"Actor: Curtis Gates"

• Hoop Dreams: 20th Anniversary Restoration | Blu Ray | (02/11/2020) from £8.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Two ordinary inner-city Chicago kids dare to reach for the impossible - professional basketball glory - in this epic chronicle of hope and faith. Filmed over a five-year period, Hoop Dreams, by Steve James, Frederick Marx, and Peter Gilbert, follows young Arthur Agee and William Gates and their families as the boys navigate the complex, competitive world of scholastic athletics while dealing with the intense pressures of their home lives and neighbourhoods. This revelatory film continues to educate and inspire viewers, and it is widely considered one of the great works of American nonfiction cinema. Special Features New high-definition digital restoration Additional Scenes Theatrical Trailer

• Hoop Dreams | DVD | (26/07/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Two ordinary inner-city kids dare to dream the impossible-professional basketball glory-in this epic chronicle of hope and faith. Filmed over a five-year period Hoop Dreams follows young Arthur Agee and William Gates as they navigate the complex competitive world of scholastic athletics while striving to overcome the intense pressures of family life and the realities of their Chicago streets.

• Hoop Dreams | DVD | (03/02/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  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 centre. 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