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Jim Thorpe was a Native American who after reluctantly leaving his Oklahoma reservation, went on to become one of the greatest athletes that America produced. Naturally things aren't all wine and roses, and this is a tale that hits both the light and dark of human achievement.

Being English and not over familiar with the later life of Jim Thorpe, i can't attest to the accuracy of this particular biopic, so {perhaps a bonus} i can only judge this piece solely as the roller-coaster picture it turned out to be. What we get is a great story of a man who was permanently pushing himself to be better, and yes to be accepted for his racial background that he felt was hindering him to his ultimate goals. From an unaware angry young man to an all encompassing sports star, Jim Thorpe pushed the boundaries of each discipline he took on. Be it Baseball, Football, and total domination in Track & Field, Jim Thorpe was an incredible man who's story probably deserves better than this picture was able to give us. That's not to say that this Michael Curtiz picture is found wanting, because it's a very solid and impacting piece, i just feel that it doesn't quite reach the glorious heights that Thorpe himself reached.

Burt Lancaster stars as Thorpe, and it's a great bit of casting, physically he's perfect {he trained hard to capture believability in the role}, and he enthuses a great deal of emotion with the character, particularly during the darker parts of the story. Also standing out is Charles Bickford as Glen "Pop" Warner , a crucial mentor and voice of reason to Thorpe, whilst i'll raise a glass to the bright as a button performance of Phyliss Thaxter as Thorpe's wife Margaret, she is asked solely to carry the female weight in the picture and layers it perfectly. Sometimes uplifting, and at times inspirational, Jim Thorpe-All American is still an ultimately sobering experience, and it's with the sobering side of the picture that i come out of it with a rating of 8/10.

Another of those great old biopics they did so well back in Hollywood's heyday. This one's from Warner Bros. and is directed by Michael Curtiz. It stars Burt Lancaster as Jim Thorpe, a Native American athlete who excelled in many sports in the first half of the Twentieth Century. He even won two gold medals at the 1912 Olympics, only to have them taken away from him on a technicality. As is the case with most biopics, then and now, liberties are taken with the facts of Thorpe's life for the purpose of telling the story in a more condensed and dramatic way. This is always a point of contention for many. As I've said in the reviews for numerous biopics before, it really doesn't bother me. I find that biographical pictures today are just as 'wrong' as then and for worse reasons. The main difference seems to be back then they glossed things up and tried to focus on the positive parts of a notable person's life story, whereas today the negatives are focused on and, in many cases, rumors and innuendo are passed off as fact.

However you feel about the authenticity of these kinds of movies, it's hard to deny they were often very well-done dramas with great acting and top production values. Here we have a fine performance from Lancaster, as well as Charles Bickford as Thorpe's coach, Pop Warner. A solid supporting cast is another plus. The sports scenes are all fun and manage to incorporate old footage with the new nicely. Overall, it's not my favorite classic Hollywood biopic, or even in my top ten, but it's an entertaining one about an important figure in American sports. Definitely worth a look if you don't have a bug up your rear about the historical accuracy of biographical movies.

Emotional and heartfelt story of athlete Jim Thorpe (superbly portrayed by Burt Lancaster), a multi-faceted individual who dominated several sports of the early-20th Century. The film follows the title character from his youth at his reservation (Thorpe was a Native American) and proceeds through his college, professional and Olympic careers. Tragedy strikes on more than one occasion though as the super-star goes into a tail-spin, feeling that his nation and even God have turned their backs on him (due to his Olympic medals being stripped and the death of his young son). Through it all the film is told in wonderful flashbacks by Coach "Pop" Warner (the always outstanding Charles Bickford). Definitely worth a look. An under-rated and somewhat ignored gem from the director of "Casablanca" (Michael Curtiz). 4.5 out of 5 stars.

This is a powerful story of the trials and tribulations of Jim Thorpe, a hero in the true sense of the word. Burt Lancaster plays the extremely talented Native American Indian. We see the football heroics at Carlisle College; being stripped of his coveted Olympic medals, and the sinking into an alcoholic oblivion.

Charles Bickford plays Pop Warner, Thorpe's coach at Carlisle. Phyliss Thaxter is the patient and concerned sweetheart. Also in the cast are Suni Warcloud, Jack Big Head and Al Mejia. The legendary Michael Curtiz directs. Lancaster is excellent as the multi-talented Thorpe, from the hills of Oklahoma.

Parts of this movie were filmed at Bacone College and Indian Bowl in Muskogee, Oklahoma.

This was an enjoyable, interesting biography and another instance of Burt Lancaster giving an intense acting performance.

Sure, this is revisionist history here but it did show both the good and bad sides of Thorpe, one of America's all-time greatest athletes who excelled almost a century ago. Some still think he is the best athlete ever in the history of the United States.

Lancaster was in great shape to play Thorpe which helped make him look convincing as a top athlete. Charles Bickford was very good as "Pop Warner," Thorpe's dedicated coach and a famous sports figure in his own right. Phyllis Thaxter was wholesomely attractive as Jim's wife. None of the leading actors who were Native Americans, as Thorpe was, are played by actual Indians but that's classic Hollywood. It takes away from some of the realism of the film.

The movie features a good mix of melodrama and sports and interesting characters. It's good entertainment.

Not being much of an athlete myself, it follows that I am no sports fan but, sometimes, movies dealing with that topic have managed to be engrossing for me nonetheless and, to some degree, the film under review is another such example. At 38, Burt Lancaster is absurdly overage playing renowned Native American athlete Jim Thorpe as a student but, overall, he is ideally cast as the man who became known as "America's greatest athlete of the first half of the twentieth century." I would not really know but Thorpe's feat of excelling in just about every sport he tried his hand (or feet) at – from racing to long jump, from javelin to high jump, from baseball to football, etc. – is probably unparalleled in the history of sports. As a biopic, it follows the standard pattern of similar Hollywood fare: from rebellious childhood to uneasy student to formidable athlete to Olympic champion, followed by first professional and later personal tragedy and the subsequent, gradual fall from grace (including divorce and public humiliation). Equally typical of the genre, however, is the heavy streamlining of the subject's life that, in this case, jettisons Thorpe's other two wives and his Hollywood career as an extra in several notable films like KING KONG (1933) and WHITE HEAT (1949). Prolific director Curtiz adds another biopic to his repertoire (even if it fails to scale the heights of the best of them) and the cast is rounded up by Charles Bickford (as Thorpe's coach and conscience), Phyllis Taxter (as his first wife), Steve Cochran (as his rival in love and football team-mate!), Dick Wesson (as his best friend) and Nestor Paiva (as his resigned but sensible Indian father). By sheer coincidence, just yesterday I came across Kon Ichikawa's acclaimed documentary of the 1964 Olympics, TOKYO OLYMPIAD (1965) and, under the circumstances, I could not pass up a chance to acquire it!

I was 11 years old when saw this movie in India. I was absorbed and fascinated by the story and the sincerity of performance by Burt Lancaster. The movie gave a great boost to my interest in sports and helped make me work harder at track and field sports. I fell in love with Phyllis Thaxter because she is so beautiful. It was sad to see Burt portray the elderly but dignified Thorpe. I intend to make a visit to Jim Thorpe, PA and the Carlisle Indian School. They are just a few hours drive away from where I now live. It was clear from Burt's performance that he had great respect for the Native American and fully succeeded in bringing dignity and glory to Thorpe and his native ancestors. It was refreshing to see that the modern version of the proverbial "noble savage" was really noble and savage has no place in the description of the American Indian. It was an unforgivable affront to Thorpe, his family and his people for the International Olympic Commission to wrongly strip him of his medals only to return them posthumously to his family. Viswanathan

For anyone who watches this film, I think they should seriously consider this one since its real awe-inspiring. Jim Thorpe was truly a REAL American icon not because of what he did for the world of sports; but because he was a Native American First Nations person who had achieved a heck of a lot in his life which as a result made him out to be very famous! :D I don't know if anyone knows this or not but Jim was the very first NFL commissioner way before Pete Rozelle and all those other guys came into the picture. Of course, he super excelled at the football with the track and field activities. So he was really a multi-sport personality.

But........... anyways........ this is why I gave this film a 7 out of 10.

This was a great film, and was Lancaster at his best, he seemed so strong in this roll, winning almost everything he took part in had to be a sight to see, Thorpe was a good American, and

should never had his medals taken away, but that was life in those days. I know that he must have been really low at that time and disgusted with all of sports, I would have like to have seen him play but that was way before my time. The ending was sad, but it kind of left you wondering what he did do after sports.

Burt Lancaster and Charles Bickford give convincing portrayals as Jim Thorpe and Pop Warner respectively. It is too bad that Indians could not have played many of the characters but then this was 1951. Thorpe himself was an advisor bringing credibility to the film related to its accuracy.

With his well-built frame, it's a cinch that Burt Lancaster would be cast in lots of movies that showed it off. In Jim Thorpe - All American, he plays the real athlete who competed in the Olympic games. For the athletic fans in the audience (or the girls), there are lots of scenes that show off his physical talents.

The story itself is quite sad. He plays a young man with a temper, who doesn't always get a fair shake. He's Native-American, and leaves his reservation to better his mind and train his body at college. He meets the sweet, loving Phyllis Thaxter, and falls in love. Where's the sadness? With a doting girlfriend, a promising start, and an Olympic future on the horizon, what can go wrong? A lot, so don't rent this movie if you're just expecting a full success story. It would be sad enough on its own, but it tugs on your heart even more because it's true.

While modern audiences might criticize the casting as "whitewashing", Burt's physicality and athletic talents make you forgive the redhead for changing his race onscreen. However, if you think it's just too strange that Burt was cast to play a Native American, you won't want to rent the movie he made three years later: Apache.

The better flicks have visual images that stick forever in your brain. This one has three:

1- the scene where Burt is fighting with his wife with the cigarette fumes flaming out of his nostrils

2-the crane shot when Burt is alone in the L.A. Colosseum.

3-the crane shot settling in on Burt after he kicks the football to the boys in the hood

also, at some point in our lives, don't we all have Charles Bickford narrating some individual triumph of ours??? I have nothing against Morgan Freeman, who is an excellent narrator, but I wish that Charley had lived long enough to do "March of the Penguins"

For those not familiar with Thorpe and his athletic accomplishments, the first hour of the movie adequately covers the basics; for those unaware of his troubled personal life, the last 45 minutes conveys the spirit of his off-the-field difficulties if not an accurate historical account. Even though he appeared in nearly 60 films, primarily as an uncredited extra and frequently as an Indian (Native American), Thorpe's Hollywood career is completely ignored.

Burt Lancaster plays Thorpe energetically, and credibly given his physical talents, Charles Bickford plays the legendary 'Pop' Warner, Thorpe's first coach (at Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania) and mentor, and Phyllis Thaxter plays Thorpe's first wife Margaret (Iva in real life); Thorpe's other wives and children other than the fated Jim Jr. are never mentioned.

Though he hadn't played organized sports before attending Carlisle, Thorpe was a natural who excelled at every one he tried including track and field, football and baseball. After leading his college football team to a championship, he went on to win both the pentathlon and the decathlon at the 1912 Summer Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden though he was later stripped of these titles and had to return his medals after it was learned that he'd played baseball for money during one summer while at Carlisle (70 years later, these honors were reinstated).

No longer an amateur, Thorpe played professional baseball before, as its star player, he helped to establish what is now known the National Football League.

The film was directed by Michael Curtiz and written (and/or adapted from Thorpe's biography with Russell Birdwell) by its producer Everett Freeman, Frank Davis and Douglas Morrow, among others. Steve Cochran plays a rival come friend of Thorpe's and Nestor Paiva appears uncredited as Thorpe's father in the opening sequences on the Oklahoma reservation where Jim was raised.

It's a biopic of Native American athlete Jim Thorpe (Burt Lancaster). This is well before my time. I know a little bit of his story. I've heard of legendary football coach Pop Warner (Charles Bickford), but I don't actually know anything about his career. As for accuracy, I would rely on others.

Burt Lancaster has the physicality of this character if not the racial makeup. The bigger problem is that he is closer to forty than as a teenager or twentysomething athlete. It is interesting to see how this 50's movie deal with the issue of racism. It speaks to the 50's as much as early 20th century. A modern movie would try to dig into Jim's anger issues. This movie puts it down to his personality. Burt is a great actor. He gives this character sympathy and depth. He makes this better than a run-of-a-mill biopic.

Why they fictionalized the story of Jim Thorpe so much is a mystery. Most biopics do change a few details for dramatic purposes, but unfortunately they overdid it here.

Burt Lancaster was certainly athletic, but his being older than the title character and not really resembling him was a detraction. Furthermore, the story depicted one wife and a child who died, while in reality Thorpe was married three times and had eight children, only one dying. Hopefully they can make something more accurate in the future.