Harvard Beats Yale 29–29

"A fascinating feat of cultural archeology."—Richard Brody, New Yorker

Harvard Beats Yale is the account of the most thrilling football game in this long-running rivalry. Underdog Harvard pulled out a miraculous tie in the final moments of the 1968 game, prompting the title headline in the next morning's Harvard Crimson (the Harvard student newspaper).

Director Kevin Rafferty will be here for the Friday night screening, as will Upper Arlington native and former Harvard fullback Gus Crim, who is featured in the film.

Adding to the lore of this famed game is the roster of now-famous figures associated with it. Yale's quarterback, Brian Dowling, was a campus star and a regular character in classmate Garry Trudeau's student paper comic strip Doonesbury. The fullback was dating Meryl Streep, a tackle was George W. Bush's roommate for years, and halfback Calvin Hill would become the Dallas Cowboys' first-round pick and a notable pro player. Underdog Harvard's only returning offensive lineman was actor Tommy Lee Jones, Al Gore's roommate, and their safety had been fighting in Vietnam six months earlier. The film brings together vintage game footage and contemporary interviews with many of the participants, creating a wonderful cultural record of one of the most tumultuous periods in American history. (105 mins., video)

Trailer: