Name: Pelé, Garrincha, Dieux du Brésil
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2002-06-03
Duration: 1 h 25 min
Rating: 7.5
Cast: Pelé, Garrincha

The structure and approach has pluses and minuses but generally is engaging and interesting

Starting with their entry into the football world and international fame in the 1950's, this documentary follows the careers and lives of Brazilian football stars Pelé and Garrincha. When they played on the same team, they never lost a game however individually their careers and lives gradually took very different paths.

I do like football but over the past decade costs and demands con my time has turned me more into a follower than a fan, with matches too expensive, Sky too expensive and only the highlight programmes really catching my interest. Of course the exception to this has been the wonderful but unsuccessful European qualifying competition run that Northern Ireland went on, these games were available on BBC and produce many results that were a joy, but I digress. Anyway, not being a massive fan of the sport and only born in the 1970's I must confess that I had never heard of Garrinacha although of course everyone knows Pelé. So on one hand this film was a whole new story for me and on the other, an engaging overview of a lot of stuff I already knew and I imagine that for a lot of viewers the experience will be the same.

The film is split fairly evenly between the two and covers a lot of time, mainly focusing on the global stage where it applies. The downside of this is that the detail isn't there for those who already know the sweeping story of either of these men. However it does mean that the uninformed or just interested not only gets to hear the stories of each man, but also see the contrast between the fates of two. It does this by using what seemed like 100% archive footage  some of which everyone will have seen but much of which was new to me (including some great game footage). It makes the telling of the story seem a lot more real to the viewer but the downside to doing it this way is that we rely heavily on the narration to tell the story. In terms of how the narration is used, the script itself was pretty tight and serviceable and the only problem I had with it was that the UK version had Garth Crooks doing it  not the most engaging voice, particularly when his is the one you'll hear most during the film.

Overall though, the film is still an engaging and interesting overview of these two football stars. The detail is absent but the overview works for what the film is trying to achieve and the archive footage makes the story feel immediate and less remote than I expected, even if it does then put a heavy reliance on the narration. Worth a look for the casual football fan and upwards.

French-language cinema, whether in France, Québec, or other Francophone regions, explores cultural identity, social change, and the tension between the individual and society. French cinema is not only celebrated for its intellectual experimentation and auteur traditions, but also its success in mainstream comedy, romance, and commercial entertainment. In Québec, films often focus on questions of language, belonging, and community within a distinct cultural landscape.

Jean-Pierre Léaud in The 400 Blows (1959)

The documentary is a form of non-fiction storytelling that aims to present factual information, insights, and perspectives on real-world subjects, events, issues, or people. Documentaries can cover a wide range of topics, including history, science, culture, social issues, nature, biographies, and more.

Dziga Vertov in Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

Pelé, Garrincha, Dieux du Brésil (2002)

Audiovisuel Multimedia International Production (AMIP)

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Pelé, Garrincha, Dieux du Brésil

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