Damned GoodBy John DeSando, WCBE's "It's Movie Time," "Cinema Classics," and "On the Marquee"
"The best football coach the England team never had."
So goes the last line of the best sports film you never saw. Or maybe I can change that condition by urging you to see one of the best recent sports films, better than recent favorites of mine such as We are Marshall and Gridiron Gang. Brian Clough (Michael Sheen) rose in the late sixties and early seventies to become coach of the premiere British football (soccer) team in England. But his tenure lasted an ignominious 44 days.
Director Tom Hopper skillfully navigates parallel scenes: 1974, when Clough was made coach of Leeds, back through the years from his coaching the little Darby team to Leeds. And beyond.
What makes this film so unusual is the uncompromising portrayal of that flawed coach with his ambition, ego, inferior complex, and, of course, his genius with football. Or I should I say with choosing Peter Taylor (Timothy Spall) as his assistant, a bowling pin shape of a man gifted with insight about players' strengths and a perfect complement to the abrasive Clough. However, if the film is flawed it makes apparent Taylor's humanity and never reveals, except with locker room pep talks, the humanity Clough must have had to lead so many teams to greatness.
The actual playing, both original footage and reenacted version, occupies a relatively small part of the film because the emphasis is on character, primarily Clough and Taylor, who border on "bromance," but also minor characters such as Darby club president, Uncle Sam (Jim Broadbent) and rival coach, Don Revie (Colm Meany). Everyone is in character, so when the real people show up in the usual credit roll at the end, you could easily pick out the actor to match, so close even in appearance.
Because this tale tells mainly about the Clough flaws that lead to his disgrace, The Damned United is uncompromisingly, sometimes painfully, real in the most satisfactory way. Even though Clough lost, the film wins.
But wait, the suspense continues because the credit sequence will tell you the next act in Brian Clough's career.
Second acts fit honest films like this.
John DeSando teaches film at Franklin University and co-hosts WCBE 90.5's It's Movie Time, Cinema Classics, and On the Marquee, which can be heard streaming at http://publicbroadcasting.net/wcbe/ppr/index.shtml and on demand at http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wcbe/arts.artsmain Contact him at JDeSando@Columbus.RR.com