The film Foxcatcher comes out later this month, and could possibly place the sport of Olympic wrestling into the spotlight of American pop culture in ways previously unimagined.
Fellow wrestling writer Mark Palmer of Examiner.com has provided extensive coverage on the entire production of Foxcatcher, throughout its prolonged production
The movie, which tells the story of Olympic wrestling gold medalist brothers Mark and Dave Schultz and their interaction with John du Pont at the multimillionaire’s Foxcatcher wrestling training facility outside Philadelphia, has been in the works for approximately six years.
The film stars Channing Tatum as Mark Schultz, Mark Ruffalo as Dave Schultz and Steve Carell as John du Pont. Earlier this year, Foxcatcher debuted at the Cannes Film Festival, where the film’s director, Bennett Miller, took home best director honors.
Foxcatcher doesn’t just tell the tale of great wrestlers, it examines one of the most horrifying tragedies in the history of the sport. In the lead up to the 1996 Olympics, du Pont shot Dave Schultz to death on the Foxcatcher property. Schultz was, and is, a beloved icon of American wrestling, and those inside the close-knit wrestling family worry if the film does justice to the memory of one of the sport’s great heroes.
Mark Palmer, writing for Examiner.com, allays some of those concerns.
Another concern from the wrestling community may well be how the Schultz family is portrayed in “Foxcatcher”. Again, early indications are encouraging. For starters, the screenplay is based on Mark Schultz’s autobiography (which will be published to coincide with the movie’s opening). Both Mark and Dave’s widow Nancy came to observe filming.
Best of all, we have a new chill inducing trailer from the film, which appears below:
Bloody Elbow will continue to provide commentary of Foxcatcher as it inevitably grows into a national phenomenon.