This old-fashioned underdog story, directed by George Clooney, follows the University of Washington’s junior varsity crew from their Depression-era beginnings to winning gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. In addition to the team's Olympic triumph, the film documents a forgotten moment in Hudson Valley sports history: the Poughkeepsie Regatta, an annual competition of mostly Ivy League crew teams that once made the city the rowing capital of the world. While the movie wasn't filmed on the Hudson, its producers consulted with Marist College archivists and their extensive collection of regatta photos and memorabilia for accuracy.
