Spellbound 2002

Locations
Call Number: DVD 372.632 Sp
On Shelf At: Downtown Library

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 1st Floor 1-week checkout	DVD 372.632 Sp	1-week checkout	On Shelf

Originally released as a documentary special in 2002.
Special features: commentary by filmmakers; theatrical trailer; bonus footage; where are they now? updates on all 8 profiled spellers; interactive Hangman game: deluxe edition; educational guide: includes "Host your own spelling bee" kit.
Angela Arenivar, Nupur Lala, Ted Brigham, Emily Stagg, Ashley White, Neil Kadakia, April DeGideo, Harry Altman, Alex Cameron.
Follows the lives of eight young Americans who share one goal: to win the 1999 National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. The Bee is as intense a competition as any Olympic match, for both the spellers and their families. The unbearable pressure becomes even more extraordinary when it is felt by ordinary teenagers.
DVD, full screen presentation; Dolby Digital.

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Intense and gripping submitted by cathiek on July 12, 2011, 10:38am Great documentary about, of all things, the National Spelling Bee. Don't scoff. It's REALLY good.

Excellent submitted by smgop on July 17, 2013, 8:26pm Done really well - the suspense is very gripping! Better than fiction.

Spellling Beez submitted by Meginator on August 11, 2021, 5:08pm This documentary profiles eight tweens who compete at the 1999 edition of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, and its hands-off style allows the competitors (and, occasionally to interesting editorial effect, their parents) to speak for themselves. The tension is immense, especially as the rounds go on and the pressure mounts, but the atmosphere is surprisingly supportive even among the more competitive parents. What emerges when the filmmakers allow the drama to speak for itself, rather than imposing a narrative on it, is an interesting look at a group of diverse overachievers with a range of motivations and backgrounds. The film is interesting for its profiles (all of the kids are charming and easy to root for, in their own way) and for its laid-back approach, which trusts the story to tell itself.