World Cup films are never easy
Daring to Dream, a new documentary about England’s prowess at the last World Cup was released to damning dismissal. It isn’t helped by the fact that copyright issues precluded match commentary.
It takes me back to the official World Cup film, GOAL!, on which I worked in 1966 and which received fulsome criticism. It was well summed up by Michael Samuelson, of that huge film and TV emporium of the same name, who acted as a cameraman for a largely French team. “It wasn’t a team,” he said. “It was a happening.”
How right he was. I myself wasn’t called in to write the script till everything was in the can. The initial writer’s commentary had been thrown out. I was telephoned by a girl working on the programme whom I had worked with on Michael Parkinson programmes on TV. Was I interested? Of course I was.
When I arrived it was to find a work in chaos. Much splendid material hopelessly assembled. There was only £300 in it for me, but England’s triumph allured me.
“Make your voice heard,” said the head of production and this I managed to do, battling with two inexperienced directors.
There was enough material to create an exciting film and it opened in the West End to great praise and success – even if on the basis of our footage we couldn’t be sure about that Geoff Hurst goal...