Football movies...

[Trigger]

Escape to Victory has been named the greatest football movie of all time.

The 1981 film starred Brazilian football legend Pele, England's 1966 World Cup captain Bobby Moore and actors Michael Caine and Sylvester Stallone.

They played allied PoWs preparing for a match against a German team in Nazi-occupied Paris while French Resistance and British officers make plans for the team's escape.

British comedy Bend it Like Beckham, starring Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley, came second in the poll.

The most recent soccer movie Football Factory, about football hooliganism, which was criticised for scenes of explicit violence, came 10th in the UCI Cinema poll with only 1%.

Fever Pitch, based on Nick Hornby's best selling semi-autobiography, came third, followed by When Saturday Comes, the 1996 movie starring Sean Bean and Emily Lloyd, about a hard-drinking brewery worker who has a trial at Sheffield United.

Other films in the top 10 include Cup Fever (1965), in sixth place, starring Manchester United manager Matt Busby.

Mean Machine (2001), which starred Vinnie Jones as a soccer star who leads a match against prison guards after being jailed for assault, came ninth.

UCI Cinemas spokeswoman Lianne Butterfield said: "As a nation we love football and films about our favourite passion have always been popular with cinemagoers.

"Escape to Victory and Bend it Like Beckham are great feel-good films that everyone can enjoy, even if they don't understand the offside rule."


But which is your favourite?.....

 

[Beach Hut]

What about when Saturday Come with Sean Bean ?

What was the other film - Striker ? With Paul Mcshane

 

[Crisp]

If Gregory's Girl counts as a football movie, then that's my favourite.

 

[Beach Hut]

If Gregory's Girl counts as a football movie, then that's my favourite.

Good call - wonderful film and very well directed.

 

[Crawley Boy]

I quite liked Fever Pitch, even if it was about Arsenal.

 

[Stumpy Tim]

Have they not seen Soccer Dog!!

 

[alan partridge]

shaolin soccer eats all of those films for breakfast

although i do love escape to victory

 

[Gwylan]

It's not a movie, but I saw a good football play on Friday. It's called 'Sing yer hearts out for the lads' and is based in a pub while the England v Germany match (the last one at Wembley) is on. The entire match is played on a big screen so, if you're bored with the play, you can watch the game. Not that you'd be bored, it's a compelling play, only notionally about football, but more about nationality and racism. Well worth catching, if it ever comes on tour.

It's certainly better than any film I've seen about football - why are they always such crap? Where's the football equivalent of 'This sporting life' or 'The club', both of which are pretty good films. Why can rugby do it and not football?

 

[Vankleek Hill Seagull]

Mean Machine (2001), which starred Vinnie Jones as a soccer star who leads a match against prison guards after being jailed for assault, came ninth.

But which is your favourite?.....

Mean Machine also starred Ralph Brown who played Burton, the prison guard chief. If you watch the movie carefully, you can see the Seagulls penant hanging up in his office.

 

[Yorkie]

I liked Gregory's Girl and When Saturday comes (even though it featured the Blades )

 

[Bald Gull]

Re: Re: Football movies...

Mean Machine also starred Ralph Brown who played Burton, the prison guard chief. If you watch the movie carefully, you can see the Seagulls penant hanging up in his office.

Perry Digweed is also in Mean Machine...

What was that other football hooliganism film? Scum?? That was pretty good (so good, I've forgotten its name!!)

 

[Northstander]

Sorry but Scum (top film) was purley about the young offender institutes of the 70's known as Borstals.

It even as far as I know led to a reform if these institutes due to the shocking scenes....One of, if not the first of Ray Winstons top films.


" WHERE'S YA TOOL.........?"

 

[Bald Gull]

OK. not scum. The one about Shadwell F.C. Anyone remember what it was called?

 

[Trotster]

Yeah - its called ID - the best best best film ever!!!

 

[Stumpy Tim]

ID - great film.

 

[Bald Gull]

Yeah - its called ID - the best best best film ever!!!

That's the one. Cheers Trotster

 

[Trigger]

I liked Gregory's Girl and When Saturday comes (even though it featured the Blades )

Oiiii, nothing wrong with the blades!!!


Speaking of ID, which buffoon has my video at the moment?

 

[lincs seagull]

Goal docu film made in 66 about the england team and there journery to the final

great film all in colour with some amazing use of camera angles ahead of it time a must see

 

[34064 Fighter Command]

Mike Bassett England Manager !

 

[Hiney]

Pride of place in my collection is a movie called Brighton 1 Bristol City 0

It starts off quite quietly but the ending is absolutely fantastic. It stars a load of blokes in striped shirts who are supported by around 30,000 extras who have paid for the privilege of being involved in the production. I don't normally get emotional when I'm watching films but the ending of this one brings a tear to my eye.

There is a prequel, called Albion 1 Swindon 2 which also has an unbelievable ending.

These two are my favourites at the moment