When I was a youngster, and football was my passion, and I started to get into the wonderful world of the Premiership, with his ball Mitre (mitiquísimo), its Manchester United sweeping, aggressive football and vibrant. I remember one Saturday afternoon, in which Anthony Yeboah Leeds United thrashed at home to Wimbledon always humble, and then went to the bookstore that was next to my house. There I saw a pocket book titled The 20 biggest clubs in Europe, and I bought it. Ojeándolo on the way home, saw how they talked of all monsters Sport: Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, \u200b\u200bMilan, Inter, Juventus, Liverpool ... until I stopped at one or sounded: Nottingham Forest. For me the name of that city would inevitably associated with Robin Hood and the sheriff, and I said sounded like a big team in Europe. I begin to read their file and the first thing that strikes me is what it says in their titles, two European Cups won in two consecutive years in the hands of his most legendary coach, Brian Clough, despite being a team without any tradition large, and from that moment became one of the greatest teams in English football, noting to do something different: the ground game and very important bands, eliminating the archaic system of play based on the direct style of the islands. Apart from this, Clough was an icon of British football for two decades, a character you hated or loved unconditionally since his controversial remarks were not average, costing him the dream of his life, train England, despite always heard his name for the job. He was known for his absolute hate relationship with Don Revie, master of the old school of British football, which Clough accused of training his players as if they were real criminals, as opposed to his playing style, clean and pragmatic. This is the point basis of The Damned United, in which Peter Morgan (who could be calling for new writer movie star, since it can almost be considered the author of his films, opening the debate on the authorship and planted others as Arriaga Kauffman), with his inseparable Michael Sheen returns to dissect something that seems to obsess so sick: the power and ambition, taking a similar pattern to his wonderful work in Frost / Nixon, the confrontation between two strong-willed personalities together against their will by a playful destination (the ball draw for the FA Cup).
And, if we stop to analyze the figures constructed by this solvent writer in his previous films, we can form a trilogy about characters in the shadow of power. Both The Queen and in the aforementioned review of the most controversial interview with American President Bush to share with The Damned United the role of a character subject to the other: both Elizabeth II as the ever popular Lady Di tiresome unable to David Frost to tame the power of Nixon phlebitic are cousins \u200b\u200bof the Shakespearean echoes Brian Clough, who always tried to overcome this wall that was the brilliant work of Don Revie at Leeds United for a contempt he did when they met and trained with the modest Clough Derby County. We are faced with the classic story of rise and fall of a character that could qualify as assassin (his attempt to dethrone Revie): egocentric, manic, obsessive, and arrogant. Brian Clough is more like a gangster or walshiano coppoliano turn extracted models of the epic Shakespearean betrayal and fall back to the classic football coach a small team of English: large brains, manipulative, cold, and a large counselor. Described with pinpoint accuracy, Morgan chooses to develop it through his relationship with his best friend and almost brother, Peter Taylor, who advised him on the signings and many suspect was the one who really built the greatness of the teams coached by Clough. Simbioide relationship between the two is raised almost as the friendship of two young lovers who whisper and criticize the teacher (the president), called on the phone while they eat and their wives because they throw the food anger cools them, two goofy obsessed with football and who can not live without each other. Therefore, due to immaturity and delusions of grandeur Clough fight the inevitable occurs and loss of sanity of the hero that leads to absolute decline when the desire for glory sought, meaning the kick-off of its loss identity. Child, whimsical, immaturity comes from his obsession with his enemy, coming to sacrifice the most important game in the history of Derby against Juventus to win at Leeds Revie (even arrives to pick up a striking scene from Frost / Nixon, as is the telephone call between them, and move here to know by mouth Revie Clough sunk to a Leeds boys disobey him because they still love their old Mr.). Hooper chooses to obscure the view of Mr. indeed, leaving abandoned after fighting with half a football, with Longsam, its chairman, and Peter Taylor, his trusty Sancho Panza of his quixotic adventure for those muddy fields of England deeper. Gangsteriano for his attempt to supplant the enemy and put yourself in their shoes, obviously failing. It is not therefore give a moralistic message, if not to speak of a quality that every day is more absent in the football world: loyalty.
And is that The Damned United is also the most accurate portrait of the world of football, the excitement of seeing a match, the coach's uncertainty about the outcome, the pressure of the step, the rush of football in the locker room and aisles to go out there and a romantic vision of that original idea of \u200b\u200bthis sport, now lost except for some: to win over anything. Revie and Clough, Clough and Revie, two such different styles for a single purpose: to lift titles. The film raises very indirect way, the debate of how football was happy before the arrival of television, the Bosman ruling, globalization sport, ultimately, money. Longsam, chairman of Derby County, is presented as the classic provincial Florentino Perez, obsessed with money and unable to pay attention to the team sports, humane treatment of others, causing the classic struggle of egos that ends with the breakup and defeat of both parties. Although in many instances, to show a condescending nothing Clough, is clearly the position taken by the director: the club is a family and as a parent coach is responsible for the welfare of their children. Played host to a finish and aged as Dave Mackay and he becomes the leader and soul of the team on the field, strengthens young talents such as McGovern and gives all her love. Protective of their players, the locker room almost as a sacred place at the time of the Derby (the director comes to wide angle to enlarge the tiny space) where consoles his players, motivating them and advises them, and Leeds, their arrival is shown as an invasion, the divas to have to live do not allow the entrance, as if it were a stepfather who came to take the place of his real father. It also portrays the loneliness better than any coach in bad times. Morgan's script both as competent but distant Hooper's work shines in the position to sink the show successful coach with great skill the rollercoaster that is football. 2 years ago when Juande Ramos left Sevilla's most successful ever existed for Tottenham, people thought I would make the jewish team in a winning machine to get a true idol, and less than a year later was get fired after the worst league start for a team that had spent a savage, yes, getting a big settlement. Clough destroys its principles to be chosen by the leaders of Leeds as a safe and eventually is unable to enter the domain of another, being fired and thus taking a fortune and, like the prodigal son, the ability to recognize their mistakes and take refuge next to the man he became a legend, Peter Taylor.
