PERSONAL BEST

US, 1982, 122 minutes, Colour.
Patrice Donnelly, Mariel Hemingway, Scott Glenn,
Directed by Robert Towne.

Personal Best is a strong film with a sports focus. It was made in preparation for America’s participation in the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. However, given the atmosphere of the cold war and Russian intervention in Afghanistan, the American team did not participate in the games. (Moscow did not participate in the Los Angeles games in 1984.)

The film was researched by writer-director Robert Towne, moving among athletes and learning their styles and ethos. Towne has directed very few films, Personal Best being his first. He directed Tequila Sunrise and then returned to sports with Without Limits in 1998, the story of Prefontaine who was portrayed by Billy Cruddup.

Robert Towne has written a great number of screenplays since 1960. His most celebrated is Chinatown, directed by Roman Polanski. This atmosphere of Chinatown and Los Angeles in the 1930s was captured in Towne’s 2006 film, Ask the Dust.

The film focuses on a young athlete with talent portrayed by Mariel Hemingway. She is somewhat diffident and is in admiration of a superior athlete, played by actual athlete, Patrice Donnelly. As she is influenced by the athlete, she becomes emotionally involved with her in a lesbian relationship. This is complicated by her relationship with her boyfriend as well as the influence of the strong-minded coach, played by Scott Glenn. Towne’s screenplay interweaves these themes of competitiveness, diffidence, comparisons, emotional relationships, sexuality to provide a complex drama with the sports setting.

1. The title and its reference to sport and achievement? The focus on sport? The focus on personal relationships and the application of the title to this?

2. The effectiveness of the film as sports drama? Personal relationship drama? Its contemporary tone and exploration of sexual relationships? A film of insight? A woman's world? A woman's world of sport, of relationships?

3. The atmosphere of the '70s? The background Of American sport and competitiveness and training? The trials in Oregon, training, California? The competition in Latin America? The build-up to the Moscow Olympics? The irony of the lack of American participation in the Olympics? Was this intended as some kind of symbol for the plot and the characters and relationships?

4. Audience response to the focus on sport, the events? The skill in filming the various events and their competitiveness, strain, success? The world of athletes? The use of authentic athletes in their roles? Training, the effect, participation in the events? The Olympic hopes? The background of the Pentathlon and its variety of skills required? Running, jumping? The techniques and the filming of the final sprint?

5. The woman's world of sport, competitiveness? Sensibilities? The issues, especially lesbianism? The point of view of the writerdirector as a man? Sympathy, empathy, insight? The contribution of the actresses' performances? The impact for audience understanding? Compassion?

6. Audience response to sexual relationships? Homosexuality? The portrayal of lesbianism in a context rather than in theory? Theoretical responses, emotional responses? The portrayal of characters, the acceptance of the fact of lesbianism? Explanations and lack of explanation? The effect of sexual preferences and their repercussions for personal life, relationships, career? The demands of a sexual relationship? The parallels between heterosexuality and homosexuality? Response, needs, fidelity, breaks? The psychological background to sexual relationships? The response of the public ? affected by a film like this?

7. The film using two significant issues and blending them? Each throwing light on the other? The competitiveness and the love? The repercussions on each as individuals? on character, dependence, rivalry, winning, self?sacrifice?

8. Chris as focus: the initial hurdles and her failure, the demands of her father, the meal and the outing, people's reactions, her fainting? The encounter with Tor! and her sharing experiences? The focus on the arm-wrestling - as a symbol of what was to happen? The drinking leading to the sexual encounter? The effect on Chris? Reaction of her parents? Her going to training? Her skills or lack of skills? In her own eyes, in Tori’s eyes, in Terry's eyes? How much was made of her background with the Indian ancestry? The scholarship? An awkward girl? Her sense of failing? Her reaction to taking chances? Tori's helping her into the team? The training, improvement? Terry's impatience? The build-up to participation in the Pentathlon? The growing achievement? The parallel in the relationship with Tori? Friendship, love? The portrayal of the sexual intimacy? The demands and the awkwardness for Chris? Clashes with Terry and yet his fascination with her? The accident in the jumping ? whose fault? Images of not being angry, apologising? The chance encounter with Denis? The parallel with the encounter with Tori? The talk, the swimming? The weights and the techniques for training? The relationship? Chris' innocence and curiosity about masculine sexuality? The sexual encounter and the effect? Terry separating Chris and Tori? The ultimatums? Chris' sexual encounter with Terry? Her making decisions and not accepting Terry's advice? The pain of separation from Tori and ignoring her, suspicious of her? Her going to her at the time?

9. The portrait of Tori? The performance by Patrice Donnelly with her athletics background? Her success as an athlete? Helping Chris? Her attraction to her, the arm wrestling, talking and listening, the drinking, the physical encounter? The mutual dependence? The sympathetic portrayal of the lesbian? Her strength, persuading Terry to take Chris on? The growing relationship? The break? The jump and the accident? The hurt and separation? The bond at the end? Her winning the race? The portrait of a career woman, strong skills? The repercussions on her life and feelings? Love and passion? Hold and jealousy? The portrait of the erratic feelings in the lesbian context? Giving up Chris? Her determination and achievement?

10. Terry as the tough coach, his attitudes? His explanation of his coaching women? His reasons, motivation? His treatment of the women athletes? The picture of the strong man and comparisons with the strong women? Training Chris? Confronting her? Sexual advances? Anger with her in going to Tori? The confrontation and Chris' achievement, despite him?

11. The comparison between Denis and Chris? The athlete, the ordinary relationship, his reaction to the lesbianism? Love for Chris? How well portrayed as a character in comparison with the others?

12. The world of the women athletes and the highlighting of their skill? Their lifestyle and pressures, drinking, drugs? The importance of the talking sessions in the sauna? Women-talk? Vulgarity? Emphasis on sex? Their determination in training and winning?

13. How valuable a film illustrating American sense of sportsman and sportswomanship? A frank and intelligent exploration of sexual relationships and problems?