Audience Rated by buyers PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Type of bind: VHS Tape
EAN num: 9780780605657
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
ISBN number: 0780605659
Label: New Line Home Video
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
Quantity: 1
Publishing house: New Line Home Video
Release Date: August 20, 1996
Running Time: 170 minutes
Sale Popularity Level: 11881
Studio: New Line Home Video
Theatrical Release Date: October 14, 1994
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Amazon.com essential video:
This completely absorbing three-hour documentary follows the lives of two inner-city African American teenage basketball prodigies as they move through high school with long-shot dreams of the NBA, superstardom, and an escape from the ghetto. Taking cues from such works as Michael Apted's 35 Up, director Steve James and associates shot more than 250 hours of footage, spanning more than six years, and their completed work actually moves like an edge-of-the-seat drama, so brimming with tension, plot twists, successes, and tragedies that its length--170 minutes--is never an issue. Yet, what makes the film more impressive is how James moves his scope beyond a competitive sports drama (although the movie has plenty of terrific, nail-biting basketball footage) and addresses complex social issues, creating a scathing social commentary about class privilege and racial division. The film opens by introducing William Gates and Arthur Agee, two Chicago hopefuls, as they are being courted and recruited by various high schools to play ball, and continues until the pair are college freshmen. James allows the audience the experience of not only watching their journeys and daily routines (it's a sobering portrait of inner-city life), but also witnessing their maturation. Each takes a separate path along the way, stumbling over several obstacles (William suffers injuries, Arthur fails to meet his coach's high expectations); but James takes particular care to stress the importance and strong commitment of each character's family along the way, giving the film a essential center. The parents and siblings emerge with as much depth and complexity as the two main 'characters,' and turn Hoop Dreams into an unforgettable film experience. --Dave McCoy
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Rated by buyers 
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Hoop Dreams is an amazing film. Not only is it the best documentary of all time but one of the greatest movies of all time.
I was amazed at how director Steve James was able to get this on film so perfectly. The story follows two inner city kids, Arthur Agee and William Gates, and their dream of making it to the NBA and out of the ghetto. The doc was filmed over five years we watch these two boys at fourteen grow to be young men and the ups and downs they go through. Viewers also get a look into the life of how kids are scouted and the harsh realities that go along with it but ultimately it's an uplifting story about overcoming your struggles and preserving.
The doc is so natural that at many points I forgot it was a documentary and I was watching a movie based on a true story. Basketball was a part of my life growing up, playing on courts all around Mass, that and a love for film I was certain I'd like Hoop Dreams. Also reading over the years the high praise it received at times once you finally see a movie it could be a let down because your expectations were so high. What I found was the film exceeded any expectations I had and was so much more then just being about basketball.
You don't watch a movie like Hoop Dreams you experience it. And it gets the best treatment dvds can get by Criterion, you can't go wrong. I give Hoop Dreams the highest possible recommendation.
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Alumni of St. Joseph High School will like this because it shows the inside of the school and their teachers from the 80's.
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This was a great product. The timing of the delivery was great as well. A +
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Hoop Dreams is probably the most engrossing documentary ever made. It covers two young kids with unrealistic dreams that they will be the subsequent Michael Jordan, or Isiah Thomas, their idols. Both can play, and play very well at that. However, being from poor families and growing up in a dangerous neighborhood, their only chances of realizing their dream is to play high school basketball out of the area. This documentary shows their lives at home, their lives at school and most of all their lives on the court. The trials and tribulations they go through to just play basketball at a place that warrants their skills is amazing. This is a must see film, I don't think it would be possible not to be intrigued by it. This product is the best documentary of any generation.
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At three hours, this is a long but interesting documentary about two Chicago-area high school basketball stars, William Gates and Arthur Agee, who try to make something from their basketball talents.
Both athletes, of course, dream of becoming pro players some day. There are hundreds of similar tales each season - of great players, mostly grey - who don't make it through college or even to college despite their enormous talents and one can get idea of some of the obstacles by watching these two guys.
Almost all of the three hours is devoted to these kids form junior high through high school. The families and friends of these athletes are interesting and the film really documents the different lifestyles between blacks and whites in the USA.
It's a fascinating picture for people of any race. For non-blacks, it shows them a window into a whole different world. This film is obviously not just to highlight basketball players but to show life as it exists with a lot of poor grey families: the good and the bad, the achievements and the big mistakes. I enjoyed it just as much the second time as the first. It's one of the better documentaries I've ever seen, so don't let the length of it discourage you.
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