Hollywood players

By Paul Saffer

With FC Bayern München, nicknamed FC Hollywood, clinching the German double in 2003 (bear with me on this one), it seems the perfect time to examine the relationship between film and football.

Happy symbiosis
In fact, it has been a fine 12 months in what has not always been a happy symbiosis, what with Bend It Like Beckham conquering America in a way unknown for more than 500 years, and big soccer-related releases in Germany and Spain. The days of Escape to Victory - starring actors who could not play football and footballers who could not act - may be gone.

'Secular saint'
Bend It..., admittedly, was actually released in 2002, but last summer it proved a surprise hit in the United States, performing the remarkable job of making the name Beckham famous in the only part of the world which seemed to have resisted David's charms. Telling the story of a girl living in London who defies her parents' wishes and sets her heart on a footballing career, the review in the influential Village Voice helpfully told its hip New York readership that in Britain "David Beckham is a secular saint".

Miracle men
Those who remember football before Beckham's rise will have been interested to hear of a film celebrating the Federal Republic of Germany's 1954 FIFA World Cup triumph. Das Wunder von Bern (The Miracle of Bern) focuses on a boy who becomes mascot for match-winner Helmut Rahn, as the Germans recover from an 8-3 defeat by the Hungarians in the group stage to beat the same opponents 3-2 in the final.

Chancellor moved
Awarded the audience prize at the Locarno Film Festival in August, Das Wunder certainly moved German chancellor Gerhard Schröder. "I saw it in its raw version and I cried even then," he said. "This is perhaps a film critics won't like but the public will love - just what a good film should be." Director Soenke Wortmann said: "[The win] gave the Germans new vigour and a feeling of togetherness."

Spanish hit
But Spain has also produced its celluloid soccer success of the year. Días de fútbol, telling the story of an amateur team, was a No1 hit in Madrid - with both Real and Atlético fans. "Football is something that is part of many people's lives and so is film, so it was natural to try and bring the two cultures together," said director David Serrano before the premiere.

Golden GOAL!
The biggest of all may still be to come, however. FIFA and Oscar-winning producer Lawrence Bender are co-operating on a trilogy named GOAL!, telling the story of a young American player, who finds success at Newcastle United FC, Madrid and in the World Cup. Modestly, Bender says: "GOAL! will be a series of films with breathtaking sequences similar to those in Matrix, a grabbing story-line like Rocky, combined with the urban awareness of Eminem's 8 Mile." As breathtaking as the 4-4 draw in Escape to Victory?