Motion Pictures The Worlds Fastest Indian

Great Movie.. Great Piece of Salt History.. It's one you can't watch just once..

 

Came out in 2005. Stared Anthony Hopkins.

 

the world's fastest indian starred anthony hopkins as burt munro; it was an independent film written and directed by roger donadlson and released in the u.s. in 2006 by magnolia.

i have no clue what kurt russell or j.m. vincent flick you may be thinking of.

 

He's thinking "World greatest Athlete"Disney comedy and I don't remember any cool cars in it

 

And no helicopters either............

 

No further explanation required....

 

ALMOST every movie Anthony Hopkins is in is good...... a least HIS PART!

Really liked the Zorro he was in ..... GREAT MOVIE ..... Catherine Zeta Jones didn't hurt the scenery any. Of all the movies she has been in she looks the best in the Zorro films.

 

I remember waiting and waiting for that movie. Commented to a reviewer that it must have been the World's Fastest Indian cause I thought it came and went. I show it to my students as well. I particularly like the relationship with the motel desk clerk. Judge a book by its content not by the cover.

 

I may have missed it in a previous post but I remember him grinding his toenails with the shop grinder,a tradition still kept in this house much to my wife's dismay!

 

Saw the motorcycle in NZ. Going that fast on that thing would be scary and take balls. Definitely inspiration stuff and a credit to the man himself. As stated by RussTee the biography on his life by Roger DONALDSON is fascinating stuff and great reading. If you ever get down under, visit the hardware store in Invercargill.
Love the era and cars as well, if you want something that bad you have to work for it, it doesn't come easy; otherwise everyone would be doing it.

 

those are some cool pics,thanks guys

 

Burt inspired me ! i piss on my lemon tree every day now ...

 

The greatest movie ever!!!!

 

I saw it in the theater when it came out. The theater sound that I normaly hate was welcome for the Bonneville scenes and really made the experience for me. I also pre-ordered the DVD the first day it was available. A great and inspiring movie. Not something you can't say very often now days.

 

its a great movie...!!

 

it is not known whether or not burt ever micturated on a lemon tree. the inspiration for that bit was roger donaldson's father.

as much as i love this movie and treasure the experience of working on it, it has really ignited a lot of myths!

 

This was and still is one of the best films I have ever watched. I have the DVD and replay it a couple times every year. It's about time to watch it before heading out for Bonneville in Aug.

 

i really like the movie but i do see things i know just are not right, no way anyone would clamp a piston in a vice and then try and file 1/2" off the top from the casting process, they show a lathe not two feet away, i watched a documentary on youtube a few years ago called " offerings to the gods of speed" it does not seem to be on there anymore, does anyone knoe where i can find it, thanks

 

it's on the 'wfi' dvd.

i highly recommend that those who really love this movie watch it with the 'director's commentary' activated. you will learn a lot, including, the mold used in the movie was actually one of burt's piston molds.

 

I watched it at 6am this morning.

 

i would like to see the piston mold all apart, that does makes sence to me, i have this idea in my head what the inside parts are and how it all came apart.

the "wfi" dvd?

the DVD i own does not have the 1971 documentary

 

mine does in the "special features" section. also interviews with some of the actors and roger.

think i bought mine from blockbuster ????

 

I'm pretty much a movie curmudgeon. Most movies are predictable and don't do a very good job of telling an interesting and compelling story. (I simply will not sit through an entire movie if it's not both interesting and compellingly told. I'll get up and leave and use the extra time on my old cars.)

That is not the case with The Worlds Fastest Indian. It was a pleasure to watch from beginning to end.

I especially liked the early parts of the movie in the old man's shop where he was casting his own pistons.

 

i like his shop as well, reminds me of the shop i rent, it was built in 1958 from the timbers removed from an old church being torn down, the fellow i rent the shop from never tossed anything away, he was a welder, metal fabricator, machinest, foundry guy and a blacksmith all rolled into one, later in life he became a shop teacher, all his equipment and tools are still he and i use them every day.

 

What's cool about this movie is that back ground cars vary in age and condition. I hate it when watching a movie that takes place in the '1950s or 1960s and every other car is a perfect condition '55, '56 or '57 Chevy!

 

I watched the movie in 05 and it was the inspiration for friend of mine MJ and me to take his bike to the salt and create our own piece of history,while there i talked to some of the people there who asked why we came from england to the salt to race and i always told them that it was both Anthony Hopkins fault for portraying the man and Burt's fault for being that man ( they both got a lot to answer for).
One question has bee nagging me for some time and i hope someone can answer it,if the original Munro Special is in Invercargill then what is the bike that was at Pebble Beach?

David.

 

Hi David! Didn't know you were on here. From what little I know there were five replicas made for the movie. Not sure who made them but the name Kiwi Indian springs to mind. Could be way off on that. The replicas have been making the rounds. Dick Mann won the 1970 Daytona 200 on his 750 Honda. Many years later he went back for a re-union and was greeted by all four of his Daytona winning 750 Hondas. I guess its what you want to believe! Coming back to the salt anytime soon?

 

An incredible film. Start to finish.

In 1962, he set a world record of 288 km/h (178.95 mph) with his engine bored out to 850 cc (52 cubic inches)
In 1966, he set a world record of 270.476 km/h (168.066 mph)
In 1967, his engine was bored out to 950 cc (58 cubic inches) and he set a class record of 295.453 km/h (183.586 mph). To qualify he made a one-way run of 305.89 km/h (190.07 mph), the fastest-ever officially-recorded speed on an Indian. The unofficial speed record (officially timed) is 331 km/h (205.67 mph) for a flying mile.
In 2006, he was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.

 

great thread. love all the history. amazing movie.

 

The REAL Indian lives in California. It has the replacement engine, the numbers matching engine is in N.Z. I saw the bike when it was at Hershey in '87 to win it's senior award. The best book I've read about it was written by George Begg, Burt's best friend. The movie doesn't even touch on the genius of Burt Munro. BTW, he did cut the tread off of street tires, and actually cut into the cords at one place. So he oriented the cut with the valve stem and made sure the cut was hidden up under the fender when he pushed it to tech inspection. He also cut his own connecting rods from heavy equipment axles with a hacksaw and file, and had a friend bore them.