Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 – Blu-ray Review

The Film:

In college football today, the Ivy League schools don’t get much coverage or talk. If anything, they’re almost non-existent in the national limelight of the constant ESPN coverage we get now days. College football is just filled with classic memories, even more so than other sports. I think it’s the age of the players, the tradition behind the rivalries and the schools, combined with the atmosphere that creates some really magical moments. Every school has their shining moment of a classic game, and a devastating memory to boot. Each school has them, and personally for me I can recall the absolute heart break my state went through in the 1984 National Championship game where Nebraska lost to Miami on an incomplete pass for a game winning two point conversation (here). For Tom Osborne, a tie wasn’t good enough. On the flip side, Dr. Tom would get his redemption for his first of three National Championships in 1994, when he finally won the big game against…you guessed it, Miami (here).

You have your moments, and I think that what makes this sport so exciting and passionate amongst fans and students. But very few games transcend memories for those fans and schools, and become universal in their greatness. I can think of one immediately. The 1982 Big Game where Cal upset Stanford on what it affectionately referred to as “The Play” (and the band is on the field…! here). The 1968 game between Yale and Harvard, on the last game of the season, which featured both teams undefeated is a game that is another classic memory in all of college football.

Here is the set up to what is called “the most famous football game in Ivy League history”: Yale was ranked number 16 nationally and was undefeated. Their rivals, Harvard were the underdogs, but were also undefeated. For most of the game, Yale was dominating. With less than 3 minutes to go, Yale was up by 16 points, 29-13. All seemed lost for Harvard, with the clock running down, Yale fans “chanting ‘You’re number two!’, and needing two touchdowns with two 2-point conversations just to tie. Then something remarkable happened. Within 43 seconds, Harvard scored the two touchdowns and the one 2-point conversion. With the fans going crazy and some even storming the field, Harvard had to line up for a tying 2-point conversion and make it. The ending to this game, is stuff of football legend, leading the Harvard Crimson newspaper to label the article, Harvard Beats Yale 29-29!

Kevin Rafferty takes the footage of the game and mixes it with interviews from all of the surviving players. At first, this back and forth interrupting of the game seems like it hurts your experience, but soon, Rafferty’s approach draws you into the rivalry and the atmosphere. The film crafts the memory of these players, into a personal one, filled with heroics, passion, and pain. Adding to this is some contextual commentary of the time. The game was played with the Vietnam War going on, the sexual revolution, as well as two players who became political rivals in 2000: Al Gore and George W. Bush. The interviews are enlightening. What appears to be a glorified ESPN documentary, something that could alienate non-sports fans, is an involved, personal film that should appeal to anyone who loves a good underdog story. For football fans, the game is the showcase, and it is as thrilling now, as it was in 1968. Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 showcases a time when Ivy League football teams mattered, along with a great moment in college football history.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: These documentaries are always tough to judge on high definition. The interview segments are really good. Sharp, colorful, a level of detail is clearly seen, but the game footage is in its original broadcast definition. It’s good, but high definition does not help that nearly 40 year old footage. The audio is clear and crisp; no complaints there. Kino delivers a strong presentation for this documentary.

Extra Interviews: Running over an hour, we get a lot more clips from the interviewees than was shown in the film.

Conclusion: A really good documentary, especially for football fans, all on a decent disc.

The Film: Rating:

The Blu-ray: Rating:

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