in the qualifiers, but getting the ticket due to an injury in one of the top three finishers. Andropolis surprises everyone, by pacing himself early in the race, only pulling ahead halfway through the race. Well on his way to the finish line ahead of the main pack, Andropolis slips on wet leaves rounding a turn. The fall leaves him with shoulder and leg injuries as other runners pass him by.
As paramedics tend to him where he fell, as darkness falls, Andropolis is overcome by the need to "finish" the task of the race. He gets up, limping by and winding his way through traffic on roads that have been re-opened, as the marathon rules mark, and since the presumed final competitor had crossed the finish line hours earlier. Exhausted by the grueling ordeal of finishing the race with numerous injuries, Andropolis is greeted with cheers and support from the entire olympic stadium. He is met at the finish line by his ex-wife (Anspach), as his coach witnesses with a proud smile, and his daughters watch him on TV.
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Wikipedia