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Though doubtless factually flawed, the United film was terrific TV and a great tribute
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25 April 2011
judging by the reaction on twitter last night, I'd say the BBC2 dramatised account of the Munich air crash went down rather better than the 'let's cash in quick' Kate and Wiliam 'movie'.
At one point, Munich, Manchester United, Bobby Charlton, Duncan Edwards and David Tennant were all trending. So it certainly had an audience. It was connecting. And in a very positive way.
I tweeted myself a few times - first to say I thought it was a brilliant idea to tell the story through the eyes of Charlton and coach Jimmy Murphy (superbly played by Jack O'Connell and David Tennant). I said I hoped Bobby Charlton liked it. I have met Sir Bobby often, and he really is as nice as he seems. I thought his character came across superbly, but I received a lot of tweets last night from people pointing out that several of the families of those portrayed, notably manager Matt Busby, were not happy with the programme. A fair few people did not like the way key figures like Bill Foulkes were written out of the script. By the end of the evening I was being told goalkeeper Harry Gregg hated the film too.
I have blogged before about this area of the dramatisation of real events. I have sat in cinemas and in front of TVs and seen myself being portrayed in situations as diverse as Diana's death, Kosovo, Ireland, David Kelly's death and David Blunkett's private life. 'Did that bit really happen?' is a question that gets asked many times. The answer is usually No. Or, perhaps more accurately, No but ... The but revealing grains of truth in there somewhere.
It is unlikely that any of the conversations seen last night actually took place exactly as recorded. I have no doubt at all there would have been factual errors galore which will have annoyed real experts, not to mention survivors and relatives of those who perished.
But there are other questions worth asking. Was it good TV? Did it help inform and educate? Was it a broadly sympathetic portrayal of an important event? Did it add to the legend of one of the biggest sporting brands on the planet? Did it make people feel even more warmly towards one of our most popular living legends? I think e answer to all those questions is Yes.
--- Off to Burnley today. We are still in with a chance of the play-offs, but also I wanted to be there for the pre-match celebration of Graham Alexander reaching his 1000th professional game. Fitting too that Steve Cotterill, who was the manager who signed Grezza for Burnley, should be there today in charge of Portsmouth, our opponents.
On the subject of Bobby Charlton, I once had a terrific evening sitting with him at a fundraiser for Burnley. Alex Ferguson was due to be after dinner speaker but was taken ill. Bobby stood in literally at the last minute and was absolutely terrific. He also said he had a soft spot for Burnley, so I am taking that as an extra piece of support for today's must win match.
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One thing I found great and factually correct was 22 pairs of footballers arms without a tattoo in sight in 1958, refreshing!
I thought that making the Football League the villain of the piece was a bit off. Otherwise excellent.
Some poetic licence no doubt – unavoidable. But it was a fantastic film. I remember Munich clearly. I was an impressionable eleven-year-old and the wait for news – especially about Busby and Edwards was awful and I haven’t forgotten it. I have at least half a dozen friends who all became United supporters because of Munich. Most of them had never been to Manchester – and still haven’t ! I stuck with Spurs of course but the Busby Babes live on in my memory. I went to Wembley in 1968 to see the United win over Benfica – that was truly a post Munich cathartic moment.
I agree wholeheartedly. As a United fan, Munich is always a touchy and nervy subject for the fans let alone for the families of the Babes who died on that tragic day. We all watched and held our breaths that not too much artistic licence would be taken.
The most any fan can ask for is that the story of their club is told faithfully and with the right spirit. In that respect, United did that and so much more. The scores of young tweeters who tweeted about parents/grandparents telling them Duncan Edwards was the greatest to ever grace an England shirt was moving.
I thought Sir Matt was played extremely well by Dougray Scott and plenty of Old Trafford bloggers said he got Sir Matt’s voice dead-on. David Trnnant was simply magnificent as Jimmy Murphy and though I initially had my doubts about Jack O’Connell as Sir Bobby he was outstanding.
The actual crash and immediate aftermath was so well done it was reminiscent of the scene in Atonement with the slow pan of the soldiers at Dunkirk on the beach. Stunning cinematography helped make United a wonderfully poignant and gutwrenching retelling of a story the world should know. If it makes even one kid go out and learn the factually correct story of the Babes, it can be considered a success.
I enjoyed The Special Relationship as a FILM, even though it was not telling the truth.
Yesterday I watched The Ghost Writer based on the novel of Robert Harris.
I also enjoyed it. But it was very complicated to assess it when it comes to real events in the history.
This movie by Polanski is, of course, thinly disguised version of Tony Blair´s life. So it is a bit difficult to tell which part is based on fact, which on fiction.
If my memory serves me right, you have not seen this film. But it is worth watching as ENTERTAINMENT. Nothing more.
Ps. Well done Grezza! I hope our players are not tired today. Great to see Chris McCann back. We were relegated last season because of an injury to him. And had he been fit during this season, we would be much higher in the table by now. Up the Clarets!!!
It was sad the Busby family reacted unfavourably, as they are entitled to do. They know their father intimately. As an outsider I was left in great respect of the Busby portrayed by Dougray Scott, in both scenarios, truth and fiction, the same result.
Drama is like music, if you only use the same chords and fact, you’ll never come up with something original. I don’t think anyone likes to see themselves fictionally.
I thought it was excellent and felt I learnt a lot, not just about the event. Incredibly moving. Only thing I have watched in a long time where I have spent much time since thinking about it.
Personally Alastair I don’t like you or your politics but not a bad blog. Overall I liked United and without going overboard would say it was a success. 8/10
I agree thoroughly enjoyed it, even though I had to sacrifice the last episode of “Lewis”!
What it did was transport me back to my childhood, memories of those uncomfortable old blister forming boots, leather footballs that when wet, were as heavy as a cannonball and mud…lots of mud. It brought back the dreams as boys we all had of playing for whichever team you supported. Great moves and “ Bobby Charlton” goals were re-enacted across many a playground or parks enclosed within an industrial landscape!
It did not matter if it was not literally factual, it captured all the trials and tribulations, the joy and the sadness superbly, Great TV. To coin “Pete Manager”…..jumpers for goal posts and children’s innocent smiles as they roll the ball in dog-dirt and get a mate to head it. Isn’t it, wasn’t it? Marvellous!
Although it did seem to be based on two characters experiences, Bobby Charlton and the Welsh manager of the time, as well as Man U coach, Jimmy Murphy, it did encapsulate what the rest of the country were feeling before and after this happened. Hardaker the Football League manager in his base in Preston might be up for arguement, but maybe not. too.
Jimmy Murphy missed the trip because Wales were playing that same evening, and he took then to the 1958 World Cup finals in Sweden, that same year, where they got knocked out by Brazil in the quarters. He sounds as if he was quite a bloke.
Excellent clip here of 17 year old Pele scoring the goal that beat Wales one nil in the quarters,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVh2bQ2jhFk
Wales showing the Hungarians what for in the qualifier play-off,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzcYM0C1E8k
Pele goal again, in finest english,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ClUBuIzmdY
Posted this on the New Statesman site the other day, if you like your footie and politics mixed, if you have a spare couple of hours – “What if Gordon Banks Had Played”, in the quarters in Mexico in 1970 World cup.
Excellent hypothetical history at its best, since the game was played only a couple of days before the general election in 1970, which Labour lost. And England got knocked out. Oh very deary me, you hear from Scotland and Wales then…
It is brilliant.
http://www.btinternet.com/~chief.gnome/
It was a testament to that team that Bobby Charlton struggled to get into the side. I remember watching England play W.Germany in the 1970 world cup, England 2-0 up cruising towards the semis, Charlton has Beckenbauer in his pocket when Alf Ramsey decides to substitute him midway through the second half. England lost 3-2.
Charlton has gone on record as saying Duncan Edwards was the only player he ever felt inferior to and Bobby played with and against the greats, Edwards’s nickname was “Tank”, Wilf McGuiness (who took over from Busby briefly as United manager) was asked to describe Edwards. “Cross Bryan Robson with Mark Hughes and you have some idea of the power, determination and strength Duncan Edwards had..”
It’s also been stated that if Edwards had played at the back (he could literally play anywhere) that Bobby Moore might well have been on the bench for England.
As well as a disaster for United, the Munich crash was calamatous for England too, Roger Byrne, Mark Jones and Tommy Taylor were all England regulars, such was the age of them that England could have well gone on to win the ’58 World Cup as well as the ’62 competition and 1966, thus cementing an England dynasty to rival all what Brazil, Italy and Germany have achieved.
Ask anyone who knows about football, who was around in that era and they all tell you one thing. The greatest footballer ever seen was a young man from Dudley in the West Midlands who, by the time he played for England at 17 was already a giant. His name was Duncan Edwards and he played for Manchester United Football Club.
Excellent clips here of Leeds winning the 1968 European Inter Fairs cup, later known as the Uefa Cup, 2nd leg match in Hungary, in two parts,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzkH838e1ys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6c9tpsqwfw
Jonathan Meades reminds us of Duncan Edwards here perfectly, about half way through, Worcestershire where he was actually born, before boundary redistribution,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jhvu9HyyfA
oops.I way hav reposted this,ahh well. The team photo afterwards, signed by Mick Jones, who scored the only goal in the two leg final. Repeats? It’s from BBC anyway,
http://signedfootball.co.uk/images/mick%20jones%20postcard%201.JPG
Nice evocative post Mark. I particularly liked the last paragraph, “Marvellous”
My husband watched this programme and seemed to find it quite moving.
I watched “Lewis” it was good! You could probably catch it on the iplayer thingy.
great blog-just wanted to say that I had the pleasure..no, privilage-of having dinner with Bill Foulkes once-a gentleman and still I think the third highest number of appearances for United-in days when there we no substitutions.His talking of pulling the bodies out of the crashed aircraft left me cold-tough upbringing as a miner-a shift in the morning then off to play. Dont think Becham, Cole et al could manage a shift digging coal somehow ……………..
In France today, Alastair? And French politics are getting quite interesting?
Just try and tell them to take their fair share of european influx of immigrants, will you? This recent nonsense of tunisians and before that Roman romanian gypseys is getting quite wearing. There are almost seven billion people on the planet after all!
Tell them to grow up and face reality. I love France though by the way, most times.
Congrats to Man U on last night, a stunning display. If it goes alright in the return at Old Trafford, the final at Wembley will be one not to miss in life, for all footie fans.
http://www.wembleystadium.com/Events/2011/Champions-League-Final-2011/Champions-League-Final-2011
And as an aside, a cracker of an old footie clip here – Chelsea’s Eddie McCreadie trying to take off fellow Scotland then team member Leeds’ Billy Bremner’s head – if you have not seen it Alastair. Memories.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t_5sZ4-LRA
As another aside, good clip of Jim Baxter of Scotland doing keepie-uppie in a match, here in this documentary, from 1967, when Scotland beat the world champs at their home in Wembley.
It is at 6:25 in, of this, ahem!, interesting documentary, about oil, apparently…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIOBG1AVUd8
Well done Barca away at Real, tidy stuff. Catalonia must be partying now.
And suck on that Moriniho – sent off to the stands, tidy, the gobby so-and-so.
Looks like Man U v. Barca at Wembley – well tidy.
Ok, another brilliant clip, Alf Garnett going to the 1966 World Cup final at Wembley, from the film. Brilliant, just simply brilliant clip,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo1Sve32KDk
Allan Clarke scoring the winning goal against the Arse, in the centenary FA Cup final in 1972, another brilliant clip. From ITV, with the great Brian Moore commentating, and Jimmy Hill the hairy long chin as the pundit sidekick with him. Brilliant memories,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt7mN9jMStg
Ok, last one, Half Man Half Biscuit and their brilliant song, and cobbled together video by a true footie supporter,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqpJ6XYykHE
Just a bit of info on the Chelsea-Leeds clip above, and why it said BBC replay with ITV Brian Moore commantatating. It is because it was an Australian clip, where London Weekend Television, part of ITV, used to sell highlights to the BBC to sell on to see in Australia then. Strange but very true.
Poly Styrene, god bless her soul, singing in 1978 where the knobs now live now along the river, and where the marvellous Design Museum is now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue5jyj_nosc
Hard luck Alastair against Leeds away today. Looks like it was a tasty match, eight bookings. No love lost there then.
I remember Burnley players of old, Steve Kingdom, Ralph Coates before Spurs time, the taff from Gorseinon Leighton James and many others, Colin Dobson and so on.
But Leeds have never been the same since the great Don Revie left them.
I might have said colin Dobson then, Martin Dobson I meant, but I be wrong again.
Got my Dobson’s mixed up there, Martin Dobson I meant. He captained them, didn’t he?
The Wembley Stadium link above has been updated, with loads of comments at the bottom from punters. The pre-match mud-slinging has already started between Man U and Barca it looks, but all quite polite, at the moment.
http://www.wembleystadium.com/Events/2011/Champions-League-Final-2011/Champions-League-Final-2011