This movie really tells it like it is, I appreciate it as well if the '50s version is made more conservative by being made some decades ago. Someone also said boxing always looks better in black and white, perhaps the same can be said for baseball. Really a lot here to think about, I don't think much is left for our imagination really. Back when it was made, it was a bold undertaking. It's timeless as well. I really do feel it gives a good feel for one undergoing mental problems as well as the relationship to the father. The nature of this film is not limited to appeal to baseball fans. It is more like baseball is a backdrop and an allegory that many of us can relate to.
Reviews
5 Reviews
United
(I) (2011)
Very Well Done, Nostalgic
24 May 2012
Simply put, I like this movie because it really, really does give one a feel for the 'old time' game... and in fact, showing actual games might have taken away from the story line. I know we get that in movies like Goal but in one of the best Soccer/Football movies ever, The Damned United, it is kept at a minimum. Besides that, a lot of people praise The Damned United but that movie in the end is based very loosely on the David Peace book, a work of fiction to begin with, the movie was a great improvement on the book.
Those who enjoy reading about soccer/football in the old days like the William Hill sports book of the year; "My father and other working class heroes" or books on Sirs Tom Finney or Stanley Matthews most likely will find this movie very entertaining. And I have to say, it is a quite moving and introspective motion picture as well, a bit more of a somber movie. Perhaps a parallel to an American sports movie might be to compare it to the great "Fear strikes out" where the sport itself is a bit secondary to the plot. I'm not a Manchester United fan at all, but with this movie, I could envision other soccer/football movies that might not always be following the "Team overcomes great odds and wins" i.e. "Rocky" formula.
Those who enjoy reading about soccer/football in the old days like the William Hill sports book of the year; "My father and other working class heroes" or books on Sirs Tom Finney or Stanley Matthews most likely will find this movie very entertaining. And I have to say, it is a quite moving and introspective motion picture as well, a bit more of a somber movie. Perhaps a parallel to an American sports movie might be to compare it to the great "Fear strikes out" where the sport itself is a bit secondary to the plot. I'm not a Manchester United fan at all, but with this movie, I could envision other soccer/football movies that might not always be following the "Team overcomes great odds and wins" i.e. "Rocky" formula.
The 5th Quarter
(2010)
Worth a try.
5 October 2011
Years ago, there use to be a dramatic Christian TV show called 'Faith for today', having seen it makes me think that these kinds of new movies are a bit of a modern version of that genre, dramatic Christian programming while at the same time, I have to say, it is not 'overtly' Christian in it's message vs. in comparison say 'Facing the Giants' but only in that Wake Forest is a Christian University, the "Deacs", Demon Deacons. Also in one scene in the Abbate household, I believe one might see a cross on the wall but even that seems a bit unfocused in the background and then, there is a short part in the Church but no "Bible Thumping" by any means.
One should not be expecting a Hollywood production. You have to think outside the box. The movie has a message and in the end is moving and does recount that story well. The football action is fairly well done when it shows games. I give it 6 stars as being on the plus side of average. For a "football movie", I'd rate it as about 7 stars actually, interesting when you think of Wake Forest as I do as mainly a basketball power which they are vs. football. It may not be 'Brian's song' or 'The Knute Rockne story' but it might be slightly reminiscent of the feel of those movies and I would think of it as being more along the lines of 'We are Marshall.' It's definitely worth a try. Yeah and parts of it do make me a bit teary eyed. Also, from a sports angle, the parts with South African trainer Steve Uria are good, it makes me think of some of the real exercise parts of the movie 'Hoosiers.' Honestly, if you are into sports, the exercise portions may be something you want to try for yourself. Wake Forest is more famous for it's basketball teams, even at the football game, I saw some of the student supporters jumping up and down which is something I tend to see all the time watching basketball games of some Universities like, I've got to say it, Duke University. So, in the final analysis, I think there is quite a bit to this movie and it is worth watching.
One should not be expecting a Hollywood production. You have to think outside the box. The movie has a message and in the end is moving and does recount that story well. The football action is fairly well done when it shows games. I give it 6 stars as being on the plus side of average. For a "football movie", I'd rate it as about 7 stars actually, interesting when you think of Wake Forest as I do as mainly a basketball power which they are vs. football. It may not be 'Brian's song' or 'The Knute Rockne story' but it might be slightly reminiscent of the feel of those movies and I would think of it as being more along the lines of 'We are Marshall.' It's definitely worth a try. Yeah and parts of it do make me a bit teary eyed. Also, from a sports angle, the parts with South African trainer Steve Uria are good, it makes me think of some of the real exercise parts of the movie 'Hoosiers.' Honestly, if you are into sports, the exercise portions may be something you want to try for yourself. Wake Forest is more famous for it's basketball teams, even at the football game, I saw some of the student supporters jumping up and down which is something I tend to see all the time watching basketball games of some Universities like, I've got to say it, Duke University. So, in the final analysis, I think there is quite a bit to this movie and it is worth watching.
The Game of Their Lives
(2005)
Game of their lives? or the way the producers wanted to see it.
12 December 2009
This movie has fine soccer action on the field and fine acting, I can see a bit of why so many people like 'Hoosiers' a lot...
The real victory that took place at Belo Horizonte merits that story being retold to us without any embellishments.
Okay, first things first, in 1950, we the US were a real backwater of soccer, plain and simple and we were still far behind other countries at the 1990 World Cup though our LA Olympics performance in 1984 was very scrappy, so you can talk about other victories by other countries being as great and indeed, I would not argue about that but the facts still are that when countries such as Algeria, North Korea, Cameroon or Senegal defeated major soccer powers, these countries I mentioned have soccer as one of their major sports if not the main one. We were a blooming "minnow" like Faroe Islands or something and everyone and their dog knew it, low men on the totem pole, perhaps a bit the way Canada is today in soccer. So yes, this is one of the greatest international upsets of all time and merited a movie being made about it ( and for the record, yes, there is another film, sounds like a documentary out there called "The game of their lives", it's about North Korea team in 1966 and yes, that was another great upset so I don't call one upset greater than another). There is a book, "soccer in a football world" that details the development of US soccer. Sure, from time to time, we may have had some glimpses of potential and accomplishments in the sport like being a 1930 semifinalist in the first World Cup ever held but times were different and the tournament much smaller. So, what these guys did was totally out of the blue. Since so many stats are being tossed up, less than a year earlier, Ireland defeated England 2-0 in what I believe is the first time a none-UK ever won on English soil. The UK teams battled each other often over there such as England vs. Wales, etc. All of these stats can be checked out at Elo ratings. Indeed, the US' win was a staggering result all the same.
I think this film is quite a revision of the book it is based on by Geoffrey Douglas, it leans a lot on the St. Louis end, that is fair but that should be acknowledged. I really don't think that is as central to the original book except that by the way, St. Louis was the base for a long time of the US Soccer Federation. I believe the screen writer had an agenda with this point of view and that it may not be totally accurate. The Brits I must say are shown as arrogant but back then, their players worked hard for their wages and were not payed high amounts of money, their wages were really not much higher than that of other occupations. I've read Sir Stanley Matthews book "The way it was" and the 1950 World Cup and this game are spoken about and it is quite a bit different than the way we are told the details of the game. I seriously find this to be a flaw in the movie and I wonder about some other possible historical inaccuracies too. After all, this is a "feel good" Rah-Rah type of movie but it should not be playing fast and loose with the facts either. For historical accuracy, this is more like a six star movie though this would be a matter of research. I'm not positive the depiction of Joseph Gaetjens is accurate and compare it to how the others are portrayed. Perhaps we understand that when we find out the screen play writer's name is Angelo Pizzo.
For soccer action it is excellent, I believe only 'Escape to victory' is as close with soccer greats like Pele, Bobby Moore and Osvaldo Ardiles lighting up the screen. The 'Goal' movies and 'A shot at glory' are good in that vein as well. The story moves along very smoothly and is exciting, clearly, the producers had a good understanding of soccer, the sport itself. As a soccer movie, this is close to 10 stars.
South Africa 2010, these two teams meet again!
The real victory that took place at Belo Horizonte merits that story being retold to us without any embellishments.
Okay, first things first, in 1950, we the US were a real backwater of soccer, plain and simple and we were still far behind other countries at the 1990 World Cup though our LA Olympics performance in 1984 was very scrappy, so you can talk about other victories by other countries being as great and indeed, I would not argue about that but the facts still are that when countries such as Algeria, North Korea, Cameroon or Senegal defeated major soccer powers, these countries I mentioned have soccer as one of their major sports if not the main one. We were a blooming "minnow" like Faroe Islands or something and everyone and their dog knew it, low men on the totem pole, perhaps a bit the way Canada is today in soccer. So yes, this is one of the greatest international upsets of all time and merited a movie being made about it ( and for the record, yes, there is another film, sounds like a documentary out there called "The game of their lives", it's about North Korea team in 1966 and yes, that was another great upset so I don't call one upset greater than another). There is a book, "soccer in a football world" that details the development of US soccer. Sure, from time to time, we may have had some glimpses of potential and accomplishments in the sport like being a 1930 semifinalist in the first World Cup ever held but times were different and the tournament much smaller. So, what these guys did was totally out of the blue. Since so many stats are being tossed up, less than a year earlier, Ireland defeated England 2-0 in what I believe is the first time a none-UK ever won on English soil. The UK teams battled each other often over there such as England vs. Wales, etc. All of these stats can be checked out at Elo ratings. Indeed, the US' win was a staggering result all the same.
I think this film is quite a revision of the book it is based on by Geoffrey Douglas, it leans a lot on the St. Louis end, that is fair but that should be acknowledged. I really don't think that is as central to the original book except that by the way, St. Louis was the base for a long time of the US Soccer Federation. I believe the screen writer had an agenda with this point of view and that it may not be totally accurate. The Brits I must say are shown as arrogant but back then, their players worked hard for their wages and were not payed high amounts of money, their wages were really not much higher than that of other occupations. I've read Sir Stanley Matthews book "The way it was" and the 1950 World Cup and this game are spoken about and it is quite a bit different than the way we are told the details of the game. I seriously find this to be a flaw in the movie and I wonder about some other possible historical inaccuracies too. After all, this is a "feel good" Rah-Rah type of movie but it should not be playing fast and loose with the facts either. For historical accuracy, this is more like a six star movie though this would be a matter of research. I'm not positive the depiction of Joseph Gaetjens is accurate and compare it to how the others are portrayed. Perhaps we understand that when we find out the screen play writer's name is Angelo Pizzo.
For soccer action it is excellent, I believe only 'Escape to victory' is as close with soccer greats like Pele, Bobby Moore and Osvaldo Ardiles lighting up the screen. The 'Goal' movies and 'A shot at glory' are good in that vein as well. The story moves along very smoothly and is exciting, clearly, the producers had a good understanding of soccer, the sport itself. As a soccer movie, this is close to 10 stars.
South Africa 2010, these two teams meet again!
Maradona, the Hand of God
(2007)
Honest enough portrayal and at times, very exciting!
11 December 2009
As a soccer movie, seven stars, as a movie in general, six.
I had previously read "Hand of God" by Jimmy Burns, a book on Maradona so upon reading this, the basic storyline of the book really did come to life. I looked at the credits and there did not seem to be any reference to this book in this joint effort by both Spanish and Italian film-makers.
The movie does have a sort of aura like a made-for-TV movie and running at nearly 2 hours and I believe with the stamp of RAI, a national broadcasting company in Italy, I believe that is what it must be, but biographically, in showing us some of the main events of Maradona's life, it has some success. Those wishing for great detail will see it would not be easy to do without adding much time to it.
Those main events of course, entail his professional career and of course, his playing for the National team of Argentina, the "Albiceleste" and with the latter, the movie does take off and I indeed found it exciting, almost World Cup exciting accompanied with actual video of those games. Does one want to get in the mood for one of the biggest events in the sports world, the soccer/football World Cup? Watch this, regardless of whom your favorite team is. To the close observer too, there are elements that obviously tell us we are in Argentina, etc. To the real Maradona fan or foe, yes, there are some major omissions but overall, it is accurate. The major fan or foe will surely pursue further reading of Diego. The production at times, in my opinion might be faulty in the use of flashbacks in action scenes, some taken from the actual games of Maradona. With that said, the Stallone/Michael Caine/Pele movie "Victory" has often been applauded for its soccer scenes. Perhaps this movie could have taken a page out of how "Victory" did this.
The flashbacks do not always work effectively, too, not giving away a main point of the movie but let's say, the producers used a happening to Maradona to make it a metaphor about his life, symbolizing it in essence. I think the use of the metaphor while worthy of being included is referenced too often and overblown in significance, so there are definitely some negative aspects here but I don't find it an overwhelming concern and did someone say "cheesy", maybe a tiny bit of pop cheese can be found. Did I hear someone say "telenovela", well, I tend to expect that coming out of Latin America. For detractors of the movie, I note also those commercially plugging the movie tend to overpraise the man, so it balances out. To test the accuracy of this film and yes, I watched Maradona play in the World Cup, research what the movie presents before scoffing at it, watch or read about the games Maradona played in and the path his career took. I honestly think it puts him in a bit of a better light than what the truth says, but that is only my opinion.
I saw the movie "Babe Ruth" with John Goodman. In a way, as a sports biography, I'd say this would compare favorably. Summing it up, if you are a fan of Maradona's mastery on the field, you will definitely find this in this movie along with attention to his own self-destructive behavior and personal life. If it were a made-for-TV type of movie, it should have been a two-parter. It's not the total truth on this major sports figure but it's a start.
I had previously read "Hand of God" by Jimmy Burns, a book on Maradona so upon reading this, the basic storyline of the book really did come to life. I looked at the credits and there did not seem to be any reference to this book in this joint effort by both Spanish and Italian film-makers.
The movie does have a sort of aura like a made-for-TV movie and running at nearly 2 hours and I believe with the stamp of RAI, a national broadcasting company in Italy, I believe that is what it must be, but biographically, in showing us some of the main events of Maradona's life, it has some success. Those wishing for great detail will see it would not be easy to do without adding much time to it.
Those main events of course, entail his professional career and of course, his playing for the National team of Argentina, the "Albiceleste" and with the latter, the movie does take off and I indeed found it exciting, almost World Cup exciting accompanied with actual video of those games. Does one want to get in the mood for one of the biggest events in the sports world, the soccer/football World Cup? Watch this, regardless of whom your favorite team is. To the close observer too, there are elements that obviously tell us we are in Argentina, etc. To the real Maradona fan or foe, yes, there are some major omissions but overall, it is accurate. The major fan or foe will surely pursue further reading of Diego. The production at times, in my opinion might be faulty in the use of flashbacks in action scenes, some taken from the actual games of Maradona. With that said, the Stallone/Michael Caine/Pele movie "Victory" has often been applauded for its soccer scenes. Perhaps this movie could have taken a page out of how "Victory" did this.
The flashbacks do not always work effectively, too, not giving away a main point of the movie but let's say, the producers used a happening to Maradona to make it a metaphor about his life, symbolizing it in essence. I think the use of the metaphor while worthy of being included is referenced too often and overblown in significance, so there are definitely some negative aspects here but I don't find it an overwhelming concern and did someone say "cheesy", maybe a tiny bit of pop cheese can be found. Did I hear someone say "telenovela", well, I tend to expect that coming out of Latin America. For detractors of the movie, I note also those commercially plugging the movie tend to overpraise the man, so it balances out. To test the accuracy of this film and yes, I watched Maradona play in the World Cup, research what the movie presents before scoffing at it, watch or read about the games Maradona played in and the path his career took. I honestly think it puts him in a bit of a better light than what the truth says, but that is only my opinion.
I saw the movie "Babe Ruth" with John Goodman. In a way, as a sports biography, I'd say this would compare favorably. Summing it up, if you are a fan of Maradona's mastery on the field, you will definitely find this in this movie along with attention to his own self-destructive behavior and personal life. If it were a made-for-TV type of movie, it should have been a two-parter. It's not the total truth on this major sports figure but it's a start.
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