We Are Marshall
In November 1970, Marshall University lost its entire football
team, most of its athletic staff, many of its boosters, and other
prominent citizens in a devastating plane crash. Marshall's efforts to
grow out of that great tragedy and begin its recovery are chronicled in
the motion picture, We Are Marshall.
Movies that depict real-life events, such as We Are Marshall, Black Hawk Down, The Right Stuff, and Miracle all focus on a small group of individuals who were involved in those events. In Black Hawk Down, for example, we are not introduced to all of the soldiers who were involved, just the ones that help propel the story. In Miracle, actors playing Eric Strobel and Steve Christoff enjoyed very little screen time compared to those playing Jim Craig and Mike Eruzione. Also, in Black Hawk Down, some real life characters, like a certain group of Delta Force soldiers, were condensed into a single fictional character - Hoot.
Inevitably, the characters on whom the filmmakers or writers choose to focus their attention include mind, body, and spirit characters. All three are needed to make a story compelling and to make it relatable to a broad audience. Many times, this is intentional, but many writers, in writing a compelling story, include mind, body, and spirit unaware. I don't know which was the case for We Are Marshall, but regardless, all three character types are present.
Please note: All comments are based on the story as it is depicted in the film, not necessarily as it actually happened.
Nate Ruffin did not make the tragic trip with the rest of his team due to an injury. He was one of only about four upperclassmen who didn't die in that plane crash. After the crash, the university president announced to the upperclassmen that the football program would be suspended, which Nate understood as 'cancelled.' He rallied the student body to help convince the Board of Governors to keep the football program alive.
Nate dials up the intensity after Marshall's first loss. With an injured shoulder, he tries to prove he can still play so he can stay on the field. Later, we see why Nate is so insistent on proving himself despite the pain. He believes if he leaves the field the whole thing will fall apart. He is Atlas, carrying the burden of his entire world on his shoulders. It's not until Coach Dawson tells him he's 'done enough' that Nate realizes he can rest.
Red was supposed to have died in the plane crash, but he took a recruiting trip so another coach could be home in time to see his granddaughter's piano recital. That coach died, instead.
When Coach Lengyel approached Red about coming back to the coaching staff, he emphasized Red's knowledge of the area, responded to Red's knowledge of a game in which Lengyel had coached, and used Red's knowledge of a train derailment to make a point about getting the program 'back on track.'
Red uses his knowledge of college football to help Lengyel chooses a new style of play. When Lengyel wants to get some information about this style from West Virginia coach Bobby Bowden, Red is skeptical. He comes up with several reasons Bowden wouldn't want to give up the information they need, and all were valid. When he sees the tribute to Marshall's tragic loss painted on the WVU helmets, his frame of reference changes and only then does he understand why Bowden was so willing to help.
After Marshall loses its first game, Red wants to throw in the towel. He doesn't see the point in playing if there is not way the team could ever win. The point of playing is to win. Nothing else makes sense to Red. Just as in the scene with Bobby Bowden, Lengyel has to change Red's frame of reference so he can understand why winning may not be the only important thing for this team.
Everyone Marshall contacted for the coaching job refused, but Jack contacted Marshall. When the university president asked Jack why he wanted the position, his response had nothing to do with football. He empathized with the town and the people and knew they were hurting as a result of their loss and thought that by taking on the coaching job, he could help the town begin to heal.
Jack persuades people through analogy and parable rather than logic and reason. He tries to make an emotional or personal connection. When he wants the president of the university to go to the NCAA personally to request that freshman be allowed to play, Lengyel asks about how he proposed to his wife and about how his wife answered the proposal rather than simply saying he should go in person. Lengyel makes things persuasive by making them personal, not by making them logical.
When the style of play Lengyel brought to Marshall fails due to the youth and inexperience on the team, he quickly dumps it and asks for more ideas. When Red suggests the style used by Bobby Bowden at WVU, Lengyel starts for the door, ready to drive down and get some information from Bowden, despite Red's protests.
When Red becomes disheartened, Jack has to explain why it makes sense to keep playing, even though they can't win. After that, he brings the team to the cemetery, to where six members of the team who died in the crash are buried. He gives them an inspirational speech that has nothing to do with playing the game. It has to do with their connection to those who are buried there, again making it personal for each player.
In the final moments of the game against Xavier, Lengyel explained the play they would run, but didn't ask if they understood. Instead, he asked if they believed.
In the movie, the strength and determination of Nate Ruffin, combined with the knowledge of Red Dawson and the heart of Jack Lengyel, helped team, and the town, begin to heal. The story could not have been told without all three.
Movies that depict real-life events, such as We Are Marshall, Black Hawk Down, The Right Stuff, and Miracle all focus on a small group of individuals who were involved in those events. In Black Hawk Down, for example, we are not introduced to all of the soldiers who were involved, just the ones that help propel the story. In Miracle, actors playing Eric Strobel and Steve Christoff enjoyed very little screen time compared to those playing Jim Craig and Mike Eruzione. Also, in Black Hawk Down, some real life characters, like a certain group of Delta Force soldiers, were condensed into a single fictional character - Hoot.
Inevitably, the characters on whom the filmmakers or writers choose to focus their attention include mind, body, and spirit characters. All three are needed to make a story compelling and to make it relatable to a broad audience. Many times, this is intentional, but many writers, in writing a compelling story, include mind, body, and spirit unaware. I don't know which was the case for We Are Marshall, but regardless, all three character types are present.
Please note: All comments are based on the story as it is depicted in the film, not necessarily as it actually happened.
The Body Character: Nate Ruffin (Anthony Mackie)
Nate Ruffin did not make the tragic trip with the rest of his team due to an injury. He was one of only about four upperclassmen who didn't die in that plane crash. After the crash, the university president announced to the upperclassmen that the football program would be suspended, which Nate understood as 'cancelled.' He rallied the student body to help convince the Board of Governors to keep the football program alive.
Nate dials up the intensity after Marshall's first loss. With an injured shoulder, he tries to prove he can still play so he can stay on the field. Later, we see why Nate is so insistent on proving himself despite the pain. He believes if he leaves the field the whole thing will fall apart. He is Atlas, carrying the burden of his entire world on his shoulders. It's not until Coach Dawson tells him he's 'done enough' that Nate realizes he can rest.
The Mind Character: Red Dawson (Matthew Fox)
Red was supposed to have died in the plane crash, but he took a recruiting trip so another coach could be home in time to see his granddaughter's piano recital. That coach died, instead.
When Coach Lengyel approached Red about coming back to the coaching staff, he emphasized Red's knowledge of the area, responded to Red's knowledge of a game in which Lengyel had coached, and used Red's knowledge of a train derailment to make a point about getting the program 'back on track.'
Red uses his knowledge of college football to help Lengyel chooses a new style of play. When Lengyel wants to get some information about this style from West Virginia coach Bobby Bowden, Red is skeptical. He comes up with several reasons Bowden wouldn't want to give up the information they need, and all were valid. When he sees the tribute to Marshall's tragic loss painted on the WVU helmets, his frame of reference changes and only then does he understand why Bowden was so willing to help.
After Marshall loses its first game, Red wants to throw in the towel. He doesn't see the point in playing if there is not way the team could ever win. The point of playing is to win. Nothing else makes sense to Red. Just as in the scene with Bobby Bowden, Lengyel has to change Red's frame of reference so he can understand why winning may not be the only important thing for this team.
The Spirit Character: Jack Lengyel (Matthew McConaughey)
Everyone Marshall contacted for the coaching job refused, but Jack contacted Marshall. When the university president asked Jack why he wanted the position, his response had nothing to do with football. He empathized with the town and the people and knew they were hurting as a result of their loss and thought that by taking on the coaching job, he could help the town begin to heal.
Jack persuades people through analogy and parable rather than logic and reason. He tries to make an emotional or personal connection. When he wants the president of the university to go to the NCAA personally to request that freshman be allowed to play, Lengyel asks about how he proposed to his wife and about how his wife answered the proposal rather than simply saying he should go in person. Lengyel makes things persuasive by making them personal, not by making them logical.
When the style of play Lengyel brought to Marshall fails due to the youth and inexperience on the team, he quickly dumps it and asks for more ideas. When Red suggests the style used by Bobby Bowden at WVU, Lengyel starts for the door, ready to drive down and get some information from Bowden, despite Red's protests.
When Red becomes disheartened, Jack has to explain why it makes sense to keep playing, even though they can't win. After that, he brings the team to the cemetery, to where six members of the team who died in the crash are buried. He gives them an inspirational speech that has nothing to do with playing the game. It has to do with their connection to those who are buried there, again making it personal for each player.
In the final moments of the game against Xavier, Lengyel explained the play they would run, but didn't ask if they understood. Instead, he asked if they believed.
In the movie, the strength and determination of Nate Ruffin, combined with the knowledge of Red Dawson and the heart of Jack Lengyel, helped team, and the town, begin to heal. The story could not have been told without all three.
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