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Footy Flix
By Jack Bell
Films about soccer had their 90 minutes of fame this year at the Cannes film festival in France - but throughout movie history, especially in the past year or so, it has been hard to tell if movies have discovered soccer or if the game that uses the golden goal is merely the next new thing on the silver screen.
One film industry insider - a new Yorker in his late 40s who plays the game - said the best soccer movies ("Bend it Like Beckham and "Gregory's Girl") are really not about soccer at all. And the movies about soccer ("Game of their lives" and "Victory") are never authentic enough for the believers and never successful enough at the box office.
"These movies are not about the game at all, but use the game as a backdrop,' said Werner Roth, a former player for the Cosmos who played on the Nazi team in the 1981 film "Victory," which was directed by the legendary John Huston. "In Bend it Like Beckham' she really wasn't a good player at all. she was not the player the storyline would have you believe." then perhaps to paraphrase, the fault is not in our stars, but in ourselves.' The people attracted to soccer pictures for the soccer tend to be more critical than the Roger Ebert's and Rex Reed's of the world. Brutal critics.
As popular as soccer is around the world, the number of people who go to the movies dwarfs the number of people who attend, and are in interested in soccer matches. "What's changing in Hollywood, which used to only cater to the American audience, is the attraction worldwide sales. The appeal of soccer has really changed teh attitude toward movies with soccer themes," said Lexi Alexander, the german director of the forthcoming movie "Hooligans". "What has happened is that Hollywood doesn't only see an American audience, it sees the entire world."
Arsenal Stadium Murder Mystery (1940)
An absolute gem of a film that is rarely seen on these shores, the movie is a bout a mystery set against the backdrop of the 1939 team, and stars some of its famous players as well as manager George Allison. They walk, they talk, they ride a train, they play soccer. A forward for the opposition collapses during a charity game, murdered, at Highbury (the game footage is a priceless peek back) and Scotland Yard's Inspector Slade (Leslie banks) is called in to solve the case. Warning to Generation X: the movie is in glorious black and white.
Bend it Like Beckham
Which came first: David Beckham or the movie he never really appeared in? The game of soccer was a metaphor for the age-old story of immigrant assimilation - this time the focus is an Indian family in London instead of an Irish family on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The London theme involves the bigger taboo of a girl playing a man's (or a lesbian's) game and her parent's discomfort.
Victory (1981)
Based loosely (ever so loosely) on the true story of the Dynamo Kiev team during the Nazi occupation of Ukraine during World War II, John Huston brought together Michael Caine, Slyvester Stallone, and a collection of real soccer players (including Pele, Bobby Moore, Paul Van Himst, Osvaldo Ardilles, Werner Roth, Kaz Deyna and nearly the whole Ipswich Town club) in a match between Allied prisoners of war and their German captors. The prisoners pass on the plan to escape at half-time, come back and win the game.
Fever Pitch (1997)
The book and movie that made Nick Hornsby famous (before it was bastardized and turned into a movie about the Boston Red Sox). Both movies are really love stories that happen to use sports (baseball and soccer) as teh heart-grabbing vehicles. In London, it's the story of a man, a woman, and Arsenal as Colin Firth refuses to let go of his juvenile obsession with the Gunners and give his heart to Sarah.
The Game of their Lives (2005)
Years in the making - only weeks in theaters. The story of the United States victory over England in the 1950 World Cup in Brazil made less than $400,000 in the few weeks it was in release. One of the greatest upsets in World Cup history, with soccer scenes choreoraphed by Eric Wynalda. the $27 million budget was funded by Philip Anschutz, the patron saint of Major League Soccer, and the backer of the Academy Award winning "Ray." and "Holes". By the way, his Anschutz Entertainment group, also runs the Regal Theares, the largest chain in the United States.
The Cup AKA, Phorpa (1999)
Based on the true story of two boys sent to a Buddhist monastery in the foothills of the Himalayas. As they begin to soak up the monastic life, they realize they are about to miss out on their one true passion - soccer and that the World Cup finals. But where do you find a TV set near the roof of the earth and how do the young monks stele away to watch a semifinal match?
A Shot of Glory (2000)
A little film with a big star. Even Robert Duvall could not save this movie about a struggling second division Scottish team from a small fishing village from being relegated to the scrapheap of movie history.
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"The best soccer movies are not about soccer at all." |
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A Steinbrenner-esque club owner is hell-bent on taking his team to the Cup final, where they face Glasgow Rangers, coached by Duvall's former friend and coach.
Shaolin Soccer (2004)
Kung Futball or martial arts meets Manchester United in this wacky film that stars Stephen Chow. English subtitles lend a sense of the absurd to a truly absurd, yet perversely entertaining Asian take on the beautiful game. The climactic soccer match is end-to-end action with Kung Fu kicks galore, players soaring and spinning in the air. it sounds bizarre and it is - but it's also a lot of fun.
Kicking and Screaming (2005)
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Just what the soccer world needed, the story of a screaming, obnoxious soccer dad (will ferrell) who is competing with (true Hollywood) a team coached by his truly obnoxious, over-competitive dad (Robert Duvall). Winning isn't everything, but sure comes close in this tortured attempt to cash in on the game's boom in the suburbs.
Gregory's Girl (1981)
The eccentric Scottish director Bill Forsythe ("Local Hero" and "Housekeeping") tells a tale of adolescent discovery using soccer as his vehicle. Gregory has a crush on Dee, who is a pretty good soccer player. Gregory, however, is a disaster on the field, inept in goal, nutmegged by a gleeful Dee. Not a bad way to get the girl.
The Other Final (2002)
A young dutch documentary maker, johan Kramer, had a brainstorm: Why not stage a game between the two worst teams in the FIFA rankings on the same day as the 2002 World Cup final in Japan. THe result; An interesting tale of a match between Montserrat, the island nation devastated by a volcano, and the Himilayan kingdom of Bhutan. truly a story about the people's game.
Hooligans (2005)
More a cautionary tale of how fighting for your "firm" and club can ruin your life, not to mention your teeth. The doe-eyed Elijah Wood (Frodo in the Lord of the Rings) is kicked out of Harvard and goes to England to visit his sister. He falls in with a west Ham United "firm" and soon discovers that he likes the taste of blood (mostly his own) and likes bashing heads (belonging to other people).
Goal! (2006)
Scheduled to start filming later this year, Goal! Is the story of a Mexican-American immigrant from East Los Angeles who makes it big with Newcastle United. Cameo appearances from Alan Shearer and David Beckham.
The Firm (1988)
A TV movie in Britain dealing with rival soccer gangs and the proposal of one member to join forces before the 1988 European Championships in support of England. What comes across ultimately leads the view to believe that these soccer fans act more like organized crime gangs struggling to protect their turf.
Game of Their Lives (2002, Documentary)
British filmmakers Daniel Gordon and Nicholas Bonner grabbed the name first but their riveting documentary was never really distributed in the United States. That’s probably because it tells the story of North Koreans (see also, Axis of Evil, Bush, G.W.) national team that went to England for the 1966 World Cup upset Italy and became the darlings of Middlesborough. The filmmakers were permitted to enter the secretive Stalinist country and to interview the surviving members of the 1966 team.
Ladybugs (1992)
No wonder soccer doesn’t get any respect, especially when the comedian Rodney Dangerfield reluctantly takes the job coaching the soccer team of his boss’s daughter. Take this movie, please.
When Saturday Comes (1996)
The actor Sean Bean (“Lord of the Rings”) plays Jimmy Muir, a hard-drinking brewery worker who gets a trial with Sheffield United. But the night before his day – surprise! – he goes out drinking and is too hung over the next morning to show his best. Jimmy is left to ponder an opportunity squandered and the costs of an undisciplined life.
The History of Soccer, the Beautiful Game (2003)
A set of six DVD’s that spans the globe telling the story of soccer. Narrated by the actor Terence Stamp (“Billy Budd” and “The Limey”), the filmmakers intersperse interviews with some of the game’s greatest players and figures with an intelligent treatment of the greatest clubs and themes in the game (the rise of Africa, for example). Bonus footage includes highlights of some great, but obscure games.
FIFA Fever (2005)
A two-DVD set that caps FIFA’s centennial celebration. Smartly divided into sections like the greatest goals of the World Cup, the greatest players, greatest goalkeepers, etc. And since it’s an official release of FIFA, the filmmakers had full access to World Cup footage few have seen.
9/1/2005
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