The Dale Earnhardt Story is an ESPN (made for TV) film, starring and co-produced by Barry Pepper; the story is biographical and dramatized.

Write 150 words or so about the film. Here are a few possibilities:

1 How does the director Russell Mulcahy create the dream sequence in which Dale imagines wrecking – what do you notice?

2 The scenes of life in the towel factory, where the workers are known as “lintheads” cause the audience to think or feel what? How is the director doing this: think about the acting- expressions, body language and movement and blocking (where the characters move within the frame), the cinematography- including camera angles, color, lighting, and framing (objects and characters within the frame/screen), the length and speed of the shoots and scene, the music, the sound effects.

3 If you’re familiar with the real-life Dale Earnhardt from watching interviews, what do you notice about how Barry Pepper portrays the legendary race car driver?

4 In this story world, what is it to be a man? A woman? A success? A father? A son?

5 Is Ralph Earnhardt, the father of Dale, depicted as a strong, manly, and loving father trying to teach his son so he will have a good life, or something else?

6 Do any fast cuts, glowing lighting, and or transitions between scenes stand out for you?