Kevin Whitcher
So, The Gooner was invited along to a roundtable Q&A on Wednesday afternoon this week along with a variety of other Arsenal bloggers, and we’ll carry a report of the revelations of Messrs Dixon, Smith and O’Leary in the next issue, out for the Huddersfield game.
A couple of hours later we found ourselves at the Holloway Odeon for the film’s premiere, at which a number of the 89 team were present, alongside manager George Graham, Ian Wright, David Seaman, Jack Wilshere and some celebrity fans.
The movie was the brainchild of Cherry Red’s Adam Velasco, one of the film’s executive producers and your author played a small, but uncredited part in the genesis of the movie when Adam asked me for Amy Lawrence’s email address! From there, the idea took shape, with Amy as the film’s producer. Lee Dixon joined up as one of the executive producers. It’s similar in style to the excellent documentary made about Forest’s glory days under Brian Clough, I Believe In Miracles, in that it combines the music of the time with match footage to create the feeling of the era.
The narrative takes us from the arrival of George Graham, and explains the chopping of experienced players, as new blood arrived, from astute purchases to the mining of the rich pool of talent that had come through the club’s youth system. It’s a minor quibble that a couple of older heads that joined and played a significant part are not amongst the members of the squad interviewed, such as Kevin Richardson and Brian Marwood, but in fairness, we get a good enough account from those that are in the film. Aside from one on one interviews segued into the narrative, we get some great stuff like Merson and Smudger revisiting Highbury’s Marble Halls for the first time since the Emirates was opened, and the famous back four playing cards. George Graham also reveals how he kept tabs on lower division sides always needing the use of the scouting system.
We build up to the Anfield match with an overview of the 88-89 season as it progresses, and the Hillsborough tragedy, which led to the Arsenal match being shifted to late May, is sensitively covered. Ian Wright is interviewed because of his close links with David Rocastle, and at one stage, Wrighty’s emotion makes for difficult viewing.
The meat of the movie is the recollection of that game, seen through the footage of ITV’s broadcast on the night, as well as some camera angles I have never seen before of incidents from the game. The tackling was certainly uncompromising, a reminder of how football has changed. The footage in the dressing room afterwards and from the ‘Winners’ nightclub in Southgate makes for some great viewing. It is fascinating to hear the account of the match from referee David Hutchinson, who was also at the premiere. It would have been enlightening to hear an account of the match from one of the opposition voices, such as John Barnes, but the decision was made to restrict the player interviews to the Arsenal side.
That’s a minor flaw, because ultimately, this is a celebration movie which will be enjoyed by all fans of the winning side in a denouement to the football season – with a head to head game between the two title contenders – that is unlikely to be repeated.
Arsenal are showing the movie at the Emirates for 89p on Monday evening, although from what I can see, it has already sold out. An alternative is to either join a privately organised screening or, if you can get enough interest, create your own through the ourscreen website.
Or if you prefer to hang on, the movie will be available on DVD and digital download from 20th November. A trailer for it can be seen here
Enjoy!
