Renzo Gracie: Legacy is a 2008 documentary film about Renzo Gracie, a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter and Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, directed by Gethin Aldous and written by Aldous, Steve Allen and Adrian Miller.[1][2][3] Shot over a ten-year period, it shows the origins of the sport of mixed martial arts from its bare knuckle days to the explosion of the sport in Japan and America.[1][2][3]
| Renzo Gracie: Legacy | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Gethin Aldous |
| Written by | Gethin Aldous Steve Allen Adrian Miller |
| Produced by | Gethin Aldous |
| Starring | Renzo Gracie Robson Gracie Ryan Gracie Ralph Gracie Daniel Gracie B.J. Penn Pat Miletich Oleg Taktarov Andre Gusmão Kyra Gracie |
| Cinematography | Gethin Aldous |
| Edited by | Gethin Aldous |
| Music by | Adrian Miller |
Release date |
|
Running time | 78 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | English Portuguese |
Background
editRenzo Gracie is from the third generation of Brazilian jiu-jitsu's Gracie family.[3] In 1993, his uncle Rorion Gracie joined forces with Art Davie and Bob Meyrowitz to create a martial arts promotion to endorse his family's fighting style - the Ultimate Fighting Championship.[3] The sport is now considered one of the fastest growing in the world.[4]
Production
editThe film was shot, edited, produced, and directed by Gethin Aldous.[3] He followed Gracie over a 7-year period and another student of Gracie's, Alex Shum, followed him for 4 years before that.[3] The film was self-distributed.
Release
editIt premiered October 25, 2008 at the United States Sports Film Festival in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.,[1][2][3][5] and was released on DVD on November 14, 2008, through its own website and Amazon.com.[2]
Reception
editPaul Larkin of MMAjunkie wrote, "Gethin Aldous did a fantastic job with Legacy. He does not bore you to death with narration or beat you over the head with information.", and of the film, "...will no doubt be considered a masterpiece in the world of documentaries".[1] Elias Cepeda of Inside Fighting wrote, "Gethin Aldous’ new documentary film Renzo Gracie: Legacy should be considered an instant classic simply on the basis of its scope and breadth", and the film "...accomplishes the rare feat of being able to both satisfy the most ardent and informed sports fan’s desire for fresh, new perspective and knowledge and serve as an understandable primer for the uninitiated."[2]
Cast
edit(as themselves)
- Renzo Gracie
- Robson Gracie
- Ryan Gracie
- Ralph Gracie
- Daniel Gracie
- B.J. Penn
- Pat Miletich
- Oleg Taktarov
- Andre Gusmão
- Kyra Gracie
- Marcio Feitosa (Uncredited)
Additional sources
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d mmajunkie.com, by Paul Larkin (October 23, 2008), "Renzo Gracie: Legacy - An MMAjunkie.com film review", accessed 01-19-2009
- ^ a b c d e insidefighting.com, By Elias Cepeda (October 10, 2008), "Movie Review: Renzo Gracie: Legacy", accessed 01-19-2009
- ^ a b c d e f g thefightworkspodcast.com, Gethin Aldous Interview Transcription, accessed 01-10-2009
- ^ ussportsfilmfestival.com, "Renzo Gracie: Legacy", accessed 01-19-2009 Archived October 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ onthemat.com (October 8, 2008), "World Debut of “Renzo Gracie: Legacy” To Be Saturday October 25 at U.S. Sports Film Festival Presented by Comcast Sportsnet in Philadelphia", accessed 01-19-2009
- ^ mmamania.com, By: Jesse Holland (October 16, 2008), "Renzo Gracie: Legacy to premiere at the inaugural U.S. Sports Film Festival on October 25", accessed 01-19-2009
- ^ fiveouncesofpain.com, by Sam Caplan (September 14, 2008), "New Renzo Gracie documentary to debut during film festival", accessed 01-19-2009