Maradona   Starring: Diego Maradona Optimum Home Entertainment RRP: £15.99 OPTD1648 Certificate: 15 Available 07 September 2009

Diego Armando Maradona (born 30th October 1960 in Lanús, Buenos Aires) is likely to be one of the most famous footballers in the world, as much for his skill with a ball as for his spectacular fall from grace in a sea of drugs and booze.

Maradona by Kusturica (2008 - 1 hr, 32 min, 42 sec) is a documentary, which purports to get below the man’s skin, so that the audience can find out what he is really like. Emir Kusturica is an award winning writer and director, so I was surprised by the actual film, which does not do Maradona any favours, which is odd as Kusturica spends a lot of the film praising him.

The film is unlikely to appeal to either a North American or British audience, if for no other reason that Maradona has some very simplistic views on the political realities of the world. Like many others he spouts inanities about American and British Imperialism, whilst at the same time praising Castro, who, even as dictator has failed o create a socialist paradise in Cuba. The audience is likely to be further polarised by the inclusion of the Sex Pistols ‘God Save the Queen’, presumably to prove that she is hated still and crude animations of Maradona taking on American Presidents and British Prime Ministers and winning with his football.

There is also portions given over to the Maradona Church, I’m not really sure if these elements are attempts at levity, if so then the joke has failed to travel. The English bashing continues with repeated viewings of The Goal of the Century, the second he scored against England in Argentina’s 2-1 victory, and whilst this was indeed a great goal, there is no mention of the hand ball which gained him his first goal.

The drugs and alcohol, which had become a part of his life and would end his career as a player, is dealt with but only as a surface event and you're left with the feeling that given his young age this part of his life cost him more than he likes to admit.

So, as a documentary, the film is more propaganda than investigative film making. Difficult questions remain unanswered and often not even addressed and what we are left with are the strange ramblings of a man who, once, was pretty good at kicking a ball.

Being a documentary the film quality is variable as it mixes archive footage with new material. The disc has only a single extra, the Original Theatrical Trailer.

4

Charles Packer