By the end, though, the list of accomplishments and accolades becomes just a little too much.
What is on screen moves quickly, never falling into a formula for every year. Some are given shorter thrift than others, owing to their place in history. As the first nationally televised college basketball game in January 1968, the Bruins win streak stood at 47 consecutive games. The Houston Cougars winning the "Game of the Century" merits perhaps the most specific talk out of any other event, whether political or not. (The Watts Riots and other social unrest are also mentioned as a backdrop for each individual team.)
By the end, though, the list of accomplishments and accolades becomes just a little too much. Too much backslapping, too much congratulations, too much superficial recounting of history and not enough deep introspection. For instance, an entire hour could be devoted to Coach Wooden´s Seven Point Creed, a list of witticisms passed to him from his father. (Among them: Make each day your masterpiece; Be true to yourself; and so on.) Even more time should have been given to the Pyramid of Success, though Wooden´s lecture circuit appearance could have precluded both of those additions.
We´re told in a comical moment coach insisted his players put their socks on a certain way. Yes, their socks. And each year practice started with this reminder. In fact, this anecdote is told through a couple different people, each of them adding a handful of words to the proceedings. It is a testament to Wooden and his teaching style no one resents him for being such a micromanager or old fashioned in his thinking. In fact, they revere him. Perfectly fair, yet it feeds into the feeling "The UCLA Dynasty" is little more than a promotional video for the school and team.
VIDEO:
It may not be entirely fair to judge the video on this release since it is mostly comprised of archival footage not in the best of shape. The current interviews are as crisp and spiffy as they come; everything else shows its wear and tear. To be perfectly fair, though, every last bit of video is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio (16x9). Even the original 1.33:1 game film is shown in widescreen, with pillars on both sides of the screen zooming in on both of those areas so as to preclude the need for complete window boxing.
AUDIO:
Nothing spectacular here, which isn´t exactly a knock against either the English or Spanish 2.0 mixes. In all reality, there would have been no need to go through the time and expense to either create or remix for anything more. It´s good enough the way it is, with heavy emphasis on the better than expected historical audio. No pops or hissing mask announcers or players while, like the current video, the newly recorded audio is solid. The disc comes with closed captioning, but no subtitles.
EXTRAS:
Another bare package from HBO.
PARTING THOUGHTS:
"The UCLA Dynasty" tries to pack too much information into too little time. How can 12 years of history be condensed into 59 minutes and give a complete picture of a team, a man, a school and their places in history? It simply can´t be done. What this documentary does is provide an overview, a thumbnail sketch of every aspect the basketball program. It´s a jumping off point for the viewer to do their own research and not intended as a be-all and end-all. And that´s a pity. The people were lined up, the historical video cleared for use…the proper care just wasn´t taken in crafting the narrative.
By the end, though, the list of accomplishments and accolades becomes just a little too much. Too much backslapping, too much congratulations, too much superficial recounting of history and not enough deep introspection. For instance, an entire hour could be devoted to Coach Wooden´s Seven Point Creed, a list of witticisms passed to him from his father. (Among them: Make each day your masterpiece; Be true to yourself; and so on.) Even more time should have been given to the Pyramid of Success, though Wooden´s lecture circuit appearance could have precluded both of those additions.
We´re told in a comical moment coach insisted his players put their socks on a certain way. Yes, their socks. And each year practice started with this reminder. In fact, this anecdote is told through a couple different people, each of them adding a handful of words to the proceedings. It is a testament to Wooden and his teaching style no one resents him for being such a micromanager or old fashioned in his thinking. In fact, they revere him. Perfectly fair, yet it feeds into the feeling "The UCLA Dynasty" is little more than a promotional video for the school and team.
VIDEO:
It may not be entirely fair to judge the video on this release since it is mostly comprised of archival footage not in the best of shape. The current interviews are as crisp and spiffy as they come; everything else shows its wear and tear. To be perfectly fair, though, every last bit of video is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio (16x9). Even the original 1.33:1 game film is shown in widescreen, with pillars on both sides of the screen zooming in on both of those areas so as to preclude the need for complete window boxing.
AUDIO:
Nothing spectacular here, which isn´t exactly a knock against either the English or Spanish 2.0 mixes. In all reality, there would have been no need to go through the time and expense to either create or remix for anything more. It´s good enough the way it is, with heavy emphasis on the better than expected historical audio. No pops or hissing mask announcers or players while, like the current video, the newly recorded audio is solid. The disc comes with closed captioning, but no subtitles.
EXTRAS:
Another bare package from HBO.
PARTING THOUGHTS:
"The UCLA Dynasty" tries to pack too much information into too little time. How can 12 years of history be condensed into 59 minutes and give a complete picture of a team, a man, a school and their places in history? It simply can´t be done. What this documentary does is provide an overview, a thumbnail sketch of every aspect the basketball program. It´s a jumping off point for the viewer to do their own research and not intended as a be-all and end-all. And that´s a pity. The people were lined up, the historical video cleared for use…the proper care just wasn´t taken in crafting the narrative.
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