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Borg vs McEnroe

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Film Fan (talk | contribs) at 13:57, 15 March 2018 (Film Fan moved page Borg McEnroe to Borg vs McEnroe: now the WP:COMMONNAME with theatrical releases in both US and UK using this title). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Borg McEnroe
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJanus Metz Pedersen
Written byRonnie Sandahl
Starring
CinematographyNiels Thastum
Music by
Production
company
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 7 September 2017 (2017-09-07) (TIFF)
  • 8 September 2017 (2017-09-08) (Sweden)
Running time
100 minutes
Countries
  • Sweden
  • Denmark
  • Finland[1]
LanguagesEnglish, Swedish
Budget65 million SEK[2] ($7.5 million)
Box office$16,657,800[3]

Borg McEnroe[4] (Swedish: Borg, Finnish: Borg/McEnroe), also known as Borg vs McEnroe, is a 2017 internationally co-produced multi-language biographical sports drama film focusing on the famous rivalry between famous tennis players Björn Borg and John McEnroe at the 1980 Wimbledon Championships, culminating in their encounter in the men's singles final.[5] The film is directed by Janus Metz Pedersen, from a screenplay written by Ronnie Sandahl, and stars Sverrir Gudnason, Shia LaBeouf, Stellan Skarsgård, Tuva Novotny, and Robert Emms. The film opened the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.[6]

Cast

Sverrir Gudnason plays Björn Borg.
Shia LaBeouf plays John McEnroe.
A Swedish former world no. 1 tennis player.[5][7][8] Screenwriter Ronnie Sandahl stated in interviews with Swedish newspapers Expressen and Sydsvenskan that "he [Sverrir] looks very much like the Swedish tennis star".[9][10] In an interview, Gudnason talked about his preparation for the part, and stated that "I [he] spent six months in which he trained 15 hours a week, with two hours of tennis and four workouts with a personal trainer."[11] He also revealed that he had not met Borg, stating "not yet, but I will meet him, sometime after the shooting of the film."[11] Leo Borg, the real life son of Björn Borg, portrays his father from age 9 to 13, while actor Markus Mossberg portrays him from age 14 to 17.[12]
An American former world no. 1 professional tennis player and Borg's rival.[5][7][8][13] Sandahl stated in an interview, that it was Shia that made contact with the production, when he heard about the script, because "he [Shia] identifies strongly with the character of McEnroe, and felt that he is a misunderstood person."[10] In an interview with Variety, Shia praised the script and called it "brilliant", and said that he "cried when reading it for the first time."[7] He also revealed that he has not met with McEnroe about the role, stating "haven’t met him yet, but I’m eager to meet him before we shoot. I got nothing but love and respect for him."[7]
A Swedish tennis player and Borg's coach.[5][7][14] This is his first role in a Swedish film since he starred in the films Arn – The Knight Templar and Arn – The Kingdom at Road's End.[15] Skarsgård described and compared the relationship between Bergelin and Borg to the rivalry between Mozart and Salieri in the 1984 film Amadeus: "people think that Salieri was jealous of Mozart, but I do not think that's the right word. I think it's more an utter fascination and love of the genius. And the self-doubt that you are not capable."[16][2]
A Romanian tennis player and Borg's fiancée.[5]
An American playboy and professional tennis player.[5][17]

Production

Development

In May, 2016, it was announced that a film about tennis rivals Björn Borg and John McEnroe was in development.[18] It also was revealed that Danish director Janus Metz Pedersen will direct the film, from a screenplay written by Swedish writer Ronnie Sandahl.[5][7][18] He is most known for directing the 2010 documentary film Armadillo and one episode of the HBO drama True Detective.[5] The film will be produced by Jon Nohrstedt, who produced the Swedish animated film Bamse and the Thief City, and Fredrik Wikström Nicastro, who is most known for producing the 2010 film Easy Money.[5][18] The film will be distributed by Nordisk Film in Scandinavia, and internationally by SF Studios.[5]

Casting

In May 2016, it was announced that Sverrir Gudnason, and Shia LaBeouf were cast as Björn Borg and John McEnroe respectively.[8] In an interview with Variety at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, LaBeouf was excited about the script and working with Scandinavian directors, stating, "They make better movies. Scandinavian film making is different. It’s a different pace, a different relationship between the crew — the bonds are different".[7] In the same article, it was revealed that Stellan Skarsgård had been cast as Borg's coach Lennart Bergelin, which is his first role in a Swedish film in several years.[5][7][14][15] On August 16, it was announced that Tuva Novotny and Robert Emms had joined the cast as Mariana Simionescu and Vitas Gerulaitis, respectively.[5][17]

Filming

The filming began in August 2016, and took place in Gothenburg, Prague, London, and Monaco.[5] Filming also took place in Borg's hometown of Södertälje, where he grew up, and started playing tennis as a child.[11] The production has recreated the Broadway theatre Studio 54, at a studio in Gothenburg.[16] The tennis arena Štvanice in Prague, stands in for the Centre Court arena in Wimbledon, London, where they shot the finals of the 1980 Wimbledon Championships.[9] Gudnason described that he felt "a huge sense of authenticity, when I [he] and Shia walked from the changing room to what supposed to look like the Centre Court arena, before hundreds of extras."[9][2]

In October, the first set photos of Sverrir Gudnason, and Shia LaBeouf as Björn Borg and John McEnroe respectively, were released.[19][20]

Release

Borg McEnroe opened the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival, concurrent with its Swedish theatrical release. It was released in the UK on September 22, and the U.S. release is set for 2018.[5]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 79%, based on 71 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9/10.[21]

Accolades

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Camerimage International Film Festival 11–18 November 2017 Best Directorial Debut Janus Metz Pedersen Won [22]
Guldbagge Awards 22 January 2018 Best Film Jon Nohrstedt and Fredrik Wikström Nicastro (Producers) Nominated [23][24]
Best Director Janus Metz Pedersen Nominated
Best Actor Sverrir Gudnason Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Shia LaBeouf Nominated
Stellan Skarsgård Won
Best Editing Per Sandholt and Per K Kirkegaard Nominated
Best Costume Design Kicki Ilander Nominated
Best Original Score Jonas Struck, Jon Ekstrand and Vladislav Delay Nominated
Best Art Direction Lina Nordqvist Nominated
Best Visual Effects Torbjörn Olsson and Alex Hansson Won
Noordelijk Film Festival 12 November 2017 Public Prize Borg McEnroe Won [25]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Borg/McEnroe". The Finnish Film Foundation. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Wennö, Nicholas (September 22, 2016). ""Borg" väcker nytt liv i tidernas tennisdrama". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  3. ^ "Borg McEnroe". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  4. ^ Debruge, Peter (September 7, 2017). "Toronto Film Review: Shia LaBeouf in 'Borg McEnroe'". Variety. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Rosser, Michael (August 16, 2016). "Shia LaBeouf-starrer 'Borg/McEnroe' begins shoot". Screen Daily. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  6. ^ "Toronto: Shia LaBeouf's 'Borg McEnroe' to Open 2017 Festival". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Keslassy, Elsa (May 26, 2016). "Shia LaBeouf on His Next Big Acting Challenge: Playing John McEnroe". Variety. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  8. ^ a b c Sundeby, Maria Askerfjord (May 11, 2016). "Sverrir Gudnason iklär sig rollen som Björn Borg". SVT (in Swedish). Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  9. ^ a b c Sandberg, David (September 29, 2016). ""Otroligt lycklig slump att Sverrir är så lik"". Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  10. ^ a b Oscarsson, Mattias (May 15, 2016). "Ronnie Sandahl: Borg och McEnroe känner till projektet". Sydsvenskan (in Swedish). Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  11. ^ a b c Söderström, Aron (October 6, 2016). "Så har Gudnason förberett sig för Borg-rollen". SVT (in Swedish). Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  12. ^ Nykänen, Joni (October 10, 2016). "Leo spelar sin far i filmen om Björn Borg". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  13. ^ Shoard, Catherine (September 22, 2016). "John McEnroe slams biopic starring Shia LaBeouf". The Guardian. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  14. ^ a b Andersson, Jan-Olov (October 5, 2016). "Hollywood-stjärnan Shia LaBeouf hyllar Stellan Skarsgård". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  15. ^ a b Lindqvist, Johan (October 4, 2016). ""Björn Borg" är i Göteborg". Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  16. ^ a b Engström, Emma (October 8, 2016). "Internationellt intresse för filmen om Borg och McEnroe". Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  17. ^ a b "Robert Emms klar för Borg-film". Folkbladet (in Swedish). October 4, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  18. ^ a b c Stiskalo, Sandra (May 4, 2016). "Björn Borgs liv blir film". SVT (in Swedish). Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  19. ^ Blom, Bea (October 4, 2016). "Här blir skådespelarna Borg och McEnroe". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  20. ^ Keene, Allison (October 5, 2016). "First 'Borg/McEnroe' Image Reveals Shia LeBeouf as Tennis Legend John McEnroe". Collider.com. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  21. ^ "Borg/McEnroe (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  22. ^ "Camerimage 2017 Winners!". Camerimage. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  23. ^ Haimi, Rebecca (January 4, 2018). "Flest nomineringar till Borg – Östlund: "Det känns okej"". SVT (in Swedish). Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  24. ^ Pettersson, Leo (January 22, 2018). "Glädjetårar efter Sameblods succé". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  25. ^ "Borg/McEnroe Wint Publieksprijs #NFF38" (in Dutch). Noordelijk Film Festival. November 12, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2018.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Borg_vs_McEnroe&oldid=830543061"