All
across America, male and female athletes from elementary school
through college are wrestling. The sport involves tens of thousands
and is the most ancient of all Olympic sports. Many who have never
been to a tournament or match have no idea of the intensity of this
ancient sport. All through the fall and winter, gymnasiums across
the country fill with competitors and their families. The intensity
of one on one competition between equally matched and weighted individuals
is almost unbearable.
Wrestlers prepare intensely and practice can last two or three
hours and occur between two and five times a week for the younger
athletes. For older wrestlers the training can run upwards of
6 hours or more a day, six days a week. Wrestling is not a casual,
relaxing, sport, nor is it a sport for those afraid of intense
one on one competition. Those who succeed have a strong sense
of self-discipline. They discipline their physical bodies through
strenuous exercise to give maximum strength and endurance, their
diet for maximize energy and the optimal and ideal body weight,
and their minds, learning both offensive and defensive moves during
hours of practice from a variety of positions.
As technology has changed methods of learning have also changed
over the years. From visual and live demonstrations of various
moves and techniques to the availability of CD-ROM's where one
can actually use a computer to learn moves and techniques from
various angles.
There are numerous examples of wrestling in the Bible, from Jacob
in Genesis to Paul's usage of wrestling in Ephesians. In Ephesians
Paul, while describing the Armor of God and the battle we as Christians
are involved in reminds us, "For we do not wrestle against flesh
and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against
the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts
of wickedness in the heavenly places."
Paul knew of the dedication, commitment, and mentality it took
to make a good and effective wrestler. That is one of the reasons
he uses the illustration in this particular passage. One of the
universal truths then and now is the fact that wrestling is a
hand to hand form of combat. Each individual must be prepared
to the fullest and understand that there is no way to win unless
you eventually "get on the mat" against your opponent. We face
a formidable opponent and the battle we wrestle against is the
battle of letting others know the message of the gospel. Paul
makes this clear in verse 19 and 20, "â?¦.that I may open my mouth
boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am
an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought
to speak."
Our battle is the same, the question is are we willing to make
the same level of dedication for a battle that involves eternal
decisions as athletes are for their trophies and medals that will
eventually be destroyed by moths and rust. I think Paul would
remind us, "It's Wrestling Time."
With this in mind I recently spent some time with the makers of
the new movie Reversal to get a better understanding of their
intent behind the making of the film plus to draw some comparisons
that could be used in Christian application. The individuals I
spent some time discussing the movie with was, Jimi Petula the
Lead Actor, Writer, and Executive Producer, and Alan Vint the
Director and Editor of the film.
Mike Furches - One of the things that impressed me most
about the film Reversal was the technical style. The movie uses
a different approach in that it uses a lot of soft lens effects
as well as fades from scene to scene. What was the purpose of
doing that?
Alan Vint - The choices I made in terms of style and execution
were deliberate. This is a simple story and I chose to tell it
simply. I could have used this as an audition for another job
and cluttered up the movie with camera moves but it would have
come at the expense of the most important aspect of the communal
nature of the medium which is to engage the audience, to give
them access to the characters so they can identify with them,
become involved with their lives, and moved by their journey.
I had long battles with my crew in regard to my approach and they
all told me I was wrong, the Joe Blow would not get it, that I
needed to heighten the drama, make the coach an evil force etc......
During the shooting of the film my key people turned against me
and pretty much convinced Jimi that he had made a major mistake
by hiring me as a director. It was a terrible time and a very
long three weeks and by the end of the shoot my people lost faith
in the film. I stayed on course throughout the making of it, and
through post-production, never veering from the simple truth and
believing with all my heart soul that real people, "Joe Blow"
would "get it."
I knew that if I went this way that Hollywood would have no use
for this finished product and that it would not lead to another
job for me.
Anything can be viewed from an almost infinite number of perspectives.
If we go to film school and look at this film from a purely technical
point of view, then we can fill a boat with criticism. I was not
interested in that perspective. My goal was the collective heart
of people like you and I am very proud to have succeeded. Anything
that would have interfered with that experience would have been
counterproductive for me. So, I would hope the film be reviewed
primarily from that experience you had while in the theater, from
feeling you left with and not from a purely academic point of
view which comes from the head, from pride, from vanity etc.....
I am not asking to be excused for poor execution. If the film
missed its mark then I would have failed but when women, in particular,
who watch films with their hearts and not their heads (more so
than men) have unanimously been moved, and everyone that has ever
participated in the sport is moved, then I won, for that was my
goal. I believe the ultimate value of film, or theater, is a communal
experience that we relate to, or identify with, that moves us
and has a value that we can take with us along the road of life......
this value goes back to the campfire in the simple form of story
and evolved into mythology and theater (now film). That is the
standard by which I would choose to be judged.... not in my control,
but if I had a choice.... that would be it.
Mike Furches - Alan, could you also comment on the fades
that were used in the film?
Alan Vint - Being limited on coverage and footage once
we got back to Los Angeles- it was questionable whether we had
a film - in fact, we didn't, we had to go back and shoot important
scenes that we did not get to because of an abuse of time by the
dp... and the rhythm of the film.... fades just seemed to work...
a soft way of getting from scene to scene..... again, the important
thing for me was emotional access from the audience.... if it
were an action film.... different approach.
Mike Furches - One of the beautiful things about Reversal
was the cinematography and the actual location could you say something
about that?
Jimi Petulla - The location I think speaks for itself.
We shot the film in Pennsylvania and the town Washington rolled
out for us. We virtually had no art department. We got permission
to use everything. The high schools, uniforms, all locations.
I think it brings a good authentic look to the picture. The D.
P. William Molina did a wonderful job and has everything to do
with the look of the film.
Mike Furches - Alan, what was it like directing the Executive
Producer, writer and star of the movie?
Alan Vint - Jimi came to me and asked me to write the script.
He was a student of mine in an acting class. He saw me work with
people who had never studied and trusted me completely. This is
one of the main reasons we were able to work with kids who had
never thought about acting in their life. I had a good career
at one time and know the process of acting. Jimi knows this so
his trust in me was 100%. The main difficulty was in not letting
the technical aspects of making the film kill the innocence and
beauty of what we created. This was a constant battle. So, to
answer your question, Jimi was with me one hundred percent in
regard to his performance. My job was to create and environment
of trust that would allow the simple truth to happen and then
capture it. My crew had different priorities and did not understand
the delicate situation we were in, or appreciate it when it was
in front of them.
Mike Furches - Jimi, this is basically your story. How
true did you stay to real life in the making of Reversal?
Jimi Petulla - The story is true except for the last two
scenes. Keep in mind my girlfriend just died, that of course was
true. I was very lost during that time. That is why I walked away
from the sport that I loved so much. My dad and I never had any
kind of a resolution, until he watched this movie some weeks ago.
The kitchen scene and the scene at the airport I added . My father
after the film came up to me crying and said, "For 20 years I
wanted to tell you exactly what you just said on that screen in
front of me. I can't believe my eyes." I wrote the scenes off
of events I knew happened in my father's life, like his dad never
seeing him wrestle and he was a state champion, and like the abusive
alcoholic parents my mother had that constantly beat her, once
to the point where she could have died.
That was actually the first time my father told me he loved me,
at the screening of the film, not at an airport like I wanted
in my heart all those years and he wanted in his heart I come
to find all those years. As Alan puts it we did the airport scene
in the lobby of the theater that night. So no matter what happens
with this film Mike, I HAVE WON! No one, not even Hollywood can
ever take that away from me. It has now created a new bond with
me and my father that will last our life time. I would take that
over a check for 5 million for the film. I feel lucky and thank
God for the opportunity. The real ending was that I basically
I ran away to my uncle Larry's and was lost and didn't talk to
my father for 5 years till I showed up on Christmas Eve on his
door step 5 years later.
Mike Furches - Jimi, wrestling is the backdrop for the
love story between Leon and his dad, a father and a son. I also
know that the story addresses some issues related to wrestling.
Can you tell us of your thoughts on the sport of wrestling and
of any of life's analogies that go with it?
Jimi Petulla - Wrestling is a wonderful sport and has made
me the person that I am today. All the work and sacrifice that
I had at an early age has helped me succeed in my life in business,
my family everything. It also gave me a time as a kid and a bond
with my father that some kids will never know or have. Mike Furches
- Jimi & Alan, I don't know if you guys realize this or not but
the Bible uses analogies of wrestling quite a bit through out.
Why do you think that is and what lessons do you think there are
that people can learn from wrestling?
Jimi Petulla - I had no idea of that. I imagine that the
discipline, will power to not eat that junk food, or to go without
is okay. Maybe also the one on one sports aspect.
Alan Vint - In regard to the sport of wrestling - it is
not a team sport and thus teaches the participants the lesson
of individual responsibility for your actions. Most sports require
discipline but in wrestling there are no excuses.
Mike Furches - The two of you have obviously made the effort
to make a movie that can reach out to all audiences, including
children, while at the same time address adult issues and reach
adult audiences. Can you tell why you felt that process was important?
Alan Vint - In the original script that Jimi wrote, the
father was harsher - they told Jimi that he needed this to drive
the story. When Jimi asked me to direct the film, we did a rewrite
which I did not take credit for.... but I told him two things:
one, honor the sport and the people in it; two, if we changed
the script so that the father was not evil and was clearly operating
out of love that I would do it. In making these changes, we actually
changed the theme and message of the film. To me, it is about
the great lesson of "letting go." If you truly love something,
let it go and if it is "yours" it will come back. This becomes
very important because this theme is understood by the heart and
spans time, is eternal, and appeals to children and adults, alike.
Jimi Petulla - It was important for me and Alan to hit
on the father-son love story aspect. Alan knew through our working
together and being friends that my father loved me and wanted
to do the right thing. As Alan has put it. "Sometimes love blinds
us. And we do things out of love that are not right." I think
any other director would have had a dad that you hated that lived
his life solely and selfishly through his for selfish reasons.
My father wanted to give me a education. With no money the only
hope of that was wrestling. I happened to be good at it was something
that he could help me with being my coach.
Mike Furches - One of the areas you are not afraid to address
in the movie are spiritual ones. For example we see prayer in
the movie, the relationship between a father and a son, a father
who chooses to remain married as opposed to divorcing his wife,
Leone's mother praying, death, the consequences of substance abuse
and numerous others. Were there specific moral influences you
were trying to get across in the film?
Alan Vint - It was very important to me that the father
was operating out of love. The story I told Jimi that I was interested
in was one where a father almost killed his son out of good intentions.
In love there is always a blind spot - we can mean well and destroy
the things we love the most. It takes tremendous courage to see
ourselves, our mistakes, to honor the souls of our children and
let them go into the world.... that is the greatest love of all....
Jimi Petulla - We wanted to send an honest message across.
This is how my parents raised us. My mother and father both raised
us Catholic. We went to church every Sunday. My mom would beat
the kids then go to confession and ask for forgiveness. Then she
would do the same thing the next week. My father didn't see this.
He was at work every minute of every day. My mom would treat him
terribly but he would never leave her no matter what. They are
still married after almost 50 years. My father took vows and finishing
what you start very seriously. That is probably why I work so
hard to achieve things in my life. He is also a generous man.
He is the first to open his wallet , even if he doesn't have a
dime in it.
Mike Furches - The wrestling sequences in the movie and
the sport were portrayed in the most realistic way of any movie
I have ever seen. Olympic Gold medal winner Kendall Cross told
me right after the screening, "This is a great movie, one that
every wrestler and their father should see. It portrayed wrestling
the way it really is, better than any movie I have ever seen."
You have been getting quite a few comments like that from those
that are in the wrestling community. Any other comments you would
like to share and how important was it to portray wrestling in
a way that would be supported to this extent by those in the wrestling
community?
Alan Vint - Another major battle. My producer, line producer,
dp, and first assistant director fought me on this one, too. They
all told me it had to be choreographed, story-boarded, shot by
shot. I told them to put the camera on the floor and that I would
get what I needed, then cut it together later. Major war on this
one that lasted throughout the entire shoot. Poor Jimi, his first
time through and they all told him I was ruining his film and
that it would never work..... so yes, it was very important to
me that the wrestling be authentic, that every wrestler in the
world who saw this film would say, " That is the truth."
Jimi Petulla - The wrestling I think speaks for itself.
We used the real deal on that one. The main message we want the
wrestling community to know is that we all know that we went through
things in terms of losing weight in this sport. I would like to
use this as an education, to wrestlers and parents and coaches.
Frankly more the wrestlers than parents, although most people
who see the film will blame dad. I know from my own experience,
that my dad didn't really know the tactics I would take to make
weight. His concern was just make weight. If you say your going
to wrestle at a weight do it or go to another weight class. The
reality is it was my choice. I knew I couldn't win the title at
the next weight so I wanted to win which meant drop a weight.
It meant cheating and taking a laxative. We don't want to bash
wrestling here, we want to make awareness that it did go to far.
As Kendall put it "It brings up our dirty little secret, and makes
me realize we were going about it all wrong". Danny Hodge came
up to me in tears crying at the later show that night. He thanked
me for honoring the sport and making awareness to people and parents.
He loved the film. Also Kendall said he saw his life story on
the screen. Kenny Monday also thanked me and said he will endorse
the film and do anything he can to help. We now have 5 gold medal
winners, an academy award winning writer and scores of people
that are helping push the film. Don't know what it will ad up
to but it feels nice.
Mike Furches - You have made an independent film as opposed
to going through a studio. Why did you do this and what are the
benefits and negatives of this?
Jimi Petulla - The reason I made the film is because I
knew Hollywood wouldn't make a film like this, nor give me an
acting role. My company allowed me the financial resources to
do it. It's a huge risk. But I'm a risk taker. The benefits of
course are that I'm in control, it's my baby. The only real negative
is I don't have the backing financially of a major studio's unlimited
dollars. I'm not afraid to distribute the movie myself. In fact
we have 5 major theater chains that have seen the film and will
give me their screens. We have a data base of over 10,000 people
that just in the last 4 months are on the waiting list for DVD/video
when we are ready. It just means a lot of work, a slower process
and you still don't know what will happen. There are times I want
to cry I am so busy. There are times,(most), that I thank God
for the opportunity.
Mike Furches - If you had to identify two things related
to the movie that you wanted to accomplish what would they be?
Jimi Petulla - To spend quality time with your kids. Love
your family, hug your wife, call your dad from time to time. I
see my dad maybe once every 2 to 3 years. That's terrible. Learn
from our mistakes. Break the chain. I have a 9 year old Corey
and a 7 year old Brandon. I tell them everyday I love them as
I do my wife Alma. I do things they want to do, not just what
I want to do. I never had the closeness with my father. We had
one thing. Wrestling. That was our life. That was how we became
close.
Mike Furches - Is there anything you would want people
to know about Reversal?
Jimi Petulla - Reversal is ultimately a father-son love
story. Wrestling is just the back drop. It could be any sport.
It could be horseback riding. I think the big message here is
that we have to let our kids do what they want in their hearts
not ours.
God Bless,
Mike Furches
Luke 15
www.furches.org
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