The 1970 film by German director Hellmuth Costard, Football As Never Before (Fussball wie noch nie), will have a rare screening in the Irish Film Institute (IFI) on November 6th at 8pm as part of the Institute’s ‘From the Vaults’ series.
The film is a hypnotic portrait of Manchester United legend George Best, for which Costard trained eight 16mm cameras on the revered footballer over the complete course of a match against Coventry City. A predecessor of Douglas Gordon and Philippe’s Parreno’s acclaimed 2006 documentary Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait, Football As Never Before was made at the height of Best’s fame and tabloid notoriety, and focuses on his every move as he warms up pre-match, at times looking restless and bored, and then on-the-pitch as he waits to unleash his genius.
The film will be accompanied by a new improvisational score prepared by Matthew Nolan of 3epkano, and will be played live by Nolan along with David Stalling (lap steel guitar / electronics), Seán Mac Erlaine (woodwinds, vocals and electronics), Bryan O’Connell (drums/percussion), Kevin Murphy (Cello) and Mary Barnecutt (cello).
Commenting on the screening, Sunniva O’Flynn, head of Irish Film Programming at the IFI, said:
Costard’s film created a rare and surprising moment where popular sports culture met experimental film culture. This new interpretation, with the improvisational, modernist score by Matthew Nolan and friends, honours Costard’s original vision for a type of pure documentary form while adding aural texture which enriches the experience immensely.
Football As Never Before is legendary among soccer aficionados and one of the great works of post-WWII German cinema, but few have actually seen it as it is rarely screened. Its director, Hellmuth Costard, was part of the vibrant New German Cinema movement of the 1960s and 1970s that revitalised and revolutionised German film. His work ranged from experimental films to documentaries and from children’s television to magazine cartoons.
Curator of the Football As Never Before project, Matthew Nolan, added:
The specific aim here is to offer a celebration of a sporting icon which looks to return Best to that arena where he was peerless. There is something quite pure about Costard’s film and, given how the media distorted Best’s image in later years, it feels only proper that an attempt is made to get back to the sublimely gifted footballer. Costard’s approach here demands subtlety in terms of musical accompaniment and what we do is reflective of that need.
Football As Never Before will also tour to the U.K. as part of the IFI International programme. The film will screen at HOME Manchester on November 22nd at 6.30pm.
Tickets for Football As Never Before are now on sale from the IFI Box Office on (01) 6795744 and from www.ifi.ie. Tickets for the screening at HOME Manchester are available from the HOME Box Office on +44 161 200 1500 and at http://homemcr.org/