Lance Armstrong, the "King of the Tour de France," was once a mythical figure in the sports world. This American professional cyclist achieved the astonishing feat of winning the Tour de France seven times in a row. During his career, he also overcame cancer, making him seem invincible. However, in 2012, Armstrong was finally confirmed to have used performance-enhancing drugs. His Tour de France titles were stripped, and he received a lifetime ban, his past glories instantly shattered.

　　The film "The Armstrong Lie" is directed by Alex Gibney. Producers Matt Thomas and Frank Marshall experienced a similar rollercoaster ride to Lance Armstrong's, especially after Armstrong's final confession of cheating, marking a major turning point in the life of this seven-time Tour de France champion. The film chronicles Armstrong's life over the previous four years, from his return to the Tour de France in 2009 to his eventual admission of using performance-enhancing drugs.

　　 Film Synopsis:

　　 Director: Alex Gibney

　　 Screenwriter: Peter Elkind / Alex Gibney

　　 Starring: Lance Armstrong

　　 Genre: Documentary

　　 Country/Region of Production: USA

　　 Language: English

　　 Release Date: 2013-09-02 (Venice Film Festival) / 2013-11-08 (USA)

　　 Runtime: 122 minutes

　　 Also Known As: 'The Armstrong Lie / Lance Armstrong: The Road Back'

　　 Awards for The Armstrong Lie: 57th BFI London Film Festival (2013), Best Documentary (Nominated), 2014 British Academy Film Awards

　　This documentary won a 2014 British Academy Film Award.

　　 Initial Idea for the Film

　　Thomas and Marshall originally planned to make a feature-length film based on Armstrong's 2000 autobiography, "It's Not About the Bike." But before they could begin, Lance called the producers, telling them he was returning to racing, putting the film on hold. Later, they decided to revive the project and invited Gibney to direct because he was less familiar with the subject matter than Thomas and Marshall, giving him more creative freedom.

　　"Frank and I had known Lance for a while, but Alex didn't know much about cycling or this world champion. So we thought he could analyze and integrate the material we had more objectively and fairly, preparing the content for the film. We received so much material that we were a little confused about what the film should cover, sometimes unable to see clearly or correctly face the truth," Thomas said.

　　Despite his unfamiliarity with cycling and Lance Armstrong, and the later impact of the doping scandal, Gibney was drawn to the project because he admired the athlete's unique personality. "What struck me most was that this film could show both his light and dark sides. The light side is that after battling cancer and death, he decided to return to racing and win the world's most difficult sporting events again after six times, while the dark side is how he would stop at nothing to achieve his goals."

　　However, the film that appeared before the audience was clearly far from the initial idea. This can be traced back to Armstrong's confession of cheating, which directly affected the tone of the documentary. After confessing to using performance-enhancing drugs on Oprah Winfrey's television show, Armstrong agreed to have two final meetings with Gibney in early 2013 to discuss the film's plot development. These two meetings completely changed the documentary's original plot and ending. By the end of the meetings, the prepared conversations gradually turned into casual exchanges, without makeup, filming, or notes. The film was renamed from "The Road Back" to "The Armstrong Lie."

　　Film Stills

　　 Different Perspectives

　　The documentary features a significant amount of footage of Armstrong speaking directly to the camera. He admits that in real life, he rarely lies, yet he had spun a huge lie under the public eye for years. In fact, ever since Armstrong's recovery and his first Tour de France victory, suspicions about his possible use of performance-enhancing drugs never ceased. However, it wasn't until August 23, 2012, that the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) officially declared Armstrong's doping to be a fact, stripping him of his seven Tour de France titles and imposing a lifetime ban. At that moment, countless people sadly removed their yellow wristbands bearing the words "Live Strong." These bands had represented Lance Armstrong's spirit in his fight against cancer and fate, but now they were also seen as "evidence" of his deception and betrayal. The collapse of a legendary myth into a fraud shattered the minds of many road cycling enthusiasts, and many shared their feelings after watching this documentary.

　　 An anonymous interviewee who saw the premiere said: "This isn't a film about an athlete's doping violations, but a film about the power of human nature."

　　 Eternal Azure: Perhaps, in a sense, Lance Armstrong shouldn't bear all the blame. As is well known, Armstrong's career began in the early 1990s, and the following decade was a period of rampant doping in cycling. Almost all top riders at that time had used drugs. Pantani, Ullrich, Hamilton, Beloki, Basso, and other rivals who competed with Armstrong later fell from grace. Undoubtedly, the scandal involving Armstrong and the US Postal Service team was not an isolated case. Lance Armstrong's lies were a microcosm of that era rife with lies, a natural product of a dark backdrop.

　　Armstrong admitted to cheating on Oprah's show

　　 Douban user '麦田的守望者': Armstrong's last words in the film left a deep impression on me. He said that many years later, when people look back on his seven years in the Tour de France, they will still marvel at his seven championships. There are so many complex emotions in this: arrogance, inferiority, complacency. Armstrong is such a complex person, and it is precisely because of his complexity and the ultimately unclear truth that I feel this film tells a compelling story.

　　 Douban user 'sarrra':

　　I remember those summer vacations when I would wake up at 2 a.m. to watch the Tour de France.

　　In the monotonous voice of the commentator on CCTV5 and the unchanging race footage, I would always fall asleep and wake up again, but I still persevered until the end of the race, just to see him stand on the podium in the yellow jersey.

　　In a rainy individual time trial, he and Ullrich were vying for the yellow jersey. The gloomy weather mirrored my mood until Ullrich fell heavily to the ground, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

　　The spectacular peloton on the Champs-Élysées, the neat and beautiful leaning arc of all the riders as they turned the corner, and he, full of spirit, enjoyed the final ride surrounded by his teammates.

　　Standing on the final podium, the familiar music played, he was wearing the yellow jersey, lovely children were beside him, and he smiled and acknowledged the cheers with the champion's trophy and flowers. At that time, I would silently think to myself: One day I will go to Paris, stand where he once stood, and see the scenery he once saw.

　　In my adolescence, I didn't want to admit the existence of 'idols,' but every July, at midnight, I would faithfully be in front of CCTV5 for five years.

　　Now that he has fallen to this point, recalling those sleepless nights, I don't know how to face it.

　　 Douban user 'zykmilan': My childhood hero, the fall of a miracle. More than a decade of questioning, met with more than a decade of lies. Looking back, the biggest loser wasn't Lance, nor those he deceived, but the sport of cycling itself. When you realize that every generation of cyclists has been continuously using performance-enhancing drugs, the sport has already been ruined.

　　Armstrong's story isn't glorious, and cycling competition isn't as transparent as we might imagine, but it's undeniable that it's a captivating sport. Otherwise, why would so many people resort to any means to pursue the highest glory? We can't change its past, but at least its future is still in our hands.