A fascinating look at a team that overcame insurmountable odds to claim victory
Although I will only receive this DVD when it is released in Jan. 2013, I did see this on the big screen. This documentary is a fascinating look at the Lithuanian basketball team that won the Bronze medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. It provides the back-story to how these athletes worked hard and ultimately, were on the medal stand in Barcelona. When Lithuania was under Soviet occupation, these same guys played on the "USSR" basketball squad. These guys tell the real story of what it took for them to succeed and the trials-and-tribulations they had to go through. Seems that Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead came in at the last second to fund them on their successful quest. The documentary moves between the players giving their story and American basketball players and announcers providing their input. If you love basketball and love a story about underdogs who struggle and get to the top, this documentary is for you. It does offer a primer on the process of how...
Riveting sports/political documentary will move you to tears
I was recently browsing the documentary film section at my local library and fell upon this. Didn't really know much about it but I was intrigued and so I decided to pick it up. So glad I did!
"The Other Dream Team" (2012 release; 90 min.) brings the story of how Lithuania, wiht its rich basketball tradition, was annexed by the USSR in 1940. The documentary starts with the basketball victory of the USSR over Team USA in the 1988 Olypmics in Seoul. As it turns out, 4 out of the 5 starters on that USSR team are actually from Lithuania. We then get to know those 4 players, told by present-day interviews of those players. As the documentary unfolds, we see how Lithuania coped during the decades of Russian occupation, and how in 1991 they won their independance, leading to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, where, yes, the US brought its Dream Team (Jordan/Magic Johnson/Bird, etc.), but there was much more at stake for Lithuania. To tell you more would ruin your viewing experience,...
Excellently done!
This is a film about Lithuania and their 1992 Olympic basketball team.
It is a wonderful documentary! My 11 year old daughter went with me and she loved it as well (and she doesn't even play basketball.) This well depicts the struggle and triumph of a united nation, even when they weren't considered a nation by the rest of the world.
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