Football and Cinema: The Ultimate Team

When it comes to video transfer we are your one stop shop for converting your treasured memories to DVD. However, in between conversions we like to keep our finger on the proverbial pulse of the moving media industry; be that TV, be that film, we love it. Furthermore, with the onset of the new Premier League season it seems very apt that a new football film has hit the news, and to those fans who don’t remember the 1970s it could initially be seen as an unlikely topic.

A new film about Nottingham Forest, titled I Believe In Miracles, is set to be released on October 9th but director, Jonny Owen, has big plans for its premier. The film, documenting the team’s 1979 European Cup win, was set for a London premier but Owen has spoken to and persuaded distributers to debut the film in Nottingham Forest’s home ground, which has the huge potential for 15,000 people.

To celebrate the news that I Believe In Miracles is to receive a home-team welcome, and to unite that with a celebration of the start of the new football season, we thought we’d present to you some of the best football films from recent years; the most recent of which being another film dedicated to just the one team, Manchester United.

Class of 92

Class of 92 takes a look back at the Manchester United team that went on to win The Treble in 1999. Consisting of interviews with former players, the film focuses on David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Gary and Phil Neville, discussing everything from the changing room atmosphere to their relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson. Class of 92 is an absolute must for the passionate United fan and a fantastic insight into the world of football for even the most causal of spectator. Definitely worth a watch.

Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait

Another documentary, Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait, focuses on the French midfielder during a Spanish Liga game playing for his club Real Madrid versus Villarreal. Using 17 synchronised cameras, the film follows Zidane exclusively throughout the game in real time. The soundtrack to the film was provided by Scottish post-rock band Mogwai and bears a similarity to Football As Never Before, a film where 6 cameras focussed on George Best during a game against Coventry City. If nothing else, both films are a fantastic way to celebrate the skills each possessed and help to document the memory and the legacy of the players.

Mike Bassett: England Manager

Mike Basset: England Manager is a mockumentary which follows the new England manager and his hotchpotch team to the World Cup Finals. Originally a lower league player, Mike Bassett seems to be the only person in England interested in the England manager job and uses his passion, which is essentially just loud shouting, to get his team to the finals (with a little bit of luck). Mike Bassett is a ridiculous film ‘documenting’ what seems to be a team of early 90’s spirited footballers, with plenty of booze and lude behaviour. This is a wonderfully silly film for the football fan who liked their footballers with beer guts and two-footed tackles as opposed to plucked eyebrows and diving.

We love the beautiful game, so we have a soft spot for the cinematic versions which reach the big screen. We particularly warmed to Class of 92 and Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait because they document a very particular time in the history of football, meaning that these special memories will always be captured for future generations – much like what we do at Video2DVD with our video transfers. To discuss this video transfer service and to chat with one of our friendly team of media professionals, don’t hesitate to contact us on 0800 592433 where one of our friendly team will be eagerly awaiting your call!

Until then, enjoy the new season!