I
’ve beenwatchingtheofficialWorldCup filmsthatFifa have
madefor every tournamentsince 1952. They are all available now
on Amazon Prime just in time to nurse me through the anxiety and
boredomofisolation.
Theyaregorgeous,cinematicproductionsthattranscendthesporting
spectacleandbecomemorelikedeepmeditationsonlifeitself.Thatsaid,
there’sloadsofgreatgoalsfrompeoplelikePelé, Maradona,Cruyffand
evenPeterBeardsleytoo.
I’dwagerthatevenif youhatedfootballyoucouldenjoysittingthrough,
say, thestory ofthe1974WorldCupinWestGermany.Thesceneinwhich
localfanscelebratevictoryinthebeautifulpubsandbarsofMunich,
downingsteinsoflager,guzzlingbratwurstswithmustard,singing,
dancingandjustbeingordinaryGermanfolkofthemid-Seventiesis
wonderfullyengrossing.It’sliketimetraveloranthropology.
Theclothesmightchangefromonefilmtoanother(in1974anotherwise
straight-lacedEnglishrefereeturnsupatthestadiumwearinga wide-
collared,fluorescentpinkshirtunderneathhisflaredsuit)butthehuman
behaviourandemotionalresponsesremainthesamewhetheryou’re
watchingafilmfrom1958or 2018 .Thesefilmsdivedeepintothecultureof
thetimes:followingbit-partindividualslikepressphotographersorball
boys thoughtheirWorldCupjourneys.Thecinematographyisrich.
Thepacingiscontemplative.Thesoundisdelicateandcaptivating.In fact,
thesefilmsareeverythingthatmodernfootballcoverageisnot.Itputs
anemphasisonthehiddendetail,oftenkeepingthecamera trainedona
penalty-taker’sfaceratherthantheball:youcanreadtheoutcomeofhis
shotbythelookinhiseyes.
Forsomepeople,thelackoflivesportisoneofthemostpunishing
aspectsofthislockdown period.Notme.Thesebrilliantfilmshaveproved
morestirringandemotivethanwatchinganycontemporarymatch.
I fetishiseandobsessoverthedetails,froma retrofootballboottoa
linesman’s hairstyletotheflagswavedinthecrowds.Thenarrationispoetic
andsometimessurreal.SeanConnerydoes1982,MichaelCaine 1986 and
EdwardWoodward 1990.
Theolderfilms–from 1952 toabout1978–arefascinatingtimecapsules,
portalstoatimeIneverlivedthrough.ButthefilmsthatcovertheWorld
Cupsofmychildhoodandadolescence– from 1982 throughto 1994 – are
deepnostalgicjourneyscapableofmovingmetotears.It’snotjustthe
gamesandthegoalsIremember–it’sthestuffIwas doingatthetime.
WatchingMaradonascorewithhishandin1986,satonthecarpetinmy
uncle’slivingroom,grassstainsonmykneesfromplayinginthegarden
beforehand.Lateeveningatthelocalrec,justafterEnglandbeatEgypt in
1990,kissingmynewgirlfriendfor thefirsttimeby theswings,thenovel
tasteofwineandcigarettesinourmouths,MarkWright’sheaderflashing
incongruouslythroughmymind.
Livinginthepresentistoughfora lotofusatthemoment.I’vefound
thatthepastisa comfortingescaperoute.@DelaneyMan
TV
Action replay
Live sport’s on hiatus but Sam Delaney finds
there’s emotion and passion in the past tooGooooaaaalll!
1990: Wright scores
England’s winner and
Delaney gets a new girlfriendALLTHEWORLD’SASTAGE...
What’s been particularly refreshing in the midst
of the lockdown is how many artists have gone
out of their way to make their work available
to enjoy for free, taking down barriers of
accessibility as they do so.
In particular, theatre has been leading the
way. The National Theatre had already been
beaming recordings of its productions into
cinemas, with such showings a useful revenue
stream for all concerned (as part of ‘event
cinema’). But once the lockdown was confirmed,
it launched National Theatre At Home.
Thus, every Thursday at 7pm, a new
production from its archives goes live on the
National Theatre YouTube channel, where it sits
for a week to be watched for free. Things kicked
off in style with the acclaimed production of
One Man, Two Guvnors starring James Corden,
and there’s an
active social
media community
following the shows.
Find out more at
nationaltheatre.
org.uk/nt-at-home
Then there’s
Andrew Lloyd
Webber. He’s been
releasing a filmed
version of one of his
musicals a week, albeit for a shorter window.
Each Friday at 7pm, a production is made
available – again free of charge – for a period
lasting from 24 to 48 hours. These have proven
incredibly popular, with the 25th anniversary
version of The Phantom Of The Opera in particular
attracting millions of viewers.
Lloyd Webber will be keeping his new
YouTube channel going until well into May
at the least, and you can find it here:
youtube.com/theshowsmustgoon30 APRIL-06 MAY 2020 BIGISSUE.COM | 37