Reviews

A beautifully-made documentary from English football's finest moment includes the only colour record of the Final, from an era before hype, razzmatazz and advertising threatened to drown the game. A hundred years later, this will probably still remain the one and only moment when an England team won the sport's premier trophy, so it's worth seeing and relishing for that alone. It also makes a welcome alternative to the well-known BBC Black-and-White coverage of the Final with Kenneth Wolstenholme's memorable commentary. There is a surprising cynicism about Bryan Glanville's script (narrated in plummy world-weary tones by actor Nigel Patrick) as it describes a festival of world football marred by violent play. And this is at a time when "taking out" your opponent's best player was rewarded by an absence of substitutes.