“When I looked into the story of Soviet hockey and its players, I realized that it has nothing to do with hockey. It was a larger story using hockey as a window into the story of the rise and fall of the Soviet Union, the Russian people, with friendships and betrayals, paranoia and oppression, and the meaning of sports to people and nations around the world, and how sports was used as a political tool.” PeopleWorldStoriesPoliticalUsedFallNationsSportsPlayerToolsWindowUnionsBetrayalI RealizedOppressionAround The WorldHockeySovietSoviet UnionParanoiaRise And Fall Author:Gabe Polsky
“I'm American and I wanted my friend and people to see ' Red Army' . I didn't want it to be a film for Russia, although I did show it there and they absolutely loved it.” PeopleWantShowsWantedFilmMy FriendsRedArmyRussiaRed Army Author:Gabe Polsky
“When people do something extraordinarily well, it's self-evident. It could be art. It could be a circus, whatever it is, where people are doing incredible things. It's self-evident. You know that it's beautiful. You know that it's very difficult, but it looks easy.” PeopleKnowsWellsLooksArtSelfBeautifulEasyDifficultIncrediblesEvidentCircusBeautiful You Author:Gabe Polsky
“Sports is like literature. People watch it and if it's beautiful and it's non-violent, whatever messages that you see, people can read into it and say, "Wow! You know what? Whatever they're doing over there, it's extraordinary, and maybe that culture is superior to ours in certain ways."” PeopleIfsKnowsWayBeautifulCertainCultureLiteratureSportsWatchesMessagesExtraordinaryViolentSuperiorsWowNon Violent Author:Gabe Polsky
“If people see North American hockey and they see violence and brutality and it's not so interesting, that sends a message too about your culture.” PeopleIfsCultureInterestingViolenceMessagesHockeyBrutality Author:Gabe Polsky
“People think, sports delivers a message. It's not just about winning and losing, although that's important. It's about other things, too. It demonstrates how it can say certain things about your culture and your society.” PeopleThinkingImportantCertainCultureWinningSportsMessagesLosingWinning And Losing Author:Gabe Polsky
“I found a lot of stuff that's never been seen before. That was the goal: to not use cliché Cold War footage but give people a sense of the place and setting. It's a field you still need. At first it was a lot of fun, and then later it became a little bit intimidating. "Oh my God, I've got so much footage. Where am I going to put it? What am I going to do?" I ended up really only reviewing about 20 to 30 percent of what I had. So it was a task.” PeopleNeedsGivingFirstsLittlesStillsWarUseFoundFunStuffBitsGoalFieldsColdLittle BitPercentTasksSettingSettingsCold WarIntimidating Author:Gabe Polsky
“A lot of what I know as a filmmaker is because of hockey. That's teamwork, and being able to collaborate with people, and be creative with them, and get the most out of everybody. Everyone's got different talents, and you've got to bring out the best of everybody, and use your strengths and work together, and try and evolve it rather than do what was done before you, and to push into new areas.” PeopleKnowsTryingDifferentDoneUseAbleTogetherCreativeTalentAreasEvolveFilmmakerWorking TogetherTeamworkHockeyBe Creative Author:Gabe Polsky
“I've had a lot of coaches in my life, but I've only had a few very good ones. So, I try to take from the best ones and apply those to what I do and think and with anyone I work with in terms of how to motivate people and work with them.” PeopleThinkingTryingTermVery GoodCoaches Author:Gabe Polsky
