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The Great Game

A portrait of the beautiful game of association football as Britain emerged from WWII.

Sport 1946 30 mins

Overview

A feast of football is available in this British Council film, which pushes the game as a vital component of the British way of life. The Great Game was filmed when Nat Lofthouse was still a promising young player: these were the 'good old days', with 90,000 standing in the terraces at the old Wembley stadium for a final. From a street kickabout to schools training to the professional leagues, football is a game for everyone - except, in this pre-feminist age, women.

The film was made for overseas audiences to promote Britain through its favourite game. Though it allows for virtually zero knowledge on the part of its audience, it doesn't over-explain things and sensibly lets the excitement of the matches do the talking. The voiceover by the BBC's leading sports commentator Raymond Glendenning adds to the authenticity. But the film opts not to mention the War, and oddly implies that the Football League War Cup, which replaced the FA Cup for the duration, is a permanent trophy. Bolton Wanderers and Chelsea are shown progressing to the 1945 final after respectively winning the regionally divided North and South Cup Finals, a wartime contingency that would never happen again.

Director

Reg Groves

Featuring

Major Frank Buckley , Walter Winterbottom , Harry Hubbick and Nat Lofthouse

Genres

Sport

Country

United Kingdom

Language

English

Subjects

Football FA Cup Sports training School Boys Crystal Palace Football Club Chelsea Football Club West Ham United Millwall Football Club Halifax Town Chesterfield Football Club Manchester City Football Club Liverpool Football Club Manchester United Football Club Bolton Wanderers Football Club Wembley Stadium (old) Stamford Bridge (sports stadium) White Hart Lane (sport stadium)