remember the titans

[the burgundy and gold]

I'm a student at TC williams, the school from remember the titans. I was just wondering how many of you guys have seen the movie. Obviously it's very popular in my city but i'm not really sure how popular it is outside of Alexandria. If you have seen it what'd you think?

[skinfan133]

its popular all over the country. but to speek for my dad who went to Woodson during that season, the race issues portrayed in that film are very far from what they were, there was segregation but the mass hate he says was mostly a fabrication of the director who was neither there, nor an adult during that year or time. that said it is still a great inspirational football movie about friendship and the bonds formed between men who strive toward the same ends.

[roadkill]

there better not be anyone on this message board who hasn't seen it

[Sarge]

That was a great movie. Worthy of DVD purchase

[Mr. S]

I finally watched it last night. Yeh, I know, I only saw Rudy back in September 05. It was a pretty good movie, and considering the movie was marketed nationwide, Im sure it has its cult following like Rudy does.

Though, I dont know how good you guys were this past year, but I just think of when Centreville played them when I was in High School (2000/2001 or 2001/2002) not sure which year, but I felt bad to see the rout we put. I bet the movie would be more popular if the team was still a powerhouse up there.

[wskin44]

I just saw it last night too. I enjoyed the flick but I've read that a lot of the racial stuff was overdone fiction. I remember when TCW was created, I went to McLean at the time. I say that racial tensions weren't that bad, but I can't honestly say that I remember any blacks at our school, so what do I know? Does it bother anyone that they they used 24 & 25 year old actors to portray high school students? It didn't look like any high school team that I ever saw back then.

[Warhead36]

I've seen it so many times.

"Water is for cowards."

"He's just a light skinned brotha!" "Yeah and I'm a dark skinned cracka."

"Run it up Herman, show no doubt!!"

[Mass_SkinsFan]

I've seen the movie and I thoroughly enjoyed it. More from an inspirational end than a historical end, but that's neither here nor there.

Of course the first thing it made me think of was John Skubel, the former head football coach at my alma mata, Middletown High School in Connecticut. In 1986 the city combined the two (fiercely rival) high schools in town; the Middletown High School Tigers (Black & Orange) and the Woodrow Wilson High School Wildcats (Maroon & Grey). There was NO love between these two schools. Thanksgiving day rivals, in the same conference, etc... You get the picture. They kept the Middletown name as it's the oldest continuously operating public high school in Connecticut. The students and faculty committee came up with a new mascot and color scheme... the Blue Dragons (Navy Blue, Columbia Blue & White). The Athletics Director hired John to be the new head coach as he'd had been an assistant coach at both schools over the years.

Coach Skubel walks into the locker room the first day of spring practice and sees he's got two separated groups of players in the locker room. All the old WWHS players sitting on one side and all the old MHS players on the other side. He asks how many WWHS Wildcats he has (one whole side of the locker room raises their hands). He asks how many MHS Tigers he has (the other whole side of the locker room raises their hands). In this booming voice he responds... "BULL****!!!!! I've got Middletown High BLUE DRAGONS here and anyone who doesn't like that can leave right the **** now!!!!" Well, about 8 or 9 players get up and leave. Skubel never allowed the rivalries or emotions of the players to get involved in the team. The combined team ends up going 10-0 and winning a Class M State Championship the following year.

[PokerPacker]

good movie, i enjoyed it.

but we're still enemies!

:slap:

FHS!

[MisterPinstripe]

One of my favorite movies. Was a really good story though as others have said it was a little over done. Watch it whenever it comes up on TV.

[redskins4life234]

Ive seen it tons of times, ZGood movie!

"We are the titains, the mighty mighty titains! people want to know, who we are! so we tell them!"

[Barney B]

Ive seen it tons of times, ZGood movie!

"We are the titains, the mighty mighty titains! people want to know, who we are! so we tell them!"

:laugh:

I was trapped in a tiny truck stop town in central California for a few days, waiting for a part to arrive so I could get my car back on the road. The truck stop had a small "movie theatre", maybe 15 seats, and I had nothing to do but wait. I must have seen "Titans" 5-6 times. Enjoyed it greatly.

Not a great movie, but a good movie. Denzell, as usual, was excellent.

[PCS]

Good movie. Seen it once and will do so again. Remember watching it with Utah, ( we clicked in a little into the movie), and it dawned on us pretty quick that it was about T.C. Williams, ( I graduated from Woodson in 80 and he from Fairfax in 88). We were both like whoa. I remember when they came to Woodson in I think it was 77 to play our varsity. They were huge. And very good. Don't recall any racial slurs being said their way either, ( that's something I would remember I think). I'll have to watch it again sometime.

[the burgundy and gold]

Though, I dont know how good you guys were this past year, but I just think of when Centreville played them when I was in High School (2000/2001 or 2001/2002) not sure which year, but I felt bad to see the rout we put. I bet the movie would be more popular if the team was still a powerhouse up there.

haha we're pretty bad something like 4-6 but we just got a new coach who has re-energized the players, so the program is looking up. but we do produce a fair amount of college players

[CoachingWinsChampionships]

:laugh:

I was trapped in a tiny truck stop town in central California for a few days, waiting for a part to arrive so I could get my car back on the road. The truck stop had a small "movie theatre", maybe 15 seats, and I had nothing to do but wait. I must have seen "Titans" 5-6 times. Enjoyed it greatly.

Not a great movie, but a good movie. Denzell, as usual, was excellent.

Great movie. I thought that Denzel and Patton were excellent, but, then again when are they not good?

"The boy can throw the ball a mile, but he can't pitch it three feet."

"Sunshine's from CALIFORNIA. Yea, a California dreamboat. No, Sunshine's a CALIFORNIAN."

"I figure that while I have to be in high school I might as well hit somebody"

[Pete]

I watched it friday night. Seen it 8 to 10 times by now. Outstanding movie.

[halter91]

I've seen it a number of times as well. One of my favorites, great story line, great soundtrack, great acting. Just a great movie.

You're Killing me Petey!!!!

[brewdogmike]

I went to Herndon High School, and it seemed every year that whichever team won our conference would wind up getting crushed by TC in the first round of states.

[Thanos]

I own the film.Funny thing.A few years ago a friend from the UK visited and wanted to go to TC and take pictures.I hated to tell her that the movie was filmed in Georgia.

What I did not care for was that Alexandria was depicted as a small hick town.

It was really a large hick town.:cool:

[G-Prime]

Saw it this past weekend. One of my top 10 flicks

[bandleader]

REMEMBER THE TITANS is an inspirational movie, combining sports, racial themes, and tragedy for a triple wallop. Unfortunately I can never fully enjoy it because I know how historically inaccurate it is.

I was born and raised in Alexandria, and entered TC Williams HS in September 1965, the day it opened. Its opening coincided with the integration of Alexandria public schools, as the all-black Parker-Gray HS (not mentioned in the movie) was phased out of service. This happened 6 years before the movie.

What actually went down in 1971 was that Alexandria's 3 4-year high schools were reorganized, Hammond and George Washington getting 9th & 10th grades only, while TC got ALL of the city's juniors & seniors - a huge windfall for the varsity football program! A whole lot of other schools complained bitterly about TC's unfair competitive advantage! At the time, everybody I knew attributed the state title to this and this alone. (Now GW had been mostly black, Hammond had been mostly white, and the old TC had been mixed, so even though I wasn't still there I can imagine racial tensions between players who were in such hot competition.)

The biggest problem I have is with Hollywood's depiction of Alexandria. Washington DC's largest suburb, hometown of Washington & Lee, cosmopolitan, urbane Alexandria was unrecognizable. They should have just brought Blacks to the Mayberry set!

Alexandria has had real race problems (I couldn't go down Reed Avenue for fear of my life for a few years - JUST because I was white), but never, in my life, the kind of MISSISSIPPI BURNING, Klan-robed racism that Hollywood imputes. Revisionist History needs to keep its story simple, and to repeat it ad infinitum. That's sometimes known as propaganda.

As an aside, football actually was at the heart of the DC area's racial healing after the MLK riots, when the Over-The-Hill Gang began to win in 1971 (the same year TC won the Virginia state title).

[.Guy.]

I just saw it last night too. I enjoyed the flick but I've read that a lot of the racial stuff was overdone fiction. I remember when TCW was created, I went to McLean at the time. I say that racial tensions weren't that bad, but I can't honestly say that I remember any blacks at our school, so what do I know? Does it bother anyone that they they used 24 & 25 year old actors to portray high school students? It didn't look like any high school team that I ever saw back then.

i just graduated from McLean HS last year, and there were only 20 black people in a school of 1500. pretty sad.

but yeah, ive seen that movie. i used to go to an american school in islamabad pakistan and the teachers put that on during movie day. goes to show ya, its popular EVERYWHERE. great movie too.