One Night In Turin (15.)
Directed by James Erskine.
Narration by Gary Oldman. 93 mins.
About eight minutes into the recent England vs. Germany game* a sense of overwhelming tedium descended upon me. It was the revelation of how tedious and predictable England World Cup campaigns were, like a long-running soap opera that has run out of the ideas and is reduced to regurgitating the same stale climaxes and dramas.
(That said, I was still shocked when they decided to dredge up the ball-over-the-line storyline again.)
Hoping to cash in on the World Cup, One Night in Turin, out on DVD after a brief for-appearances-sake run in cinemas, takes us back to Italia 90, and Gazza, and Bobby Robson, and the English disease of hooliganism. So often following England in a major tournament has been like being on the naughty step, cordoned away from all the fun everybody else is having, but this was the one time when the England team were the heart of the event and the best story. They even played rather well on three occasions.
Following the adage that good books don't make good films writer/director Erskine's adaptation of Pete Davies' All Played Out is a pumped up, full of itself bore. Its form is the kind of cheap football and pop music mash-up so beloved of Sky and ITV, but done with delusions of being social history.
So it isn't much of a documentary but its real failing is that it doesn't work as a nostalgic football treat. The filmmakers seem to have precious little access to any football footage – nothing apart from the actual tournament and even that they undermine by intercutting it with filmed recreations and still photos.
So the scene of Pearce crossing for Platt to head a goal consists of footage of Pearce running down the left wing in '90, a close up of a left foot kicking a ball in some studio mock-up, back to '90 for footage of the ball moving across to Platt, a close up of a ball hitting a net, completed with some stills of the England players celebrating. Horrible, pointless, enraging.
The only worthwhile moment comes near the end, the moment when – Spoiler – Waddle misses the penalty that knocks England out. They've found some footage of Waddle that follows him walking to the spot, missing the kick and then walking back being consoled by various players including German captain Matthaus. And just this once they let it run: no cutaways, no stills, no commentary and for a minute we are actually watching something worthwhile.
*this review dates back to 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Directed by James Erskine.
Narration by Gary Oldman. 93 mins.
About eight minutes into the recent England vs. Germany game* a sense of overwhelming tedium descended upon me. It was the revelation of how tedious and predictable England World Cup campaigns were, like a long-running soap opera that has run out of the ideas and is reduced to regurgitating the same stale climaxes and dramas.
(That said, I was still shocked when they decided to dredge up the ball-over-the-line storyline again.)
Hoping to cash in on the World Cup, One Night in Turin, out on DVD after a brief for-appearances-sake run in cinemas, takes us back to Italia 90, and Gazza, and Bobby Robson, and the English disease of hooliganism. So often following England in a major tournament has been like being on the naughty step, cordoned away from all the fun everybody else is having, but this was the one time when the England team were the heart of the event and the best story. They even played rather well on three occasions.
Following the adage that good books don't make good films writer/director Erskine's adaptation of Pete Davies' All Played Out is a pumped up, full of itself bore. Its form is the kind of cheap football and pop music mash-up so beloved of Sky and ITV, but done with delusions of being social history.
So it isn't much of a documentary but its real failing is that it doesn't work as a nostalgic football treat. The filmmakers seem to have precious little access to any football footage – nothing apart from the actual tournament and even that they undermine by intercutting it with filmed recreations and still photos.
So the scene of Pearce crossing for Platt to head a goal consists of footage of Pearce running down the left wing in '90, a close up of a left foot kicking a ball in some studio mock-up, back to '90 for footage of the ball moving across to Platt, a close up of a ball hitting a net, completed with some stills of the England players celebrating. Horrible, pointless, enraging.
The only worthwhile moment comes near the end, the moment when – Spoiler – Waddle misses the penalty that knocks England out. They've found some footage of Waddle that follows him walking to the spot, missing the kick and then walking back being consoled by various players including German captain Matthaus. And just this once they let it run: no cutaways, no stills, no commentary and for a minute we are actually watching something worthwhile.
*this review dates back to 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
