Friday, June 15, 4:00 p.m. Castro
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| The Ice King: skating pioneer John Curry |
I had honestly never heard of John Curry, but he more than anyone else transformed the sport of men’s figure skating from merely a boring exhibition of technical proficiency into a beautiful art form — still demanding in terms of strength and technique, but adding grace, fluidity, and artistic expression, not to mention choreography, that had previously been found only in women’s events.
John Curry won a gold medal for the United Kingdom at the 1976 Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria. He was also outed when a comment he had assumed was “off the record” was published, but he refused to deny the report. He returned home and created a company to bring his artistry to audiences in London and around the world. Although he is no longer the household name he was 40 years ago, he blazed the trail for people like Johnny Weir and Adam Rippon. Even if (like me) you are only passingly interested in ice skating (On a good day, I can skate laps around the rink for an hour without falling on my ass.), John Curry’s legacy in sports, arts, and gay visibility is worth celebrating.
In James Erskine’s documentary, we see archival footage of John Curry both skating and sitting for interviews. We add to that Curry’s personal letters, background on his personal as well as his professional life, and interviews with family, friends and colleagues, plus tributes from people (including Johnny Weir) who carry his legacy into the present. Curry was a complicated character on and off the ice, but we get a sense of him as a whole person and extol his groundbreaking (or I suppose I should say “icebreaking”?) artistry. Definitely a MUST SEE.
• IMDb • official website (Dogwoof documentary distribution, with ordering information on iTunes and DVD, but important note: the DVD is coded for Europe, region 2/PAL, and will not work on most U.S. players. Hopefully the region 1/ATSC version will be out soon!) • trailer (YouTube) • Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest: @Dogwoof •
John Curry won a gold medal for the United Kingdom at the 1976 Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria. He was also outed when a comment he had assumed was “off the record” was published, but he refused to deny the report. He returned home and created a company to bring his artistry to audiences in London and around the world. Although he is no longer the household name he was 40 years ago, he blazed the trail for people like Johnny Weir and Adam Rippon. Even if (like me) you are only passingly interested in ice skating (On a good day, I can skate laps around the rink for an hour without falling on my ass.), John Curry’s legacy in sports, arts, and gay visibility is worth celebrating.
In James Erskine’s documentary, we see archival footage of John Curry both skating and sitting for interviews. We add to that Curry’s personal letters, background on his personal as well as his professional life, and interviews with family, friends and colleagues, plus tributes from people (including Johnny Weir) who carry his legacy into the present. Curry was a complicated character on and off the ice, but we get a sense of him as a whole person and extol his groundbreaking (or I suppose I should say “icebreaking”?) artistry. Definitely a MUST SEE.
• IMDb • official website (Dogwoof documentary distribution, with ordering information on iTunes and DVD, but important note: the DVD is coded for Europe, region 2/PAL, and will not work on most U.S. players. Hopefully the region 1/ATSC version will be out soon!) • trailer (YouTube) • Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest: @Dogwoof •
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