Emir Kusturica - Maradona by Kusturica (2008)

http://www.fotorola.com/uploads/4b40eb0573.jpg

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/5333/imdbimage.jpg

Acclaimed filmmaker Emir Kusturica traces the remarkable story of soccer legend Diego Maradona in this documentary featuring music by composer Manu Chao.

The clue to the perspective of this documentary is in the title ; this is Maradona as the two-time Palme D'Or winner Emir Kusturica sees him. In the director's eyes Maradona can do no wrong and is practically a living God. The director's voiceover that punctuates archive footage and interviews with Maradona even finds excuses for the world cup winner's obvious faults from his cocaine abuse to neglecting his family.
The England versus Argentina ''hand of God'' match dominates this engaging documentary about Diego Armando Maradona the man rather than the footballer. Kusturica uses the win against England as the springboard to highlight the anti-imperialist political rhetoric that Maradona is seen spouting most of the time a microphone is put in front of him. He also shows off the Fidel Castro tattoo that now graces the finest left peg to set foot on a football pitch and talks about the victory against England as revenge for the Falklands war.
Maradona is introduced at an anti-Bush rally in 2005 during a period when his weight ballooned and he almost lost his life through drug abuse. Kusturica keeps on cutting to an animation sequence that shows Maradona on the football field bamboozling British and American political figures in turn, Margaret Thatcher, Prince Charles and the Queen, Tony Blair and George W. Bush are all bamboozled to the soundtrack of the Sex Pistol's God Save the Queen.
The detailed autobiography ''I Am Maradona'' is used as a double for a bible by the Church of Maradona. The church is the great find of this documentary. The religion revolves around the footballer ; to be baptised you have to score a ''hand of God'' goal and their Lord's Prayer has hilarious Maradona related verse.
The director is not a good journalist. There is much that Kusturica chooses not to discuss with the man he idolises. Maradona doesn't talk about his illegitimate son, his relationship with the Neapolitan mafia or anything about his career in Barcelona. The most preposterous moment is when Kusturica in all seriousness says that analysing Maradona play football could be as valuable for understanding the human condition as the works of Freud and Jung. Kusturica should have no trouble joining the church of Maradona.

top Movie Channel

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Emir Kusturica - Maradona by Kusturica (2008)

0 comments:

Post a Comment

HIstory

Category

About Me

Followers