127. The Ice King; movie review

THE ICE KING
Cert 12A
89 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate sex references, discriminatory attitudes

Those of us of a certain age will remember that, once every four years, we became overly excited at the prospect of a British gold medal in... ice skating.
Yep, more than 24 million of us were glued to our TVs in 1984 as Torvill and Dean wowed us with the Bolero.
Four years previously, Robin Cousins, who went on the be head judge on Dancing On Ice, won gold in Lake Placid thanks to being able to spin both clockwise and anti-clockwise.
But their paths to Olympic glory had been laid by John Curry - Britain's first ice superstar after his gold in Innsbruck in 1976.
As James Erskine's documentary, The Ice King, recalls - Curry wasn't just a ground-breaker in sport - he broke down barriers of sexual prejudice.
Erskine chronicles Curry's life from a childhood in a traditional home tin Birmingham through his skating success at the Olympics and on to his professional career which proved to be ruinous.
He includes footage of many of his memorable performances including some very rare home movie-style clips.
There are frank archived interviews of Curry, who died from Aids in 1994, and modern ones from those who knew him.
Curry will always be known primarily for his extraordinary skills on the ice but more than 40 years on, it is difficult to fully appreciate his bravery in coming out as a gay man.
I vaguely recall his manner prompting presumption that he was gay but, in the 1970s, sexuality was not something with was made public.
I have since read conflicting reports about whether Germany's Bild Zeitung outed him or Curry did it himself after winning his gold medal.
Either way, Erskine's film suggests that he was content to be out and, while not and avid campaigner, did live openly as a gay man.
However, it also shows that, despite his popularity, he was never able to cash in his Olympic success, largely because he was a poor businessman who was difficult to work with.
Erskine's film is influenced heavily by letters written by Curry to friends and family - prompting the question of how such a film could be made of today's stars.
Maybe the documentary-makers of the future will have to trawl Facebook entries?
I digress. This is a riveting film about a great star who, sadly, died embittered and almost penniless.

Reasons to watch: Fascinating biopic of a great and controversial sportsman
Reasons to avoid: Curry's story has been reasonably well told already

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7.5/10

Director quote - James Erskine: " I've talked to [American ice skating champion] Johnny Weir for the film who said that there is still a huge degree of homophobia in all sport. The film has strong contemporary relevance for that reason.

The big question: Why has ice skating taken such a back seat after the heady days on the 70s and 80s?

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