Is Walsh on the Sky bandwagon?

[thehog]

Walsh gushing with more self importance:

“Without seeming arrogant, it feels really good. The Tour de France could be starting in Ireland in 2028. And that week, someone in RTE could say, ‘Let’s show that film about Lance Armstrong and David Walsh, Chris O’Dowd etc.’ And it will be there and be relevant.

An article or a book, they don’t get forgotten but they get consigned to history. A film isn’t so easily done. It gets dragged up and has a shelf life that’s much longer and much more significant. And won’t be so easily forgotten.”

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/music/news/irish-journalist-david-walsh-on-taking-down-lance-armstrong-i-dont-feel-any-guilt-i-really-dont-31615242.html

 

[The Hitch]

it does inadvertently give Messrs Liggett and Sherwin more lines in the entire film than all of the other journalists put together, including Walsh (whose role is in fact very under played).

Its pretty clear that the credit is all Walsh's. I was at the Irish premiere on wednesday and he was in attendance. He apologised before the movie if it seemed that it was him getting all the credit.

I'd suggest going to see it. As a cycling fan I found it particularly 'interesting'.

Cycling fans are going to be very familiar with the details of the story, hence will be the absolute worst audience for it as poking holes in it, pointing out its inaccuracies, etc, is like shooting fish in a barrel.

Some of the cycling scenes are just woeful. In particular the one where Lance chases down Simeoni. They got this scene so wrong that its a wonder someone didn't stop them putting it in. Your average joe bloggs who was never au fait with the ins and outs of this, may not question it. Not so, the rest of it.

Cycling fans know a lot of background about Lance, his life, childhood, etc. There is nothing about this whatsoever.

There is no mention of LeMond, Casartelli, Danielson, Vaughters, Hincapie (though the guy they got to play big Georgie is a ringer for the guy - all he got to do was watch Landis drink 15 cups of coffee), or a lot of others who had major parts to play in Lance's 'sporting' life. There is nothing about the inner circle that is described both in the USADA report, or by both Landis and Hamilton.

To be fair, a lot of the detail in the movie is good. The bikes, team kit, etc - the casting and set people did an ok job. Well done to them.

But, prepare to watch large parts of this movie through your fingers. It is really cringeable in parts. REALLY cringeable.

Oh, and wait to see the guy they got to play Contador. They were doing so well up to that point. They managed to cast most characters pretty well. They must have been losing the will to live when it came to Contador. Terrible.

Disagree that cycling fans should go see the movie.

All the movie is is an attempt by good old hollywood to cash in ASAP on a story that is relevant, before people forget about it.

No sooner did Lance fall, than these guys were on the phone organizing rights for the story etc so they could get it out ASAP (originally was supposed to come out 2 years ago, just took a long time to get to this stage).

 

[thehog]

it does inadvertently give Messrs Liggett and Sherwin more lines in the entire film than all of the other journalists put together, including Walsh (whose role is in fact very under played).

Its pretty clear that the credit is all Walsh's. I was at the Irish premiere on wednesday and he was in attendance. He apologised before the movie if it seemed that it was him getting all the credit.

I'd suggest going to see it. As a cycling fan I found it particularly 'interesting'.

Cycling fans are going to be very familiar with the details of the story, hence will be the absolute worst audience for it as poking holes in it, pointing out its inaccuracies, etc, is like shooting fish in a barrel.

Some of the cycling scenes are just woeful. In particular the one where Lance chases down Simeoni. They got this scene so wrong that its a wonder someone didn't stop them putting it in. Your average joe bloggs who was never au fait with the ins and outs of this, may not question it. Not so, the rest of it.

Cycling fans know a lot of background about Lance, his life, childhood, etc. There is nothing about this whatsoever.

There is no mention of LeMond, Casartelli, Danielson, Vaughters, Hincapie (though the guy they got to play big Georgie is a ringer for the guy - all he got to do was watch Landis drink 15 cups of coffee), or a lot of others who had major parts to play in Lance's 'sporting' life. There is nothing about the inner circle that is described both in the USADA report, or by both Landis and Hamilton.

To be fair, a lot of the detail in the movie is good. The bikes, team kit, etc - the casting and set people did an ok job. Well done to them.

But, prepare to watch large parts of this movie through your fingers. It is really cringeable in parts. REALLY cringeable.

Oh, and wait to see the guy they got to play Contador. They were doing so well up to that point. They managed to cast most characters pretty well. They must have been losing the will to live when it came to Contador. Terrible.

Disagree that cycling fans should go see the movie.

All the movie is is an attempt by good old hollywood to cash in ASAP on a story that is relevant, before people forget about it.

No sooner did Lance fall, than these guys were on the phone organizing rights for the story etc so they could get it out ASAP (originally was supposed to come out 2 years ago, just took a long time to get to this stage).

The film was going to be the Hamilton book, which I think might have been a better story. Somehow Walsh got himself on the scene and it all went downhill from there...

 

[wendybnt]

Armstrong is the gift that keeps on giving. A lot of people made a lot of money along the way out of Armstrong's behaviour.

Most of them have gotten to keep it.

 

[Fearless Greg Lemond]

Re:

Armstrong is the gift that keeps on giving. A lot of people made a lot of money along the way out of Armstrong's behaviour.

Most of them have gotten to keep it.

Armstrong is Walshes golden goose.

 

[thehog]

Good article here on how bad the Walsh movie is:

While watching The Program last week, it was hard not to wonder about the nature of deception and the lies we tell ourselves. The film is a workaday retelling of the compelling pursuit of Lance Armstrong by David Walsh and others, although as it's a movie, there are no others.

There is a truth to this. What David Walsh did was lonely and fearless but it is not the truth, which is unfortunate in a film supposedly about the pursuit of it.

There were others, not many, but there were a few. Paul Kimmage, of course, whose confrontation with Armstrong during the Tour of California in 2009 was a cinematic moment waiting to be filmed, and Pierre Ballester, who wrote L.A. Confidentiel with Walsh. Ballester's lawyer has described the movie as "historical revisionism".

This is the limitation of the biopic, the need, as Quentin Tarantino has said, to squeeze the entirety of one life into a single film. Instead of revealing something profound, it becomes a comic book story, an exercise in housekeeping as it covers the big events, conflates some others, and removes a few entirely in the desire to simplify, sometimes to the point of meaninglessness.

http://m.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/cycling/escape-is-the-only-thing-that-matters-in-a-world-of-illusion-34118400.html

 

[Benotti69]

Good article here on how bad the Walsh movie is:

While watching The Program last week, it was hard not to wonder about the nature of deception and the lies we tell ourselves. The film is a workaday retelling of the compelling pursuit of Lance Armstrong by David Walsh and others, although as it's a movie, there are no others.

There is a truth to this. What David Walsh did was lonely and fearless but it is not the truth, which is unfortunate in a film supposedly about the pursuit of it.

There were others, not many, but there were a few. Paul Kimmage, of course, whose confrontation with Armstrong during the Tour of California in 2009 was a cinematic moment waiting to be filmed, and Pierre Ballester, who wrote L.A. Confidentiel with Walsh. Ballester's lawyer has described the movie as "historical revisionism".

This is the limitation of the biopic, the need, as Quentin Tarantino has said, to squeeze the entirety of one life into a single film. Instead of revealing something profound, it becomes a comic book story, an exercise in housekeeping as it covers the big events, conflates some others, and removes a few entirely in the desire to simplify, sometimes to the point of meaninglessness.

http://m.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/cycling/escape-is-the-only-thing-that-matters-in-a-world-of-illusion-34118400.html

What Walsh thinks;

David Walsh ‏@DavidWalshST Oct 13
@MarkElders62 Mark, I've seen it a number of times. Working Title have done a really good job and remained true to the story. Worth seeing.

 

[gooner]

TBF the film is poor. I went in Friday to see it.

It blitzed through the story and if you're not a cycling fan, you would be wondering what's up with some of the sections.

His whole meeting up with his wife and getting hitched was all done in around a minute. Nothing on his background growing up. The soundtracks and music were terrible.

The part of Contador and when he was introduced to Lance was funny alright. Like was said up thread some of it was cringe worthy.

It's too big of a story to get it in an hour and 40 mins. It would have been much better to do this over a few weeks on a small episode series where it would go straight to TV.

Only one cinema out of 7 had it in my area. I heard around elsewhere that some cinema's didn't even carry it.

Civil question here, did Walsh interview Bassons back in '99 which resulted in Armstrong going up to him on the road? IIRC, I thought it was more his writings in the French press which did that.

 

[Digger]

TBF the film is poor. I went in Friday to see it.

It blitzed through the story and if you're not a cycling fan, you would be wondering what's up with some of the sections.

His whole meeting up with his wife and getting hitched was all done in around a minute. Nothing on his background growing up. The soundtracks and music were terrible.

The part of Contador and when he was introduced to Lance was funny alright. Like was said up thread some of it was cringe worthy.

It's too big of a story to get it in an hour and 40 mins. It would have been much better to do this over a few weeks on a small episode series where it would go straight to TV.

Only one cinema out of 7 had it in my area. I heard around elsewhere that some cinema's didn't even carry it.

Civil question here, did Walsh interview Bassons back in '99 which resulted in Armstrong going up to him on the road? IIRC, I thought it was more his writings in the French press which did that.

Bassons to the French press - he talked of the two speeds

Walsh is curious on this - one minute he says he knew from sestriere because of the speeds - fair enough...then he says it was the cortisone...then he says it was the bassons incident. He clearly states in his last book that he argued with pelkey about speeds in '99 and how lance was going faster than known epo rides. And this is important to me because it changes according to the question asked on sky. He knows he can't use the speeds argument anymore, so now it's bassons or the cortisone. Totally ignoring his own thoughts on sestriere and hiw own conversations with pelkey.

 

[Benotti69]

Walsh also talked (prior to 2013) about being in the pressroom when Armstrong took off on Sestriere in '99 and all the 'journalists' laughed about how ridiculous it was, but then tells how their editors insisted on a positive 'come back from cancer' story!

Listen to Walsh's 2007 interviews on competitor radio

http://competitorradio.competitor.com/?s=walsh

 

[gooner]

TBF the film is poor. I went in Friday to see it.

It blitzed through the story and if you're not a cycling fan, you would be wondering what's up with some of the sections.

His whole meeting up with his wife and getting hitched was all done in around a minute. Nothing on his background growing up. The soundtracks and music were terrible.

The part of Contador and when he was introduced to Lance was funny alright. Like was said up thread some of it was cringe worthy.

It's too big of a story to get it in an hour and 40 mins. It would have been much better to do this over a few weeks on a small episode series where it would go straight to TV.

Only one cinema out of 7 had it in my area. I heard around elsewhere that some cinema's didn't even carry it.

Civil question here, did Walsh interview Bassons back in '99 which resulted in Armstrong going up to him on the road? IIRC, I thought it was more his writings in the French press which did that.

Bassons to the French press - he talked of the two speeds.

Walsh is curious on this - one minute he says he knew from sestriere because of the speeds - fair enough...then he says it was the cortisone...then he says it was the bassons incident. He clearly states in his last book that he argued with pelkey about speeds in '99 and how lance was going faster than known epo rides. And this is important to me because it changes according to the question asked on sky. He knows he can't use the speeds argument anymore, so now it's bassons or the cortisone. Totally ignoring his own thoughts on sestriere and hiw own conversations with pelkey.

OK, thanks for clearing up. There was a scene where Walsh was interviewing Bassons.

Thought that watching it.

The Sestriere scene in the press room is there as well before the one with Bassons.

 

[Benotti69]

Director of The Program thinks David Walsh was a cyclist!!!!

StephenFrears
14 October 2015 2:00pm
The cycling world were always very supportive. The Tour let us use their archive, I never had any trouble with the cycling world. We had a good introduction because David Walsh and David Miller were both cyclists, and were both with us. Cyclists all find it quite funny now, but they say it was a very bad time back then - they laugh about it a lot now.

http://www.theguardian.com/film/live/2015/oct/12/stephen-frears-webchat-the-program

Millar cashing in on his doping again. Guy is a total sleaze.

 

[HelmutRoole]

Re:

Director of The Program thinks David Walsh was a cyclist!!!!

StephenFrears
14 October 2015 2:00pm
The cycling world were always very supportive. The Tour let us use their archive, I never had any trouble with the cycling world. We had a good introduction because David Walsh and David Miller were both cyclists, and were both with us. Cyclists all find it quite funny now, but they say it was a very bad time back then - they laugh about it a lot now.

http://www.theguardian.com/film/live/2015/oct/12/stephen-frears-webchat-the-program

Millar cashing in on his doping again. Guy is a total sleaze.

"...They laugh about it now."

Because they know nothing has really changed.

 

[LaFlorecita]

The part of Contador and when he was introduced to Lance was funny alright. Like was said up thread some of it was cringe worthy.

I've read this so many times, I doubt he was a big part of the movie so it's quite funny they managed to screw up so badly that it bothered many people

 

[thehog]

TBF the film is poor. I went in Friday to see it.

It blitzed through the story and if you're not a cycling fan, you would be wondering what's up with some of the sections.

His whole meeting up with his wife and getting hitched was all done in around a minute. Nothing on his background growing up. The soundtracks and music were terrible.

The part of Contador and when he was introduced to Lance was funny alright. Like was said up thread some of it was cringe worthy.

Only one cinema out of 7 had it in my area. I heard around elsewhere that some cinema's didn't even carry it.

Civil question here, did Walsh interview Bassons back in '99 which resulted in Armstrong going up to him on the road? IIRC, I thought it was more his writings in the French press which did that.

This is how Walsh has spoilt the story in his favour.

Bassons during the 1999 Tour wrote a daily column 'le parisien' newspaper. He stated the peloton was largely clean in 1999 until Sestriere when he thought there was two speeds of cycling. It was mostly his French team mates who told him to stop writing. Bassons attacked early on one stage and the peloton chased him down and he went to the very back of the pack. That's when Armstrong gave him he speech.

There really wasn't much in it but it got turned into bullying years later. At the time it was the French who were telling him to shut it up. The premise at the time was Armstrong had to show he was the patron by dealing with Bassons rather than an elder French rider. Bassons has since confirmed all of this.

The actual 'two speeds' quote, 'cyclisme a deux vitesses' came from Madiot.

 

[fmk_RoI]

The actual 'two speeds' quote, 'cyclisme a deux vitesses' came from Madiot.

You have a source for this claim? Everyone else - Bassons included - acknowledges that "cyclisme à deux vitesses" was coined by Jean-Cyril Robin, in an interview with a regional paper after Rabobank had ripped the peloton to pieces in Paris-Nice at the start of 1999.

 

[doperhopper]

The actual 'two speeds' quote, 'cyclisme a deux vitesses' came from Madiot.

You have a source for this claim? Everyone else - Bassons included - acknowledges that "cyclisme à deux vitesses" was coined by Jean-Cyril Robin, in an interview with a regional paper after Rabobank had ripped the peloton to pieces in Paris-Nice at the start of 1999.

Btw, how many speeds are in the peloton today? We need a fresh new-clean-era-defining quote.

 

[Dear Wiggo]

The actual 'two speeds' quote, 'cyclisme a deux vitesses' came from Madiot.

You have a source for this claim? Everyone else - Bassons included - acknowledges that "cyclisme à deux vitesses" was coined by Jean-Cyril Robin, in an interview with a regional paper after Rabobank had ripped the peloton to pieces in Paris-Nice at the start of 1999.

Btw, how many speeds are in the peloton today? We need a fresh new-clean-era-defining quote.

Only one. 10% slower than the EPO era.

Apparently.

 

[the sceptic]

The actual 'two speeds' quote, 'cyclisme a deux vitesses' came from Madiot.

You have a source for this claim? Everyone else - Bassons included - acknowledges that "cyclisme à deux vitesses" was coined by Jean-Cyril Robin, in an interview with a regional paper after Rabobank had ripped the peloton to pieces in Paris-Nice at the start of 1999.

Btw, how many speeds are in the peloton today? We need a fresh new-clean-era-defining quote.

Walsh' brain works at the same speed as Froome trying to hang on to the gruppetto in 2010.

 

[thehog]

The actual 'two speeds' quote, 'cyclisme a deux vitesses' came from Madiot.

You have a source for this claim? Everyone else - Bassons included - acknowledges that "cyclisme à deux vitesses" was coined by Jean-Cyril Robin, in an interview with a regional paper after Rabobank had ripped the peloton to pieces in Paris-Nice at the start of 1999.

I'll stand corrected. You are right. Madiot was quoting. Thanks.

 

[Cake]

Saw the film yesterday. It was a bit cringy in parts: the bit when the Ferrari character explains haematocrit & vo2max is straight from the "Basil Exposition" book of explaining. But what do you expect, not everyone who goes to see it will be a cycling fan or know as much of the history as those on these boards do.

I enjoyed as a piece of entertainment. The lack of detail was irritating at times (it isn't explained who Bassons is when he meets Walsh). Some of the dialogue is stagey. It skates over things. Normally I feel films are too long these days but this was a rare exception of a film that could have been 30 mins longer so as not to rush things (e.g. Armstrong's marriage, Voet's arrest in '98).

But as a piece of "factertainment" it's fine. As for the poster who said it has a poor soundtrack, it's got The Fall & Black Rebel Motorcylce Club, what more do you want?!

 

[thehog]

Walsh has truly lost it now

David Walsh, the Sunday Times award-winning journalist who sold the rights to his book 'Seven Deadly Sins: My Pursuit of Lance Armstrong' for the movie, says there's absolutely no way the cheating champion won't watch it.
"He will see it," Walsh tells JOE exclusively. "He's always been fixated on everything that comes out about him. If you write anything, you know, quicker than you can say 'Jack Flash', he'll have read it and good chance he'll react to it.
"And I’d love to be there when he does [watch]. I’d love to be a fly that had the ability to speak because when Lance complained about something I’d chirp up, ‘YEAH BUT IT'S ALL TRUE!"

http://www.joe.co.uk/entertainment/lance-armstrong-will-watch-the-new-movie-about-him-without-a-doubt-say-the-creators-of-the-program/20657

 

[the sceptic]

Walsh has truly lost it now

David Walsh, the Sunday Times award-winning journalist who sold the rights to his book 'Seven Deadly Sins: My Pursuit of Lance Armstrong' for the movie, says there's absolutely no way the cheating champion won't watch it.
"He will see it," Walsh tells JOE exclusively. "He's always been fixated on everything that comes out about him. If you write anything, you know, quicker than you can say 'Jack Flash', he'll have read it and good chance he'll react to it.
"And I’d love to be there when he does [watch]. I’d love to be a fly that had the ability to speak because when Lance complained about something I’d chirp up, ‘YEAH BUT IT'S ALL TRUE!"

http://www.joe.co.uk/entertainment/lance-armstrong-will-watch-the-new-movie-about-him-without-a-doubt-say-the-creators-of-the-program/20657

I guess Walsh is too demented to realize Lance could say the exact same thing about him

 

[red_flanders]

Walsh has truly lost it now

David Walsh, the Sunday Times award-winning journalist who sold the rights to his book 'Seven Deadly Sins: My Pursuit of Lance Armstrong' for the movie, says there's absolutely no way the cheating champion won't watch it.
"He will see it," Walsh tells JOE exclusively. "He's always been fixated on everything that comes out about him. If you write anything, you know, quicker than you can say 'Jack Flash', he'll have read it and good chance he'll react to it.
"And I’d love to be there when he does [watch]. I’d love to be a fly that had the ability to speak because when Lance complained about something I’d chirp up, ‘YEAH BUT IT'S ALL TRUE!"

http://www.joe.co.uk/entertainment/lance-armstrong-will-watch-the-new-movie-about-him-without-a-doubt-say-the-creators-of-the-program/20657

Not sure what rings untrue about any of that. Seems spot on. No one cares, but seems spot on.

 

[fmk_RoI]

People who read everything to do with David Walsh
complaining that David Walsh reads everying to do with David Walsh
and so can't point out that Lance Armstrong reads everything to do with Lance Armstrong
... it's all a bit ... well ... batsh*tcrazy?