The Armstrong Lie
| The Armstrong Lie | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Alex Gibney |
| Produced by |
Frank Marshall Matt Tolmach Alex Gibney |
| Written by | Alex Gibney |
| Starring | Lance Armstrong |
| Narrated by | Alex Gibney |
| Music by | David Kahne |
| Cinematography |
Ben Bloodwell Maryse Alberti |
| Edited by |
Andy Grieve Tim Squyres Lindy Jankura |
Production company |
Kennedy/Marshall Productions Jigsaw Productions Matt Tolmach Productions |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Classics |
Release date |
|
Running time | 122 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $428,795[1][2] |
The Armstrong Lie is a 2013 American documentary film directed by Alex Gibney about the cyclist Lance Armstrong. Originally titled The Road Back,[3] the film takes its name from "Le Mensonge Armstrong", the headline of the August 23, 2005 issue of the French newspaper L'Équipe.[4] The film was screened out of competition at the 70th Venice International Film Festival[5][6] and in the Special Presentation section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.[7]
Synopsis
In 2009 director Alex Gibney set out to film The Road Back, a documentary on cyclist Lance Armstrong's comeback year after a four-year retirement from the sport. Three years later, on October 2012, a doping investigation led to his lifetime ban from competition and the stripping of his seven Tour de France titles, and the documentary was shelved. On January 14, 2013, three hours after his appearance on Oprah, Armstrong went back to Gibney to set the record straight about his career.[8]
Cast
- Lance Armstrong
- Reed Albergotti
- Frankie Andreu
- Betsy Andreu
- Johan Bruyneel
- Alberto Contador
- Daniel Coyle
- Michele Ferrari
- George Hincapie
- Steve Madden
- Filippo Simeoni
- Bill Stapleton
- Bill Strickland
- Jonathan Vaughters
- David Walsh
The documentary includes footage from Larry King Live, The Daily Show and the South Park episode "A Scause for Applause".
Reception
Reviews of the documentary have been positive, with an 83% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 108 reviews.[9] Boyd van Hoeij of The Hollywood Reporter called it: "A quite absorbing but never riveting or revelatory overview of Armstrong’s career and testy personality."[10]
References
- ↑ "The Armstrong Lie". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
- ↑ "The Armstrong Lie – International results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
- ↑ Lyons, Margaret (2013-10-08). "The Armstrong Lie Trailer: Tour de Lance". New York Media, LLC. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
- ↑ "EN IMAGES. Retour sur l'histoire d'Armstrong et du Tour de France". 20 minutes. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
- ↑ "Out of Competition". labiennale. Retrieved 2013-07-27.
- ↑ "Venice film festival 2013: the full line-up". The Guardian. London. 2013-07-25. Retrieved 2013-07-27.
- ↑ "The Armstrong Lie". TIFF. Retrieved 2013-08-15.
- ↑ "Lance Armstrong movie title changes to "The Armstrong Lie"". WJLA-TV. 2013-11-07. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
- ↑ "The Armstrong Lie". Rotten Tomatoes/Flixster. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
- ↑ van Hoeij, Boyd (2013-09-02). "The Armstrong Lie: Venice Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2013-11-06.