I saw 'Zidane - A musical Portrait' in the shop today. Has anyone heard it? Shit, does anyone buy this stuff? I would imagine its all in French. Or has Zouzou moved into the pop market?

I saw it(or something similarly titled) in my local Borders and it's a film soundtrack by Mogwai...

http://www.drownedinsound.com/release/view/8558

Shit. It actually sounds quite impressive. It got a standing ovation at Cannes - thats incredible since the movie that accompanies the music follows one game Zhouzou played for Real Madrid (yawn). So the music must be pretty good to keep folks' attention for 90 minutes.

Interesting...

Used to listen quite a lot to Mogwai in the 90's, good band.
They've sort of drifted away from my attention since then, but this sounds like a good excuse to renew the friendship :)

It's not exactly vintage Mogwai. I'd recommend getting Mr Beast or, preferably, Happy Songs for Happy People instead.

I bought this on DVD in Zavvi (spit) at the weekend for £5. I heard about it when it came out, and was intrigued for a long time because Mogwai did a special soundtrack album for it and I'm a pretty big fan of theirs. As far as football goes, I follow it but I'm not a rabid fan, I don't own any other football DVDs for example, so therefore a film concentrating solely on one footballer who has no connection to me whatsoever was something of a strange purhcase for me. But like I say, it interested me because of the soundtrack and the general premise.

Which is this:

17 cameras follow France international and Real Madrid player (who was at the time reputed to be the best in the world) Zinedine Zidane around the pitch for the duration of one league game. Not anyone else, just him.

That is it. No plot, no voice-over, no acting, nothing. No "sound" to speak of really, apart from when the majestic (if a little underused IMO) Mogwai tracks break in, or you can hear the crowd cheering. There a re a few "subtitles" that come up from time to time (rarely) to explain a bit of what happens in your head when you're on a huge football pitch, but for the most part it's just a man on a football field for ninety minutes. Sometimes you see his face, sometimes (a lot of times) you see his boots, sometimes he is walking, sometimes he is running, sometimes he shares a joke with a teammate, most of the time he just stands about, reading the pitch, watching the ball, waiting to switch on the magic. Brooding...

Despite what you might be thinking. I thought this was an amazing film. So much so that I've already watched it twice and am already itching to see it again. I think that says a lot for a film with no script, plot or indeed any leanings towards convential cinema whatsoever.

Yes, for a while of the film you're thinking, "What is this? This is just a guy walking about!" And you don't get it. You feel bored, robbed even. You want action and twists and turns or something, anything to happen. You want some happenings of ANY KIND, and there aren't any. Well, at least not in the conventional "Hollywood" sense. But eventually, if you let yourself be taken in by it, you start to watch it differently to a normal film and you see a genius at work (footballer and director) and a beautiful piece of art that deals with so much more than "just" football.

There is a somewhat clunky halftime section with a reminder of the news events of the day (putting the football game we are watching into persepctive) but that aside we're encouraged to think about a man at work, the loneliness of the football field, the way that underneath all the adulation and fame and money all you've got is a man on a bit of grass walking about. The long(ish) periods of what appear to be inactivity are trying at times, but they are punctuated with speedy runs, the odd (wonderfully set-up in one instance) goal, and crunching challenges that would seem run-of-the-mill if watched as part of a televised game of football, but set in this context they become moments of high-drama.

I cannot recommend this film highly enough. Especially if you can get it for the price I did, and not just for football fans either. In fact, I find it hard to believe that the stereotypical football fan would get much from this film at all. It would appeal to anyone with an interest in video installations, avant-garde film and unconvential works of art that force you to think outside the box.

"Football Factory" it ain't.

:lol:

I saw it at the Curzon in Soho when it came out.
The cinema was full of trendies who, as the film went on, gradually began to leave, first in ones and twos, then in droves.
I left myself after an hour I think.

Having said that (and after reading your review) I think I was a twat for leaving -- I thought at the time that the soundtrack (and I don't mean the music, I mean the actual sound track) was fucking amazing -- the thing that got on my nerves was the pretentiousness of it - the bit where the camera goes up into space (I think that happened, I was on substances at the time...), etc.
But I'm definitely going to see it again -- in fact, for a jax I'll get this weekend! Cheers. :beer:

I bought all of France's games in their World Cup[with the exemption of the final :( ]just to watch Zidane. The only midfielder that comes close to him, in my opinion, is Didi, and Didi didn't have the shot on goal that Zidane possessed. He was truly a marvel and I can see a person making the argument that he was the best ever.

That makes me love it even more.

I don't remember the bit where it goes up in space but you may well be right, there is some weird abstract bit where you can't see the subtitles on the white background that sort of ruins the pace - or what there is of it.

I didn't find it THAT pretentious, I found it quite er, moving is much too strong a word but "affecting" might not be.

MAGIC IS SOMETIMES SO CLOSE...

...TO NOTHING AT ALL

How can you not love that?

:applaud:

I was at the Final :)

Zidane was great in the final....Zagallo, Brazil's coach, totally froze and made the wrong decision to both start Renaldo and keep him in when he was unproductive.
Zagallo had Emerson on the bench, the second best Brailian midfielder ever[arguably] and Zidane was wiping up the field with Dunga. Edmundo was on the bench[how Zagallo avoided being beaten to death by Edmundo is one of life's mysteries]. These two were put in after it was too late.
Don't get me wrong, France played great and deserved to win and probably would have won no matter who was coaching and even if Ronaldo didn't have his fit.
More importantly, I bet it was great for you to be in the stands enjoying the home team's triumph. France was well tested leading up to the Final and deserved the Cup.
So - any more details? Must have been a tough ticket to get in the first place. I saw the game on tv and will never see it again but France & Zidane were wonderful.
Where was your seat?

IMHO deffo in my top five greatest ever footballers.

Yes. I don't see how a person could successfully argue otherwise.

I am not a fan of soccer too, i just watch Euro and World cup matches sometimes, but i've always liked Zidane, mainly for his melancholy air.
The thing i love the most about him is the headbutt on Materazzi in the World Cup final: it's the least you can do to someone who has gothic type letters tattoos on his neck.

I am italian, mind you. :)

The headbutt: Zidane wasn't trying to hurt Materazzi in my view; if he wanted to damage or kill him, he could have kicked him. I think the French appreciated the gesture although it may have cost them the Cup.
Zidane played with a grim efficiency that made the rest of his players better. I have enjoyed watching him, he's one for the ages.

I have received myself an headbutt once, and believe me, it hurts.
As far as i know, Materazzi made some rather insulting remarks to Zidane about his mother. I agree a kick between the legs would have been more fitting. :lol:

I appreciated both the gesture in itself and its consequences, for sure. :D

anova one Stephen.

to merge that is.

This is what happened to me yesterday:

I was a bit bored at work, I thought, "I know what I'll do, I'll waste a bit of time by writing some shit about that Zidane film I got the other day on the Fall forum, they do say all reviews are welcome". Then I thought, "Oh, but I'd better quickly check the reviews index to see if it has already been done". So I checked it, and no, it wasn't there. "Great", I thought, "I'll write it up now then".

And would you believe it I come on today to find that it has already been done and therefore I look like a massive dick that doesn't check the index before he posts.

When oh when are the BBC going to wake up and realise... Sorry, wrong letter, when oh when are you going to update the indexes so I don't have to make this mistake time after time and have everybody laughing at me behind my back.

I mean, you know I love you all but help a brother out here please.

:finger: :D

on holiday in france in 1998 i got a zidane lighter.

and won 90 quid for backing them to win from the start of the tournament.

even though their forwards were an odd bunch.

guivarc'h wasn't it? he was first choice over trezeguet and henry!

dugarry was a winger really?

but what a midfield.

The horrible Materazzi has won a libel case against the horrible daily Mail.
Apparently materazzi didnt call Zidane 'A son of a terrorist whore' as stated in the daily mail.
Just said he'd like zidane's sister.
The Daily Mail accepted that All of their allegation's were Untrue. who'd have thought?

I won a pair of tickets on a Radio station phone in quiz.

Eurostar first class, stayed in the same hotel used by the ITV team ( drinks with Venables, Ron Atkinson, Sheringham et al)

Also met Kaiser Franz Beckenbauer at the Opel Dinner reception ( the best food I've ever eaten).

Free tickets to the Opera ( and yet more unbeatable food) on the Saturday night.

Then the match. Seats were in line with Petit when he scored the third, and when Ronaldo fell over Bartez.

Not a bad weekend :rolleyes:

I'm really keen to get over to Brazil in 2014. Hope preparations go well.

Wait'll you see Copacabana Stadium!
Winning a pair of tickets is sweet good luck and it sounds like you used them to the fullest. I am glad for you. The games I have where Beckenbauer played, persuades me he deserves his reputation....sorry about his ego thing.
Thanks for filling me in on the World Cup weekend: sounds great and deserved.
France really played together as a team didn't they?

Venables? Terry? He did a good job bringing the Australian program up to world level. Australia just needs to build on what he started there[and forget the Confederations Cup final - being on the wrong end of a 6 - 0 score]

I visited the Maracana to see Botafogo 2 yrs ago ( actually a work-related visit linked to the British Council, linking to education projects in the favelas). Great to visit such an iconic venue, but certainly needs upgrading.

Where will the Copacabana stadium be located?

Beckenbauer was really friendly.

I was misleading: my brothers-in-law said they and other national team fans have taken to calling Maracana "Copacabana" both as a play on words and as a half hearted[or more] suggestion that a totally renovated stadium become known by that name. No one wants another Salvador tragedy[my wife's home town] and everyone's hoping Lula will completely redo Maracana.
It'll still be offically Maracana: The question is whether it will get the total makeover, and additional seating, it needs and deserves.
First of all the Brazilian Federation needs to rid itself of its corrupt practices so they can field the best possible team.
[lotsa good players have played for Botofogo]

It's good that Beckenbauer was friendly to you. He covered a lot of ground and invariably made the right decision in the games I have of him playing. He doesn't need to run down the German program because they seem to be doing OK to me. 99% of the world would like a consistency they have attained.

He's a handsome chap, though, that Zidane, all things considered...

Yes, a 90 minute film concentrating on Peter Beardsley or Wayne Rooney wouldn't have quite the same aesthetic impact.

90 minutes of Romario would be like Warhol's "24 Hours" except for a few seconds of action where he would score his goal for the game. I guess that would be like when the bird flew past the camera.

is anyone go to upload "24 hours" to youtube?

If they are, they are probably a person with whom you really want to speak with or a person you really ought to avoid: No in between on this one.