This weekend to watch in your free time: Football and its hooligans
Insulting,
abusing, spitting, throwing stones, bricks and Molotov cocktails on the
opposing supporters, abuse of smoke bombs and massive fights: this is another side of Football.
How
football, the most popular sport in the world, has turned from a unifying factor
into a cause of discord? Watch those two films about football fans, which are
showing the life of football hooligans from the inside and you will maybe understand
the reason of their hatred.
Green Street
2005, UK,
Direction:
Lexi Alexander
With:
Charlie Hunnam, Claire Forlani, Elijah Wood and Leo Gregory
The
director Lexi Alexander was inspired by memories of her childhood, when she
supported the Waldhof Mannheim football team. Co-authored with the former
football hooligan Dougie Brimson, she wrote the script and directed the movie
about the lifestyle of the supporters of West Ham United Football Club. This
film is another attempt to portray the so-called "English disease",
hooliganism, in the cinema. The plot is quite simple - journalism student Matt Buckner got
dismissed from Harvard for a crime he did not commit. He moves to London to his
married sister, where her husband introduces Matt to his younger brother Pete. Becoming friends with Pete, Matt discovers the
world of football fanaticism and learns about the mysteries and intrigues
within the football firm”Green Street Elite”. Behind all the sport, alcohol and
fights, a story of true friendship, support, loyalty and honor reveals. On the
contrary, we see the result of baseless hate and senseless fights.
Why the movie is worth seeing? Firstly because of the script: it is exciting to
watch the process of integration of a new member into the most ardent firm, “the
Green Street Elite”, and trying to understand how the violence appears in the
football environment. Secondly, it is unusual to observe the boyish “Hobbit”
face of Elijah Wood in the role of a brutal football hooligan.
The Football Factory
2004, UK
Directed by
Nick Love
Starring: Danny
Dyer, Dudley Sutton, Frank Harper, Jamie Foreman, Neil Maskell, Roland
Manookian, Tamer Hassan
The film is
a cult classic for football fans. “The Football factory” is based on a book written by John
King - the iconic British writer who writes about football club supporters. This
story is not only about football fans, but also about the English middle class society
of the 90’s. Through his description of the everyday life of the middle class,
we can see the reason of hatred, racism and aggression in the football
environment. The movie vividly shows hooligans daily life, how they spend their
time in bars or at the stadium, how they manifest themselves after matches. The
outstanding acting makes the audience fall in love with the actors, although at
the same time the spectators do not justify the actions of the characters. The
Events in the film show the confrontation of two soccer fan clubs, Headhunters
(Chelsea support) and the Bushwhackers
(Millwall). With this the protagonist Danny Dyer became an idol and a
role model for many “true” football hooligans all over the world. The Paradox:
during the movie he keeps asking himself: “Is
it worth it?”
The tagline
of “The football factory” is 'what else you gonna do on a Saturday?'
We know the answer: Get chips and a drink and watch one of our two movie-recommendations to get in the mood of the football world cup!
If both are not appealing you, here is a list of other remarkable films every football fan should have seen:
We know the answer: Get chips and a drink and watch one of our two movie-recommendations to get in the mood of the football world cup!
If both are not appealing you, here is a list of other remarkable films every football fan should have seen:
‘’Ultrà’’,
1991, directed by Ricky Tognazzi, Italy
‘’Flying
Pigs’’, 2010, directed by Anna Kazejak-Dawid, Poland
‘’Gegengerade
- 20359 St. Pauli’’, 2011, directed by Tarek Ehlail, Germany
‘’Kicking
Off’’, 2013, directed by Anton Bormatov, Russia
‘’Cass’’,
2008, directed by Jon S. Baird, United Kingdom
‘’The
Firm’’ (made-for-television drama film), 1989, directed by Alan Clarke, United
Kingdom
‘’The
Firm’’, 2009, directed by Nick Love, United Kingdom
‘’I.D.’’,
1995, directed by Philip Davis, United Kingdom
‘’Rise of
the Footsoldier’’, 2007, directed by Julian Gilbey, United Kingdom
‘’Green
Street Hooligans 2’’, 2009, directed by Jesse Johnson, USA
‘’Awaydays’’,
2009, directed by Pat Holden, United Kingdom
‘’Klatka”,
2003, directed by Sylwester Latkowski, Poland
‘’Mean
Machine’’, 2001, directed by Barry Skolnick, United Kingdom & United States
‘’L'ultimo
ultras’’, 2009, directed by Stefano Calvagna, Italy
‘’The Ice
Cream Wars’’, 2012, directed by Paul Tanter, United Kingdom
‘’The Rise
and Fall of a White Collar Hooligan’’, 2012, directed by Paul Tanter, United Kingdom
written by Iuliia Zadorozhnia
edited by Ida Meyenberg
written by Iuliia Zadorozhnia
edited by Ida Meyenberg
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