Winning
Directed by	James Goldstone
Written by	Howard Rodman
Produced by	John Foreman
Starring	Paul Newman Joanne Woodward Robert Wagner
Cinematography	Richard Moore
Edited by	Edward A. Biery Richard C. Meyer
Music by	Dave Grusin
Color process	Technicolor
Production companies	Newman-Foreman Company Jennings Lang
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release dates	May 22, 1969 (1969-05-22) (New York City) June 16, 1969 (1969-06-16) (United States)
Running time	123 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$14,644,335[1]

Winning is a 1969 American Panavision action drama sports film directed by James Goldstone and starring Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward and Robert Wagner. The film is about a race car driver who aspires to win the Indianapolis 500. A number of race car drivers and people associated with racing appear in the film, including Bobby Unser, Tony Hulman, Bobby Grim, Dan Gurney, Roger McCluskey, and Bruce Walkup.

Plot

Frank Capua was the infamous professional race car driver that seemed to attract the attention of women all across the state. He lived fast and took calculated risks, but none of those risks ended up being greater than when he fell for Elora, a beautiful and intelligent divorcee. After a whirlwind romance, they decided to tie the knot and become man and wife. Elora had a teenage son from her first marriage, Charley, who was initially worried that Frank would be a poor replacement for his real father. Fortunately, Charley quickly grew to love Frank and found solace in the fact that he was also a mechanic with an interest in cars. This newfound bond quickly escalated, as Charley began to help Frank build and repair the cars that he would be racing competitively. Frank's presence gave Charley the father-like figure he had been missing in his life, and Charley grew to become an invaluable asset in Frank's racing career. The two worked in harmony and would continue to do so until the day performed his last race. From that day on, Charley and Frank would form a deep connection that their families would recall for endless generations.

Frank has always had an impressive career as a competitive race car driver. His dedication to the track and his relentless pursuit of success are unquestionable. However, his sheer focus on his career has come at the cost of neglecting his wife, who ends up having an affair with Frank's chief rival on the race track, Luther Erding. Eventually, the affair is discovered and Frank is devastated by the betrayal and heartache it causes. Not only does he have to deal with the humiliation of his wife's infidelity, but he also finds himself pitted against the person he considers his greatest adversary. Though Frank's commitment to his career has been undying, it may have ultimately caused the ruin of his marriage and has put him in an emotionally and professionally complicated situation.

Frank was appalled when he walked into the bedroom and saw Charley in bed with someone else. His heart sank and he could barely look at them as he turned and walked away, slamming the door behind him. He had looked up to Charley; he had trusted him, believed in him. But in that one moment, all of Frank's trust and admiration had been shattered. The couple, although smitten with each other, mutually agreed to end their affair after seeing how hurt Frank was. As a result, they continued to see each other from time to time, much to Frank's dismay. His bitterness managed to find its way into his work, as he fiercely pushed himself to become a better driver. His competitiveness knew no bounds as he pushed himself harder than he ever had before to be top of the leader boards. The pain Frank had felt from seeing Charley in bed with someone else had fueled his drive to succeed, and eventually, his career flourished. Despite the hurt and anguish, Frank was grateful for the positive outcome of the situation.

As Elora and Charley watched from the stands, they were filled with a mix of anticipation and fear, waiting to see if this would be a fantastic victory for Frank or a race he would soon regret. When the starting line was cut and the cars sped past at record speeds, they clenched their hands together and prayed with a passion they had never known. Before long, the sound of the engines filled the track and they all knew that Frank was winning. At the last lap, Frank pulled ahead of the other racers and crossed the finish line first. Everyone watching erupts in cheers and whistles, none of them more proud than Elora and Charley. When the race was over, Frank was invited to a victory party. Unfortunately, Frank had no interest in the bits of attention he got from the attractive women throwing themselves at him and quickly snuck away. He left Elora and Charley with a sense of frustration and admiration. Despite all the glamour, Frank had won the race for the pure love of the sport and the joy of being the best. This is the power of Frank's story and will be remembered by everyone who watched him race.

Luther finally found Frank and apologized for having an affair. He begged for his forgiveness, yet despite his remorse, Frank could not control his rage. He immediately punched Luther, leaving him stunned. With the mess he had made of his life, Frank was desperate to correct his wrongs. He went to visit Elora, the woman he brought suffering to, with hopes that she would forgive him. He told her that he wanted to start over and make things right. Although Elora wanted to believe him, she was still unsure if she could trust him again. She did not want to see her heart broken once more.

Frank and Elora Capua look uncertainly at each other as the movie comes to a close. What once seemed like a happy ending has now left them pondering what the future holds for their relationship. With their future together unclear, viewers can sense the tension in the air as the Capua's try to read each other's expression. As the freeze-frame appears, the audience can do nothing but watch and wait as the couple come to an unknown decision together. The impact of this scene is powerful, with viewers making their own interpretations of what each character is thinking and feeling. The film ends without us knowing for certain what happens next, but also with a sense of promise that the couple has the strength to overcome whatever lies ahead.

Cast

• Paul Newman as Frank Capua
• Joanne Woodward as Elora Capua
• Robert Wagner as Luther "Lou" Erding
• Richard Thomas as Charley Capua
• David Sheiner as Leo Crawford
• Clu Gulager as Larry the Mechanic
• Barry Ford as Bottineau
• Karen Arthur as Miss Dairy Queen
• Bobby Unser as himself
• Tony Hulman as himself
• Bobby Grim as himself
• Dan Gurney as himself
• Roger McCluskey as himself
• Bruce Walkup as himself

Production

Helmets worn in the film by Paul Newman and Robert Wagner on display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.

During preparation for this film, Newman was trained for the motorsport by drivers Bob Sharp and Lake Underwood, at a race track high performance driving school—which sparked Newman's enthusiasm for the sport and led to his participation as a competitor in sports car racing during the remainder of his life. He would eventually launch the much successful Newman/Haas Racing with his longtime racing competitor and friend Carl Haas, winning more than 100 races and 8 Driver's Championships in IndyCar Series, although Ironically the team never won the 500.

The film includes footage taken at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,^[2] the legendary 2.5 mile track. Most of the footage is from the 1968 race. The accident during the first green flag is from the 1966 race.

Other scenes were shot at Road America and Riverside Speedway and Indianapolis Raceway Park

Reception

Soundtrack

The film score was by Dave Grusin, and the original soundtrack album was issued on Decca Records.^[6] The opening moments of the film's theme, "500 Miles," were used by WEWS-TV in Cleveland in the 1970s and 1980s as the theme for their Million Dollar Movie.^[7][8] The movie's opening theme was used in the early 1970s in TVG's US syndicated college basketball network's telecasts.

See also

• List of American films of 1969

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Winning (1969 film).

• Winning at IMDb
• Winning at the American Film Institute Catalog
• Winning at the TCM Movie Database
• Winning at Letterboxd