Written
October 16, 2008
The Express
The Express tells the story of Ernie Davis, the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy as the best football player in college each year. It starts when he was growing up in a coal town in Pennsylvania, then moved with his mother to Elmira, NY, and finally his years at Syracuse University. He led the Orangemen to their only national championship in his sophomore year - 1959, then two years later his talent was rewarded with the prestigious trophy.
But throughout the movie, the story deals with racism in the late 1950s and the 1960s, its impact on Ernie, and how he was able to deal with it, both as a youngster and later as a star football player. The racism occurs both in the North and the South.
The movie also deals with Ernie's relationship with his coach, Ben Schwarzwalder, a southerner himself, and a hard-nosed World War II veteran.
I'd recommend this movie to any sports fan, but also to families with teenage kids.
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6
out of
8
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