Zidane, un portrait du 21e siècle (2006) User Reviews

An entertaining bore draw

[bobbyfletch85 · 5/10 · 10 March 2007]

Zidane, un portrait du 21e siècle offers an unusual and surprisingly thoughtful experience, providing a sense of the frustration and isolation of a legendarily talented footballer, but little more.

The film begins with a silent first 15 minutes observing Zidane's skill and movement. It feels rather like you're watching the Skysports player-cam and as such, is a little disappointing. Coupled with the initial jumping back to the perspective of a viewer watching at home, then returning back to the high quality camera POV's, it leaves you somewhat restless, as the director tries to create a hyperbole of space and reality. However, you soon become aware of the human ambiance; Zidane's heavy breathing, feet dragging on the grass like a stag before battle, the visceral crunches of hefty challenges; all creating a very tangible texture.

In a moment after the referee wrongly gives away a penalty, which the opposition score, Zidane approaches and speaks the words "You should be ashamed". Zidane's tone and presence makes this emphatic condemnation almost papal.

There are times in this film when one finds them self checking the time remaining on the DVD player. Whilst being able to appreciate Zidane's awesome touch and effortless ability, the footage is repetitive and too enclosed to really gather a true sense of Zidane's perspective. Those audiences who make it past the 15 minute mark are rewarded when Mogwai's splendid soundtrack kicks in and is complimented by Zidane's subtitled monologue. Here, you really appreciate the fact that they didn't choose an English footballer as their subject. The delicate manner in which french translates, provides a poetic and cinematic syntax. We English are very wasteful with our words and I'm sure if we were hearing David Beckham's thoughts, we would be more spurious at the lack of numerous mentions of "Obviously", "You know" and "fantastic".

At half time the film installs context to the game displaying both violently moving images together with trivial incidents apparently going on elsewhere in the world whilst the game takes place. The intriguing suggestion is that the match, tied with fate, is pointless and memorable like all things.

In truth, after this point, the film has completed it's goal and as such, drags to the finish. The camera work seems dizzying and whilst the intention is to make the viewer feel Zidane's experience, it ultimately fails. Whilst we empathise with his irritation and patience, we are not rewarded like he is, with the thrill of being on the pitch. There is an absence of space and vision, which, would truly mimic his sensation.

Zidane's exit is practically welcome when he is sent off ten minutes before the match finishes, but he leaves with a poetic sense of irony. After a game of fisticuffs, his hot head landing him in trouble like it did at World Cup 2006, we are left with an emotive sense of futility, his sending off - a metaphor for mortality, leaving the pitch to a hero's applause.

I think the film could have benefited from more subtitled speech from Zidane and with the extension of the soundtrack lasting from start to finish. But what hampers this film is it's lack of creating the true experience of space and vision in a football game, in truth, the attempt to re-create Zidane's frustration at not receiving the ball on time and having his passes clumsily lost, is overwhelmed by our frustration at the sense of claustrophobia and detachment.

Has more cinematic merit than you think

[Cool Hand Luke · 7/10 · 27 February 2007]

Whilst I would not recommend this film to many people I still feel that what it has to offer on a purely technical level is more than many, many films out there.

Let's start with the cinematography. In charge of the look is Darius Khondji, a DOP who I feel ranks as one of the greatest of all time. His painstaking attention to detail and often uncompromising perfectionism heightened my curiosity with this film because he would have had no control over the lighting. Which is a challenge for someone who usually has every lighting rig available at his disposal. His choices were limited to equipment and film stock, as well as the angles chosen to focus on Zidane. The result is beautiful. The colours, the framing, the movement. It is impeccable and compliments the concept of the film perfectly.

Then there is the sound and music. To say this is an immersive experience is an understatement. The diegetic sound and Foley work is so vivid that you feel part of the action. It is as close to being in a stadium such as the Bernabeu without actually being there. You hear Zidane every now and again ask for the ball, call a player, mention something to the referee. And as Zidane is so quiet, when he does utter a word for some reason you are compelled. When the ref makes a howler of a decision to give the opposition a penalty he eloquently says; "You should be ashamed." It's a wonderful moment, and it is these few seconds of drama that are sprinkled throughout the 90 minutes that keep you watching.

Mogwai's score is as beautiful as everyone has said, supporting the images and saving periods of the game where little is happening.

But the centrepiece is Zidane himself. I was born in 1983 so never got to watch Platini, Pele, Best or Cruijff. I would not dare call anyone the greatest player of all time because it is such a subjective and immeasurable claim to make. But having watched football for so long, I would have no hesitation in regarding Zidane as the greatest player I have ever seen. His vision, skill, control, strength. No player of his generation has ever come close to him. I have never seen someone so relaxed on the ball. He could beat any player, and more to the point would see passes no one else on the pitch would see. And when you consider his achievements, the World Cups, the goals (in World Cup and CHampions League finals) the infamous dismissals. Hell, he has seen and done it all.

So in this game, even at the end of his playing career, he is still beating players, setting up goals, and not once did he miscontrol the ball. Which is astounding. Every ball played to him, along on the ground or in the air, whether it was perfectly weighted or dished out to him too hard and a few yards away was controlled with such deftness. I couldn't actually believe it at times.

A number of Real Madrid players were under immense scrutiny during this period in the club's history. The Galacticos (Carlos, Beckham, Raul, Ronaldo and Zidane) were not winning any trophies and the press were quick to point out their waning powers. The performances were lacklustre and many questioned their passion having won all there is to win in football. Yet in this performance all I saw was Zidane running constantly, challenging for headers, being incredibly disciplined with his tackles and positioning, ordering players to mark, constantly asking for the ball. He may not have had the pace to beat players like he once did at Juventus and his early Madrid days, but when there was space to exploit he took the opportunity.

I agree there are dull moments, but it is the nature of the beast. I think it speaks wonders that in a relatively low profile game with average passages of football Zidane can still keep you intrigued. From the way he drags the tip of his right foot along the ground as he walks to the way he looks around for other players he remains compelling viewing. There are few, if any other players who could have achieved this.

The highlight for me came towards the end of the game. For well over an hour you saw the same stern, emotionless face on Zidane. He barely reacted to being fouled, or conceding a goal, setting up a goal. But then Roberto Carlos smiled at him and made a joke that made Zidane's face light up with such a beautiful smile. It is the most endearing moment in the film that could only be captured off the wall. It is so natural and revealing that it endears you. It is a lesson to all footballers. No matter what the stakes are in football the most important thing to remember is to enjoy yourself. It is just a game after all. And with this portrait of a magician, you realise just how beautiful it can be.

Cute, but it's little more than a gimmick and we don't really need Warhol inspired pieces like this to tell us how good Zidane was.

[johnnyboyz · 5/10 · 11 March 2009]

While on paper the idea behind Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait might sound off the wall; 'out there' or quite intriguing, the film is actually a bit of dud. I use the term 'film' very loosely, Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait is more of a 'piece', an experiment as filed by Frenchman Philippe Parreno and Scotsman Douglas Gordon who visit the Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, home of Real Madrid, and shoot French born of Algerian descent footballer Zinedine Zidane for ninety minutes – the length of a standard league football match. The film is made up of about three perspectives, each one being cut to when the editors obviously assume you've had enough of one or the other. One perspective is the bog standard camera mounted on the gantry as seen through television; another is a ground level camera focusing on Zidane in close up-ish format with the third being from a third person perspective, watching the match on an actual television monitor, pixels 'n' all.

Do you remember, or have you even heard of, a function called 'Player Cam'? It's a gimmick BskyB used to run, or perhaps still do, on their Sky Sports coverage that enables the viewer to switch to a certain channel and watch a designated player for as long as the directors choose as a certain camera stays on him. For a lot of people, this will be nothing new or particularly interesting. To be blunt, the experiment doesn't work here. The title of the piece is Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait with 'portrait' being the important word. The makers are trying to create some sort of work of art, some sort of painting or sculpture of a person (Zidane) that they clearly admire and feel should be captured in an artistic manner. It doesn't work through the medium of cinema, and this is the evidence it doesn't.

When you go to a gallery, you don't have something like Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey playing, on mute, on a screen in the corner for people to observe for as long as they wish amidst all the other works of art, so why contaminate things that belong in a gallery with things that belong on a cinema screen? Principally, what's wrong is that the two directors can pick and choose which match or performance out of Zidane they actually want to deliver to us. If Zidane had been substituted after fifty minutes in this match or had been seriously injured after ten and brought off, we'd never have even seen THIS particular match/performance/result of the experiment and they would've had to have tried again some other time. Thus, it renders a lot of the 'deeper thinking' ideas displayed in the film a little silly because 'this day' could have been any day. This creates a problem and exposes a flaw in the experiment, the subject of the work of art is free-thinking and unaware of the artist thus every time the artist will attempt to 'capture' the subject, a different result will be the result of the attempt.

In simpler terms, when Monet painted 'The Water Lilies' or Da Vinci captured the smiling woman that is the 'Mona Lisa', they had a subject or physical shape that was either set in stone and was always going to look exactly the way it is, it just needed an artist to implant their own style on it, OR they were able to direct a live subject and position the subject as well as capture specific emotions from them in the manner they desired. With footballers, the theory fails. You can never capture a true representation of a footballer because they'll always perform differently in different matches. An example might be German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.

Two matches could be used to 'capture' Lehmann: the 2006 Champions League final in which Lehmann starts the game before committing a foul and is consequently sent off after 18 minutes after much controversy. Then there's the Germany - San Marino match in which he stood in goal and did very, very little for 90 minutes as his team up the other end smack thirteen past a hapless opponent. If you were making Lehmann: A 21st Century Portrait, which do you select to 'capture' the player? Does it even matter? We don't need post-Warhol artists (not filmmakers) to display the 'quality' of certain players in this manner because the exercise is futile and will never capture a 'true' portrait.

For all the talk via some subtitles within the piece about thinking outside the boundaries and of the 'bigger picture', there is really very little going. When the directors assume us to be getting a little tired of certain shots or subjects, they'll cut to blinding floodlights as they zone down onto us and at one point, the camera takes an odd detour up some stairs to an upper tier to capture the match from another level. But these are cutaways, distractions from the gimmick that is Zidane himself, captured in all his glory as a supposed artist himself. Additioanlly, the directors get the dramatic finale to the match they probably craved. But where does it all go? Could you feasible make 'Beckham: A 21st Century Portrait'? (who was actually playing in this match) or 'Ronaldo: A 21st Century Portrait'? Or maybe you could mix it up and follow a referee for the duration of a match. Where would it all end and how long would it be until everyone realises what a daft exercise it really is? Not long at all.

Fragmented aims and delivery will detract value for even interested viewers although still leaves enough to make it worth seeing

[bob the moo · 6 June 2007]

On the 23rd April 2005, 22 men came out onto a rectangle of grass in front of a crowd of tens of thousands. This walk in the park was the league match between Real Madrid and Vilareal, a game that would see three goals, several bookings and three red cards before those involved were allowed to leave the grass.

Audience expectation is a terrible thing and I think it is one reason why so many viewers seemed to have similar issues with this film. Zidane etc was sold as a football film built around the concept of watching a master at work. The trailer said as much and I think a lot of people tuned in for that reason. However this is not really what the film is about because it was not really made as a portrait of the football of Zidane but rather of the art of Zidane. What this means is that the film is often quite "arty" in delivery and this actually gets in the way of the football and prevented me enjoying it consistently on this level.

At times the footage is great because it doesn't really worry about the football to the degree where all shots are wide and tell you what is happening. It gives a range of shots and, despite their grainy nature, the shots of the television for replays is useful. However I did get the impression that Gordon and Parreno were overly conscious about not just making a clever Match of the Day special and thus they did push the art aspect of the film. This is seen in the decision to show replays by filming a TV screen rather than just filming the action in a normal way and playing it back. Likewise blurry footage, fast cuts, the choice of soothing but bland score, the way that the film gets from crowd noise to babbling commentators and the subtitled thoughts of Zidane.

I found this off putting as it seemed forced and seemed to fly in the face of the fact that this was a film (not an installation), had been marketed as a football film and had been built around one of the finest footballers at the time. This is not to say that it is bad because, as an art piece of filming, these parts work well and, in their place, would be create. Just like the football stuff works well and it is only when it mixes with the art stuff that it falls down. So really it is two good projects but the reason it is only so-so is that it doesn't merge them well at all and indeed both aspects take away from one another rather than enhancing the experience.

It is quite dull at times and the lack of clear audience will be an issue. Those coming for the art side will be bored shirtless by some of the "straight" moments where Zidane is just filming making runs off the ball etc, while football fans will be frustrated by some of the filming and the maker's lack of passion for the man's role within the game. Of course having said that, this works the other way as well with, for example, the football crowd enjoying watching Zidane moving, fighting, kicking, failing, winning etc and the art crowd enjoying that aspect. Just a shame that the project could not have delivered consistently in one way (even if that one way encompassed both these factors) rather than making them feel like distinct aims.

not great, but intriguing

[ryuakamrvengeance · 6/10 · 12 November 2007]

Let me start of by saying this isn't a film for people who don't appreciate football. If you don't like football, then this film isn't for you. Yes, it is also an art film with exceptional cinematography, but to fully understand the nature of the film, and the nature and grace of Zinedine Zidane you must at least have some interest in football.

To many, including myself, Zinedine Zidane is the nearest specimen to a perfect footballer ever seen. He has everything needed to play the beautiful game; grace, intelligence, imagination and technique. So a film about the greatest footballer of modern times couldn't go by my unnoticed. The film is far from conventional, and at times completely hypnotic, as Zidane says himself, his memories of matches are fragmented and this could easily apply to this film. It is like a mirage of images, like watching a dream. Although clips of the match on TV keep it within reality, the numerous shots of "Zizou" on the pitch are completely surreal.

To understand this film beyond its cinematography, you must, as I said appreciate football. The subtle touches of the ball; the interaction with his fellow teammates, Raul, Roberto Carlos; the very way he moves around the field could not be significant unless you understand the very nature of Zidane. The film captures the intimate moments of despair and victory and of Zidanes very thoughts. The world and mind of Zidane is brought to the viewer in an empathetic way not seen in most films. For the ninety minutes or so, we shadow Zidane, we are even Zidane.

But despite all this, the film is significantly flawed. I am probably not the first to say at times you feel completely bored, and are tired of Zidane just walking around. You feel this might have been a good idea if they hadn't of chose to show ALL 90 minutes. But they do, and at times it is completely tedious. You eventually ask yourself if you are watching the same clips on a loop, the shots are so repetitive. Granted the "second half" is a lot better, as it is eventful and Zidane comes to life for better and for worse. Though you can't help feel you just wasted 90 minutes of your life.

As a fanatic follower of football, this film just about keeps me interested, so God help anyone who wants to watch this AND is not interested in football.

A fitting tribute to the genius of Zizou

[finthebin · 9/10 · 1 October 2006]

I can understand why some people would find this film rubbish, but it really is a fantastic piece of cinema if you just give it a chance.

If what you were expecting was just a montage of Zidane's finest moment this is not what you are looking for. This show's Zidane warts and all - the genius, the aggression, the skill - everything that made him the finest player of our generation.

The title of the film is so apt - it really is a portrait of football's finest "artist" in recent times. It is a little self indulgent, but the cinematography is fantastic and the soundtrack (music and sound) is incredible.

If you have any appreciation for football, Zidane, or even just artistic cinema I'd thoroughly recommend this movie.

Zidane: A Blurred Portrait

[info-5975 · 6/10 · 5 November 2006]

Voyeurs and film lovers will be mystified by this quasi-documentary art installation that has its moments but rarely gives you an insight into the man Zinedine Zidane.

We see the performer at work on his stage, undoubtedly one of the greatest footballers of the modern era but I felt stifled by this film. We see only Zidane in a game involving another 21 players, it's like hearing the punch line of a joke without the build-up; there is no context. As a football lover I needed no introduction to 'Zizou' but others may feel disappointed with the lack of insight into the man. With 17 cameras following him we are given a indulgent cinematic tour-de-force of what it might feel like to be involved in a top level football match but I found myself experiencing moments of boredom, conscious of the film and not lost in its attempts to take the viewer into Zidane's world.

One moment of contradictory genius was the half-time respite where we are shown news footage of varied events around the world on the same day as the football match. It gave ambivalence to the film, in one sense it highlighted the futile nature of football in comparison with the plight of people in Iraq for example but also gave Zidane a place among the events of our world history, and for once allowed the viewer to breathe given space away from the match. It's worth seeing but don't expect to find out who Zinedine Zidane really is, perhaps that was never the intention.

Boring as hell!!! And I worship Zidane.

[rafaelguetta · 1/10 · 12 April 2007]

The guys who made this movie got it so wrong. They actually show Zidane as a tired static player and not the football god he is.

Zidane is my idol for many years and what makes him a great player is: 1. his absolute vision of whats going on on the football field 2. His abilities to make the players around him better.

Yes, he's got amazing control of the ball and elegant movements that wont put to shame even a ballet dancer. But thats not it. For example, to show the amazing abilities of the conductor Zubin Mehta, you wont film him waving his hands for an hour of a silence movie. You must record his orchestra and show the connection between the conductor's brilliance and its outcome on his "TEAM" of musicians. The same goes to Zidan.

It is pretty obvious that the film makers here, do not understand football and what really made Zidane the amazing player he is. They showcase a too long, too static performance, mostly in close ups. Most of the time you don't know where Zidane is located on the pitch, or how does he reacts to the opponents formation or plays.

Sorry. Nice try but the results are poor and boring.

Understanding football

[shijin- · 8/10 · 16 June 2006]

There are some preliminary things to say about this film: It's not a classic documentary, like many would expect, also Zidane, reputed to be pretty reserved, doesn't give insights into his life or personality. Don't expect interviews. Don't expect commentaries. Don't expect help. If you're not a football aficionado you will very likely not like this movie. Just enjoy football in it's purest and most honest way.

Experience Zidane.

This film is more, than anyone could probably ever say about one of the greatest football players the world has seen. Incredible good close-up shots, amazing sound and image quality and a magnificent score make this film a unique experience. Most important of it all this movie gives insight in what's going on in Zidane's head during a match. Quotes of Zidane are printed in the subtitles and help you digest what you see and what you feel. The movie might seem boring at first, but apart from the great scenes one can understand why professional football is more than running and scoring goals. After seeing this movie one can understand why Zidane is such a great player, not only because of his superb technical skills, but also because he is a apt observer and coordinator. This movie makes understanding how football works achievable by those who are not complete football addicts. Supreme filming techniques and the fitting soundtrack - performed by Mogwai - make this movie an experience no one seriously into football should miss.

An Opinion

[john-4072 · 7/10 · 17 October 2007]

I believe this film gains value in a second and third watching. As mentioned in the comment below at times you can not see the ball, other players, or some other part of the action; however I find that if you are familiar with playing the sport the feeling the movie can give is at times frighteningly close to what can be experienced in a competitive game.

The sound is incredible throughout.

There are attempts made with the cinematography that seem a bit foolish and feel like a digression from what I have taken so far to be the point or theme or just main idea that it leaves me with- a small glance at one of sport's most prodigious talents as himself in his element. If you are a Zidane fan, I would highly suggest this movie. Whether you find it to be a blemish on the face of modern art or a work of genius it will only re-affirm your love for his footballing talents.

I also think that this movie will never be released in the US because the general public does not possess the general knowledge of football or the interest for it to be a fiscally sound idea. So to all the yanks interested in this movie plan a trip across the pond, pick it up and try to go see a real match!

Zidane was a more than great football player, but really not a good documentary subject. At least not for one with an approach such as this one.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 4/10 · 31 October 2007]

Just like every football fan, I have to say that Zinédine Zidane really was one of the best players of this and the last century. I would often watch a France game, purely because of Zidane and I wanted to see him do his magic. Even if the game wasn't very good and the team wasn't playing very well, Zidane would always show something special and amazing. His skill and touch was always amazing. Whenever he had the ball if was something special and you just knew something great could happen at any given moment. He doesn't look and move like a very technical player but he really was one of the most technical midfielder of the last few decades. He had a great and impressive but also very successful career, especially with his national team. Every world cup or European cup he participated in, he was one of the best players of the tournament and he won both the World- and European Cup with his country France. He played an important role in his country victories and eventual win of the tournaments, with his two goals in the 1998 finale against Brazil of course as his most memorable achievement. No way that a dumb head-but against Marco Materazzi in the 110th minute of the 2006 World Cup final against Italy, which also was his last game out of his career, should overshadow this great sportsman's career.

But as much as I adore Zidane as a player he really isn't a charismatic person or player to watch. His face doesn't ever show any emotions, which sorts of makes you wonder why the film-makers he was such a good subject for this cinematic movie-making approach. After about 30 minutes you've already had it with watching this movie. Most of the time he doesn't even run, he just walks and stands because obviously he isn't on the ball all of the time. After a while the approach of the movie becomes a real bore to watch.

It doesn't show anything of Zidane as a person and it also most certainly doesn't show anything of Zidane's qualities as a football player. Therefor what's the point of this 'documentary'? This movie only serves an artistic purpose. Although this also doesn't completely work out due to the subject Zidane. So it's a sort of vicious circle. The approach of the documentary doesn't really work out due to Zidane and Zidane isn't presented in his best or most insightful way due to the approach of the documentary. It doesn't do much credit to the exceptional great player Zidane was. On top of the, the approach from this documentary isn't even original. It was used before by German filmmaker Hellmuth Costard, for his documentary "Fußball wie noch nie", following Manchester United player George Best in real time, during a complete football match.

What was highly annoying to me was that most of the sounds were obviously put at a later stage underneath the movie. Some, if not all, sounds were obviously fabricated and recorded in a studio, even Zidane's own breathing and on pitch talking. Unless you believe he was really wearing a microphone during the match...The chanting the running on the grass, the kicking of the ball, all off these sounds sound so completely fabricated. It's like listening to a radio play at times.

Some of the trivial facts presented in this movie are really ridicules and don't serve a point at all, also not in the least because they have absolutely nothing to do with the subject of the movie.

If you want to see the qualities of a player you don't point several camera's just on his face. He should see a wider picture to get a clear view and understanding of his positioning, his passing, his control, his overview, knowing exactly the positions of your teammates and opponents, knowing when to give the right ball. After all, football is still a team sport, no matter how great as an individual you are. The game they follow him also isn't much special. It's just an average Primera Division game of Zidane's Real Madrid against Villareal, in which Zidane even gets send off with a red card before the end of the match. Also sorts of makes you wonder if the makers regret picking this one game to follow him.

Has some artistic value but overall really doesn't do enough credit to Zizou.

4/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

90 minutes of Zidane

[mj_togher · 10/10 · 8 October 2006]

90 minutes of Zidane playing football, the camera on him mostly, hardly any dialogue, and the football is sort of peripheral. It was hypnotic and absorbing, like a modern dance (quite a good sound track) Zidane watching, Zidane bursting with suppressed energy and anger, Zidane running, Zidane arguing with the ref, Zidane smacking other players, Zidane being fouled.

The sound track changed constantly, the raw of the crowd, Zidane scuffing the grass with his boot, Zidane yelling, the thud of 22 pairs of football boots. He hardly talks, smiles rarely, seems to not care about the game, then suddenly does care passionately, maybe a little bit too much, as that got him into trouble at the world cup.

Very Original

[karl_consiglio · 7/10 · 23 December 2007]

I must admit I liked the concept. I would have preferred it had he not known he was being filmed at the time but thats not important. Here we got a film documentation "art piece" portraying the football star of choice in a completely new way. The cameras shoot him and only him most of the time in close up throughout the entire duration of the film and only on rare occasion and with good reason does it choose not to on interval. Here we follow, at times surprisingly poetically his heart throughout the 2005 game of France vs Brazil, not that we actually see the game as much as Zidane's contribution, at times useful, other times vacant. I like how the director plays with sounds and effects in a manner that effects our emotions and expectations. However I do believe that this film could have been done equally effective on a lower budget. Well three cheers to Douglas Gordan.

A pale remake of an unheralded underground curio

[Errol10 · 4/10 · 31 August 2006]

This film is little more than an overblown remake of Costard's 1971 curio "Football As Never Before", with Zidane taking the place of George Best. It has a few arresting moments and is interesting on a technical and technological level, but it lacks the charm of the earlier film and the filmmakers are arrogant to presume that this kind of cinema can do justice to a great footballer. It will add nothing to the understanding of those who don't watch football regularly and will bitterly disappoint those who do. The presentation of football (and all sport) requires space, context and perspective, this glorified art installation has none of these essential ingredients.

A 21st Century football film

[skarphayse · 10/10 · 18 November 2007]

I can see why people had the criticisms of this film.

Reading the title, I think most people expected a clips compilation of his best goals, assists etc. not a moving piece of cinema.

I think this was a brave and ultimately rewarding effort to examine the greatest footballer of our generation in a different way and to enable you to make up your own mind rather than a narrator explaining it for you.

Darius Khondji's cinematography was mind blowing and any of the shots of the film could have made an amazing photo in it's own right. The sound design was phenomenal and if you have fifty pro logic speakers in your sitting room then you will feel the full force of the Bernabeu and Zidane in a way that watching a football match on television never could.

The only thing I can finish with is to say this film must be watched. Mere words can't express the emotions that this film creates.

Zidane: A 21st Century Legend.

The Art of Football

[atyson · 3/10 · 16 October 2006]

• A film portrait of the famous footballer which tracks his movements throughout the course of an entire game - If this movie had done nothing but follow its point of interest - namely Zidane with no other soundtrack but the sound of the crowd - the audience would have seen, for better or worse, a naked account of the art of football as played by one of it's most accomplished exponents. This would have been fascinating in its own right. Instead the whole thing was ruined by self-conscious attempts to turn this inherently absorbing footage into some sort of art-house object. This meant: pointlessly cutting to blurred footage; mixing footage of different kinds to no particular purpose or effect; 'artilly' shooting screens-within-screens (views of TV monitors etc); one sudden switch to a high-speed walk into the stadium sparked by no reason in particular; contextless subtitling with quotations of unclear attribution; The soundtrack was a piece of 'mood music' of unspeakable banality that seemed to kick in at arbitrary moments and only served to erase the real atmosphere created by the spectators. The half-time 'On this day...' sequence was just wince-inducing.

Zidane is one of those rare sportsmen who has attained the level of artist in his own sphere - and so is worth watching for his grace and deportment and warts and all even by those with only a passing interest in football. A football match is a unique cultural event which has a power to engage people that contemporary artists can only fantasise about. It does not require ennoblement by the trivialising effects of dilettante conceptual-art types. Just like the best art and the best movies, the player's performance speaks for itself and should be allowed to do so. I'd consider buying it on DVD if somebody else could make a 'minimalist' cut available instead of this....MTV cut.

Great Technical Achievement

[thedevilsbackbone-1 · 9/10 · 17 November 2006]

I was not entirely sure what I was about to see when going to see Zidane, for a cinema release it had to be by far the strangest pitch (no pun intended) I'd come across. Zidane is a portrait of the infamous pro footballer Zinedine Zidane and using 17 cameras follows the great player throughout a 90 minute football match. As I am not a football fan in the slightest I decided to take my ex-footballer father along to get two perspectives on the film.

The film opens with recognisable grainy poorly sounding TV footage of the match kicking off, and after a while we are presented with lush high quality visuals and sounds of the very same match. What astounded me about this film is the clarity of sound and vision throughout the film and how technically impressive it was, from the slight breathing of Zidane to the odd over awing shots of the grand stadium. This is not just an in depth look at how a great player plays but also a fantastic experiment in recording and manipulating sound and vision. Thanks to this the film puts you right there on the pitch, and with the addition of subtitles that were taken from an interview with Zidane you start to understand what the player might be thinking.

The film is also laden with different messages take for instance at half time we are shown what was happening around the world on the same day, it's a great wake up call as it makes you realise how insignificant one man and his football match is, but because of press coverage and celebrity status that match is more memorable and more important to the public than lives lost in a natural disaster.

I adored the film for its technical brilliance and the messages it seemed to send, my father loved watching a great player play up close and personal. So whether you like football or not this film is sure to interest you.

What a waste

[gaz1-540-393254 · 2/10 · 29 September 2013]

I have reviewed a few films on IMDb and always try to give a fair judgement. 1 out of 10s often cause a roll of the eyes and it is so rare for a film to be really THAT bad and it usually means that you must ignore the reviewers view point. This, however, was terrible and really does deserve it. I gave it 2 as it might appeal to a very small population of the world.

I was not expecting a montage of goals or skills as you would find on youtube. I was expecting to see all of the things Zidane was doing and why. Why else would you watch something live this, but to learn from his decision making and the thoughts he has throughout the game. In the quiet parts I expect to learn something about what makes him... him.

I should have known that things were not going to go well when the intro sequence - a zoomed in view of a television, which seemed to go on for about 10 minutes. I HAD to fast-forward it!

Then came the 90 minutes. No real introduction, barely a comment from the Zidane and the angles at which each incident was shown was dire. Has it actually started? I had to wonder when the program would start... but it already had!

They were attempting to make something artistic, but ended up simply showing a bunch of clips that bore no relevance to the match. It was not obvious, at all, what was happening. The choice of camera shot did not help to show anything useful or interesting at all.

At the end of the day, this was a "portrait". An artists impression of a match of football focused on one of the worlds greatest ever players. However, this won't appeal to anyone who has an interest in football unless they have a keen interest in obscure artistry themselves.

This could have been so much more. It could have been something that you'd recommend to every young footballer trying to learn his trade. Instead it was one of THE most dull pieces of "entertainment" that I have ever seen.

Profound Film-making That Transcends Sport

[burgerific · 10/10 · 4 June 2007]

This is the most affecting, profound piece of documentary film I have seen in years. That said, it is a challenging work that doesn't fully reveal it's power until well into the viewing. As much a meditation as a film, the net effect is similar to that of watching "Winged Migration". Watching the simple, relatively unaffected actions of Zidane over the course of a match begins to work on you. I pondered politics, commercialism, world conflict, fame, economics, the media and more over the course of my first viewing. There is no easy way to encapsulate the overall feeling, the ebbs and tides experienced while watching the film, but afterward you will view the world in as if with new eyes.

It is also a masterpiece technically. I couldn't help but admire the precise and exquisite sound design and music, how they blended to the action and psychological state being portrayed to the moment. The cameras seamlessly take the viewer from sprawling, epic points of view to the most intimate. The use of subtitle without voice over narration used to portray Zidane's thoughts is nothing short of revolutionary.

This film may disappoint a soccer fan simply seeking a piece of sports entertainment, but for a lover and student of film it is groundbreaking, important work that must be seen.

Screamingly dull, but your mileage will vary

[jdevriend · 3/10 · 1 April 2007]

I saw a screening at the AFI Dallas film festival, and as you can probably guess, this is an experimental movie that people will have highly subjective feelings about.

I don't hate soccer, and I enjoy abstract art, but this just didn't work for me. I agree with the earlier comment which said that Zidane's actions on the field had no context and no gravity or importance because we had no idea how they fit in to the rest of the game. Where was he on the field when he dribbled past defenders? Was he making a rush towards the goal, or just relieving pressure from the opposing team? When he sent a pass down the field, who was he passing to? Worst of all, when he is given a red card and thrown out of the game, why did he feel the need to go after the opposing player? It seems like to really appreciate the movie, you have to have a strong working knowledge of Zidane that I don't have and this movie doesn't give you. Without that, it's watch Zidane run, watch Zidane stand around, watch Zidane spit, watch Zidane not say much of anything that we can hear (by the way, how can you spring for 20 cameras and not put a microphone on him too?)

And at times, the cinematography is actually too tight on Zidane. In the second half, he makes a fantastic play, rushing up the left side and making a gorgeous cross for a tap-in goal at the right post. But we barely see the result of his great work.

To me, this movie is a lot like the short films Andy Warhol made where he would point the camera at a person and let it run for a few minutes while they stared into the lens and did nothing. Some people will find deeper meaning and some will really enjoy it, but many others will find it self-indulgent, dull, and pointless. I wonder how it would work if it were done with another sport where a player has more individual impact. Imagine this movie being tried with basketball, where the cameras focus on Kobe Bryant or Steve Nash or Kevin Garnett for a whole game.

At least I made it to the end - one lady a few seats down from me left the theater entirely, went across the street to Borders, bought some books, and then came back.

n/a

[Patrick_Waggett · 10/10 · 9 January 2007]

Following an obvious influence that is Hellmuth Costard's focused documentary on George Best playing against Coventry in 1971, Director's Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno have made a spectacular visual observation of one of the world's greatest ever players coming to the end of a glittering career. For this fact, it is an excellent project to appeal to such an astute audience who follow football closely and with it's release not long after the 2006 World Cup when Zinedine Zidane was so famously dismissed for violent conduct, its sold itself. Using 17 cameras that solely focused on Zidane through a match between Real Madrid and Villareal, 23rd April, 2005 and Darius Khondji's superb intentions and training of each camera operator meant that 'Zidane' was always destined to just look deliciously irresistible. From the start of the visual documentary, the French feel is realised and a homey feel with broadcast quality picture and sound lure the audience into a false sense of security. When the stunning High Definition picture bursts onto the screen with blistering sound, the audience are thrown into Zidane's majestic world. Worries that the film is too long and eventless as it follows one player closely on screen may be a problem for those not really appreciative of football or the player himself. But Zidane's presence is immediately felt and the intrigue as to who he is and what is going on in his head is a strong element. As he strides around the pitch effortlessly, his exertion in the game in the first half seems minimum, and you can see that for whatever reason, Zidane is very withdrawn from everyone else. Speaking little words (calling out for the ball only on several occasions) and expressionless face displays his intense, personal concentration. Along with the visual aspect of the film, the sound is imperative. The sound design is fantastic as Zidane's every breath is heard as though it were your own, every blade of grass is heard crunching under his feet, the crowd are deafening and then muted to concentrate on Zidane. It is when the Mogwai music kicks in eerily that you get a shiver down your spine. The score whimsically gives Zidane more importance and strength on screen, but sometimes can suggest something is about to happen (and when it doesn't, disappointment can be felt). The editing is again superb, every kick of the ball and tackle made intertwine perfectly as does the running of Zidane, each stride leads onto the other flawlessly and smoothly shows another perspective from close ups of the band on his wrist, Zidane dragging his feet on the floor and the highly defined sweat on his brow. It is so different from documentaries it could be looked upon as an avant-garde visual piece, but the subject matter seems so personal and full of admiration for the player that seductively draws the audience in. When the subtitles roll from Zidanes own words about being a boy and hearing his own commentary in his head and a magic moment when he predicted he would score, you understand the attraction more to an amazingly talented artist and that this is someone special who has so much about him to analyse. Clever devices break the film up to avoid the same footage over and over of Zidane running around the pitch. At half time there is a subplot concerning the documentation of Zidane in this match itself and how many other things happened on that day around the world, in nature, society, politics, war and so on. The message here concerns the audience and their decision to watch the film questioning, '23 April, an ordinary day, will events be remembered or forgotten?' Is this why the film is being made? To make events remembered and talked about? It is unclear in the end and their point isn't really stated with any convincing grounds. Other devices used, involve a change of format in the replays from the game involving Zidane and his involvement in the goals onto broadcast television again and again. There is interesting point of view shots on film from Zidane as he looks to the skies every now and then and another change of format to film that journeys through the corridors of the stadium as though it were a fan going tot heir seat that nicely displays the environment. In the end though, (after Zidanes expressionless reaction to going 1-0 down in the game) is when the film reaches a true climax. As though a lightbulb had been switched on in his head, Zidane suddenly begins to control the game, a deft touch here and there and a powerfully skillful run down the left to cross the ball into the box sets up his teams equaliser and it is the first time we see him smile. It is clear to see the amount of respect those around him have for him, yet he seems so distant from each player (sharing one moment with Roberto Carlos with a joke is his only real interaction). As the music soars through and Zidane running almost constantly with the ball now, so much more than before, you wonder what will happen next even after he is involved again in the wining strike for Real Madrid. However, (and the film could not have picked a better 'event' to observe a personality like this one) in the end and in a confusing manner, Zidane gets involved in a bust up on the pitch and throws an arm at one of the opposing players. Why? It is a tragic irony in the end that he is dismissed for something so uncontrolled despite his extreme concentration and exemplary game leading up to this that leaves the audience with questions that the film cleverly discovers about this ageing footballer.

very long 90 minutes

[j-cop23 · 3/10 · 22 December 2007]

Despite being a football fan I found this movie terrible. At first I thought it might be interesting to watch just one football player during the whole match, but at the end I felt almost like having the longest ninety minutes behind me. My expectations haven't been met as i was awaiting more a documentary analysis of Zidane's skills then an unsuccessful attempt to create an artwork. Of course it is useful for every football fan, either active or passive, to have a chance to view moves, strategy or tackling of such a player from different point of view. But even in that way the contribution is not much bigger than one you could get by watching normal football match. Only two major differences could be found from sitting in front of TV - the technical quality of projection is fantastic and the same are the sound effects. At least using of high-tech NASA technology proved to be worth. I just couldn't help my self from stating, that this technology could have been used for much better purposes.

I didn't mean to discourage anybody from watching this "movie", but I still recommend not to...:)

A must for all football fans

[mark365 · 10/10 · 29 January 2007]

This was a truly remarkable film.

fantastically shot, great emotions and atmosphere captured in this film.

It also contains a great soundtrack that draws the user in. it is very interesting to watch Zidane as a player and also a person.

Don't believe all the bad reports, see it for yourself and decide if you like it or not.

You will no doubt appreciate it much more if you play football or have a good knowledge of the beautiful game.

Enjoy!

For 'surprisingly hypnotic' read 'stultifying'

[janella_b · 2/10 · 13 October 2006]

I saw this with a football fan and I enjoy (good) experimental films. We were both utterly bored. While Zidane himself is beautiful looking and an enigmatic, intriguing personality, this 'Art' documentary gave no real insight into his character or the game of football. Everything about the construction of this film was obvious and uninspiring. What was so special about the sound track? Yes, it flared in volume at odd times, which woke up the audience, but it was quite rudimentary. The half-time pastiche of events going on in the world on the day of the match was pretentious & silly. There was no apparent logic to how or why the Zidane quotes lifted from previous interviews were inserted into the piece as subtitles. (Granted, they did keep me from falling asleep.) Most professional reviewers have been quite cagey in their comments-- praising it as Art or experimental (ie. uncultured people won't get it...), yet never wholeheartedly saying they loved the piece. A bit of the Emperor's New Clothes, perhaps? For outstanding experimental/ Art House and truly hypnotic cinema watch "Hiroshima Mon Amour", "Beau Travail", "Sans Soleil" -- or any doc by Chris Marker.

detractors could observe their own expectations.

[moore104 · 9/10 · 12 February 2007]

seems to me that the busters should examine their own expectations. is this a poor film because you expected or wanted more "highlights"? is this film poor because you didn't get enough personal biography? i felt it, too - kept wanting the camera to pan out, to give me/us a bigger picture of what was going on on the field, to use the game's given drama and easy narrative more lazily and/or to replay the so-called highlights. and i'm sure the filmmakers were aware of the probability of such expectations. and they played with them.

this film had me questioning the subject matter and had me questioning my expectations and questions.

the visual and sound editing is, at times, a wonder of achievement. i want to see this film a few more times.

i'm glad i was able to see it in a theater and with good sound quality, at least for the first viewing.

nice film.

tom moore minneapolis, USA