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people & arts Wednesday 17 January 2018
Despite doping scandals, Olympic fever grips Russian cinemas

By JAMES ELLINGWORTH including future NBA stars
AP Sports Writer like three-time All Star Doug
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s Collins, and Tom McMillen,
going crazy for the Olym- later a congressman. The
pics. The 1972 Olympics. Soviet team, while techni-
Even as the Russian team cally amateurs under the
faces up to being barred then-current Olympic rules,
from next month’s Winter was effectively composed
Games for doping offenses, of full-time pro players sev-
audiences are flocking to eral years older than most
see a movie about Soviet of the Americans.
glory on the Olympic bas- “Going Vertical” plays up
ketball court 46 years ago. its Cold War rivalry, portray-
“Going Vertical” tells the ing the U.S. team and fans
story of the Soviet Union as brash, overconfident
team which won gold in rule-breakers, though ulti-
1972, becoming the first mately courageous. The
basketball team in history movie also takes some digs
ever to beat the United at the Soviet system’s ra-
States at the Olympics. tioned healthcare and the
It’s a tale of Cold War rival- cultural divides between
ry, inspiring speeches and In this photo provided by The Central Partnership on Friday, Oct. 20, 2017, Russian actors, Vladimir what would later become
Mashkov as Vladimir Kondrashin, coach of the USSR national basketball team, right, Ivan
something very familiar to Kolesnikov as Alexander Belov, back to a camera, and Kuzma Saprykin as Ivan Edeshko, in a independent countries.
Russian sports fans after scene from the Russian film, “Going Vertical” Olympic Movie. Edeshko says it’s a “just and
recent scandals — a gold Associated Press honest” view.
medal decided by officials. “I was crying tears of joy,” Associated Press. “It’s sur- celebrated victory before Some family members of
After pulling in crowds cinemagoer Nina Parshi- prising when people send being told to play again. deceased players have
throughout the holiday sea- kova said. To the millions of me videos, how at practi- On the third and final play, objected to the way it por-
son, last week “Going Verti- Russians who consider their cally every screening peo- Soviet player Ivan Edeshko trays the team. Belov, who
cal” became the highest- country unfairly persecuted ple are clapping, with some threw a full-court pass for scored the winning bas-
earning Russian movie ever over doping allegations, kind of patriotism and spirit Belov to score a last-sec- ket, spends much of the
in domestic cinemas with even the Cold War can awakening in people.” ond layup. movie balancing romance
1.84 billion rubles ($32.5 mil- seem a simpler time. Audi- In Russia, the game has sim- The result prompted days with news he’s terminally
lion) in takings, according ence member Yegor Dru- ilar significance to the U.S. of wrangling between offi- ill. However, his widow told
to a government-backed zhinin said: “Now politics “Miracle on Ice,” its defeat cials from both nations and Russian media outlet Me-
statistics service. plays more of a role. Then it of the Soviet hockey team the international basketball duza that the real Belov,
At a screening in central was sport.” at the 1980 Olympics. federation. That’s left out who died of a rare cancer
Moscow on Thursday, audi- Actor Kuzma Saprykin used The U.S. remembers the of the movie, as is the U.S. in 1978 aged 26, was single
ence members whooped his childhood basketball 1972 basketball gold med- players’ decision to reject and healthy in 1972.
and applauded as Alex- experience to play Ivan al game very differently — their silver medals, which The upcoming soccer
ander Belov sank the win- Edeshko, who threw what as a robbery. still lie unclaimed with the World Cup in Russia pro-
ning Soviet basket to beat Russians still call the “gold- The last three seconds of International Olympic vides more fodder for sports
the U.S. 51-50, and then en pass” for the Soviets’ the final were replayed Committee. movies, with a biography of
cheered again when the winning basket. twice after the Soviet team The script also suggests the Soviet goalkeeper Lev Yas-
original 1972 footage was “I didn’t think there would protested their signal for a Soviets were facing top hin in the pipeline, as well
played alongside the cred- actually be this kind of co- timeout had been ignored, U.S. pros, when in fact the as a fictionalized story of a
its. lossal success,” he told The and the U.S. players twice U.S. fielded college players modern-day coach. q
Gospel star Edwin Hawkins,

known for ‘Oh Happy Day,’ dies

NEW YORK (AP) — Edwin sic. Aretha Franklin, Sam ern California State Youth
Hawkins, the gospel star Cooke and numerous other Choir.
best known for the cross- singers had become main- “Oh Happy Day,” featur-
over hit “Oh Happy Day” stream stars by adapting ing the vocals of Dorothy
and as a major force for gospel sounds to pop lyrics. Combs Morrison, was re-
contemporary inspirational Hawkins stood out for en- leased as a single credited
music, died Monday at joying commercial success to the Edwin Hawkins Sing-
age 74. while still performing music ers and became a million-
Hawkins died at his home that openly celebrated re- seller in 1969, showing there
in Pleasanton, California. ligious faith. was a large market for gos-
He had been suffering from An Oakland native and pel songs and for inspira-
pancreatic cancer, publi- one of eight siblings, tional music during the tur-
cist Bill Carpenter told The Hawkins was a composer, bulent era of the late 1960s.
Associated Press. keyboardist, arranger and “I think our music was prob-
Along with Andrae Crouch, choir master. He had been ably a blend and a cross-
James Cleveland and a performing with his fam- over of everything that I
handful of others, Hawkins ily and in church groups was hearing during that In this June 10, 2014 file photo, Edwin Hawkins appears at the
was credited as a found- since childhood and in his time,” Hawkins told black- Apollo Theater Spring Gala and 80th Anniversary Celebration in
er of modern gospel mu- 20s helped form the North- music.com in 2015. q New York.
Associated Press