By Dave Montalbano
http://cinemadave.livejournal.com
With the release of his autobiography The Outsider: A Memoir, champion Jimmy Connors has pinched a controversial nerve that has rocked a local tennis icon and philanthropist.
Growing up in South Florida during the 1970s, one witnessed the tennis boom first hand as Chris Evert, Harold Solomon, Billie Jean King and Bjorn Borg seemed to be on television every weekend.
Held the first weekend after the Super Bowl, the Pepsi Cola Grand Slam tournament in Boca West featured the champions of Australia, Wimbledon, the U.S. and French Open.
Without the same fanfare, in four days, professional tennis will kick off it’s summer season with the French Open at Roland Garros. The only modern players who seem to capture halycon days of the 1970s are the sisters from West Palm Beach, Venus and Serena Williams.
The documentary Venus and Serena opens tomorrow. It is a fascinating film because the subject matter does not deal with a winning year, but the disappointing 2011 season for the two sisters.
With permission from the Williams family, directors Maiken Baird and Michelle Major presents Serena’s over-reaction to an Asian linesman at the U.S. Open. We witness Venus learning that she has an autoimmune disease. Showcasing professional vagabonds, Venus and Serena removes the glamour of tennis and reveals the professional drudgery of moving from hotel room to hotel room.
As the sisters confront the twilight of their tennis careers, the family unit becomes stronger. Like their parents, Venus and Serena were humbled by their adversity. This documentary is presented with such candor that one’s perspective of the pair will change after viewing it.
For tonight only, Cinema Paradiso presents ROCK SHOW: Paul McCartney and Wings, a concert documentary about Sir Paul’s tour of America, circa 1976. This special screening will be hosted by 102.7 WMXJ’s Joe Johnson, producer of The Beatles Brunch. On Saturday night at 8 p.m, they will also present Across the Universe: The Ultimate Beatles Tribute Band. For ticket information for both events, call 954-525-FILM.
