The Disney film, Young Woman and the Sea, opens across the world today.

The enjoyable 2 hour 9 minute movie is about the life and English Channel crossing of Gertrude Ederle who won a gold medal at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris and later became the first woman to swim across the English Channel in 1926.

The movie is based on the book written by Glenn Stout: Young Woman & the Sea – How Trudy Ederle Conquered the English Channel and Inspired the World that was published in 2009.

https://youtu.be/7tNvrYzPUrk

10 Reasons to Watch

1. Learn more about the iconic life of Gertrude Ederle. Competing as a woman in the 1920’s was extremely daunting, but Daisy Ridley (playing Ederle), Tilda Cobham-Hervey (playing her sister Meg), Kim Bodnia (playing her sternly protective father Henry, and Jeanette Hain (playing her stubbornly supportive mother) portray the lifestyles and challenges of the era. The realities of the hard-working life of a butcher and the fiercely loving traditional life of a German immigrant in New York City comes to life.
2. Appreciate the dedication and passion for swimming and giving women the opportunity to learn how to swim and compete at the highest level as portrayed by Sian Clifford as Charlotte, Ederle’s first and true coach and supporter.
3. Understand the dichotomy of James Sullivan, portrayed by Glenn Fleshler. He was supportive of Ederle’s presence at the 1924 Olympics and her first English Channel attempt – but only to a point. In reality, Sullivan died in 1914 and barred American women from participating in the 1912 Olympics, but the message of the significant barriers against female participation in sports of that era were made quite clear.
4. Grasp the importance of a capable support crew and the value of first-hand experience of a channel swimmer. Stephen Graham portrays how Bill Burgess helped Ederle ultimately succeed, his deep belief in her potential, and the risks he took to help her achieve her dream.
5. Recognize the inspiration and help provided by fellow channel swimmer Ishak Helmy who failed at crossing the English Channel several times, but served in a major role in helping Ederle both on dryland and in the water.
6. Enjoy the drama and controversy created by Jabez Wolffe, Ederle’s 1924 Olympic coach and her first English Channel coach as played by Christopher Eccleston.
7. Be surprised at the appearance of 11-time world professional marathon swimming champion Petar Stoychev in the film. The Bulgarian star portrays one of a hearty group of fellow channel swimmers who support Ederle.
8. Be entertained with the musical score, humor, sadness, and emotional drama of the film as well as the cinematography and costume design – including her goggles and swimsuit. All excellent and par with Disney films, especially those produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.
9. Recognize historical inconsistencies. Channel swimmers will recognize the skin ointment that Ederle puts on her skin in the film is basically a thin film of white cream – and is not a protective layer of goose fat, axle grease, or other ointments used by channel swimmers of the 1920’s. In one pool scene, one of the scenes shows a swimmer dolphining off the wall after a turn in the pool – something that was most likely very unlikely among competitive pool swimmers in the 1920’s. While the film portrayed Ederle seeking a second attempt only a few weeks after her first DNF, there was actually a year between her attempts.
10. Enjoy the last few minutes of the film where real-life images and videos of Ederle, her contemporaries, and the massively large ticker tape parade in New York City attended by an estimated 2 million people are shown.

https://youtu.be/84fYnCEVfJI

Ridley, one of the world’s most recognizable stars with lead roles in the Star Wars sequel trilogy: The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017), and The Rise of Skywalker (2019), does a remarkable job bringing alive the screenplay by Jeff Nathanson that showcased a lot of footage from Bulgaria.

Gertrude Ederle Background

Ederle is one of the most iconic figures in the open water swimming world. In 1926, two years after winning 3 Olympic medals, and after a DNF of her first crossing, she shocked the world with the first swim across the English Channel by a women. In 14 hours 39 minutes, she swam nearly 2 hours faster than the men’s record at the time, held by Enrico Tiraboschi in 16 hours 33 minutes that was set in 1923.

First People Across the English Channel

1. Matthew Webb from England to France in 21 hours 45 minutes on August 24th 1875 (breaststroke)
2. Thomas Burgess from England to France in 22 hours 35 minutes on September 5th 1911
3. Henry Sullivan from England to France in 26 hours 50 minutes on August 5th 1923
4. Enrico Tiraboschi from France to England in 16 hours 33 minutes on August 11th 1923
5. Charles Toth from France to England in 16 hours 58 minutes on September 8th 1923
6. Gertrude Ederle from France to England in 14 hours 39 minutes on August 1926

Enjoy a great film – and another movie about a marathon swimming hero.

© 2024 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

“to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline“

A World Open Water Swimming Federation project.