The 1970's gave rise to the "made for TV" movie on a regular basis, and a lot of them were pretty disappointing, with weak stories and poor acting. But then there's "Brian's Song" - which 40 years later still has to rank as one of the best (if not the best) TV movies ever made. It's a "football" movie to an extent, but it's far more than a football movie. It's a story about a friendship that known no bounds and that overcomes a lot of odds. In 1965, Gayle Sayers and Brian Piccolo were rookie running backs for the Chicago Bears. The should have been rivals and not friends. They were competing for starting positions; Sayers was black and Piccolo was white. There should have been too many divides for them to cross to build a friendship, and yet they did build a friendship.Billy Dee Williams and James Caan were wonderful in these title roles. For I would say two thirds of its short run time (minus TV commercials, it comes in at a little under an hour and a quarter) this is essentially a football movie. The friendship is well developed, but there's a heavy emphasis on training shots and a lot of really good real football footage, mostly of some spectacular runs by Sayers. The movie really takes off though once Sayers suffers a knee injury that knocks him out of the lineup. Piccolo takes his place, and Piccolo wants him back and helps him get back into game shape. For a while they share the backfield, and then the movie becomes a powerful tearjerker, as Piccolo is diagnosed with cancer, and Sayers sees him through his final illness.Yes, this is a made for TV movie. It's not flashy, but it's good - very good. And it's very moving. You can't help but feel sad as it comes to an end. Let's face it. 26 years olds (football players or not) shouldn't die, but they sometimes do - and it's very sad. But sad though it is, in the end you have to feel uplifted by this movie about the power of a friendship that overcomes all the odds against it. The movie also features a pretty strong performance from Jack Warden as the legendary Chicago bears coach George Halas. You can't ask for much more than this. (9/10)

There seems to be a pattern among the greatest of the ABC Movies of the Week, movies such as Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, Trilogy of Terror, Duel, among others. While the style of the TV movie looks much the same as others (due to TV-sized budgets), the story is so involving that it transcends its style. "Brian's Song" is a perfect example of this.The story emotionally connects us with Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers almost immediately. We care about what happens to the characters, and the chemistry Billy Dee Williams and James Caan have together totally sells the viewer on their friendship. As the plot thickens, our connection with the characters carries us through. Even though the style of the movie is a bit shoddy and carries a bit of '70s cheesiness, it adds to the charm of the movie and doesn't really matter as one watches it.Personally, I loved this movie and I did tear up. I don't think it's possible to watch this movie without doing so. The remake doesn't hold a candle to this.

I didn't realize that this was originally a made-for-TV movie when I first saw it and I think this movie shows how far TV has come in the last 30 plus years. Maybe I'm the only one who doesn't think this is a wonderful film, but it left me somewhat unfulfilled. The movie does have some good performances by its cast especially the roles of Pic and Sayers, their wives, and the head coach. Nevertheless, the acting seems geared towards making it play strictly as a tear-jerker, not a serious drama. My biggest complaint, however, was that there was not enough development in the characters to see how and why they became good friends. When did they go from playing practical jokes on each other to becoming like brothers? And then there was Pic's very unfunny racial humor. When Sayers gave him a pint of blood, he had an urge for chitterlings. Maybe that was funny in 1971, but wasn't a professional golfer roundly criticized for a similar comment about Tiger Woods? I couldn't understand some of the football humor either and the laughs seemed contrived rather than heartfelt. I think this could have been a much better movie if it had moved slower and there had been a little more character development to understand why these two guys clicked and became such good friends and then the loss would not seem contrived but real.

"Brian's Song", the 1971 version was the rarest of things, an excellent TV movie. Great cast of stars on their way up such as Billy Dee Williams, James Caan and Shelley Fabares, augmented by Jack Warden, Bernie Casey and David Huddleston, with several actual Chicago Bears. This movie is full of actual conversations between the players, who are real people with prejudices and human weaknesses. Yes, those are racial stereotypes and epithets, just like were used in that time, not the sanitized, soulless P C drivel of this day. The story is powerful, the friendship that builds between two men about as different as Americans can be. James Caan is Brian Piccolo, the overachieving, loudmouthed Italian boy. Billy Dee Williams is Gale Sayers, a gifted, shy African-American All-American, high profile running back who is pestered and ridiculed by Brian in the early stages of the story, but who becomes the ideal friend. Jack Warden portrays coach George Halas. Bernie Casey is the savvy and practical veteran player, J. C. Caroline, one of the Bears who mentors young Black players in the NFL/Bears way. As Brian and Gale help each other through training camp, injuries and ultimately death, the actors mesh perfectly, conveying the joy, excitement,camaraderie, practical jokes, triumphs and tragedies of life in the spotlight. Don't miss this movie, it has humor, sports, romance, dedication, vintage football clips and an inspiring message. Don't confuse this 1971 version with the weak remake. An unquestionable 10 that will be enjoyed by just about everyone, football fan or not. An added bonus is the great score. Buzz Kulik did a great job directing this movie, getting fine performances out of not only the real actors, but also the real Bears players and coaches.