The Disney movie Miracle, released in 2004, is based on a true story about one of the greatest moments in sports history. Gavin O’Conner, the director of the Miracle, tries to re-create the story surrounding the climatic 1980 Olympic hockey game between the USA and Russia, which provided Americans a much-needed boost in confidence and pride during a crisis-filled period of American history. The movie begins with several excerpts of national headlines through the 1970s, which gives the viewers a feel for the emotional state and problems of the nation during this time. The final excerpt is from a speech by President Jimmy Carter. President Carter is talking about what he believes is a fundamental threat to American democracy and he states …show more content…
The story then starts with the main character, Kurt Russell as Herb Brooks, the tough and rugged coach of the U. S. Men’s Hockey Team, interviewing for the Olympic Hockey Team head-coaching job. After much deliberation, Coach Brooks was hesitantly given the job. He then began assembling his name of mostly unknown college hockey players. Director O’Conner decided to cast the team with actual hockey players and teach them how to act rather than the opposite. Patrick O’Brien Demsey played Mike Eruzione, the U.S. team captain. Eric Peter-Kaiser played forward Mark Johnson, the U.S. team-leading scorer. Nathan West played forward Rob McClanahan. Billy Schneider played his own father Buzz Schneider. Michael Mantenuto played defender Jack O'Callahan. Eddie Cahill played Jim Craig, the goalie. O’Conner carefully chose the players to represent each character not only for their hockey talent, but also for how they looked and acted like the original players. He also wanted them from the same geographical areas as the original players because he believed an accent was hard to mimic. He spent a lot of time choosing the right people to tell the story of a monumental victory on both an athletic, political, …show more content…
The Cold War was a non-military war between the United States and the Soviet Union that developed after World War II. It was a battle that spanned more than forty years beginning in the 1940s; however, the movie focused through the 1970s to the early 1980s. During this time the United States and the Soviet Union were practicing a policy started by Nixon called détente. This meant the easing of tension in international relations. Nixon met with Soviet leader, Leonid Brezhnev, agreeing to limit stockpiles of missiles, cooperate in space exploration, and ease trading restrictions. In 1972, Nixon signed the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) treaty, limiting the growth of nuclear arsenals. In 1973, the Vietnam War had ended. Many Americans thought the Cold War was cooling down; however, by 1979 the tension had warmed again. On December 24, 1979, two months before the Winter Olympic Games, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. The President of the United States, Jimmy Carter decided to boycott the 1980 Summer Olympic Games held in Moscow in an attempt to force the Soviets to pull out of Afghanistan. To add to the tense situation, the United States was having a tough time at home. The economy was struggling with high interest rates and rising inflation. Gas prices were increasing due to the 1979 oil crisis. The oil crisis was a result of the Iranian Revolution.