 "Not as legendary as the man himself")
When it comes to sports-based films, somehow football hasn't produced a single great film. Boxing, baseball, rugby, basketball, even cricket, have inspired many a good film. But football, surprisingly, has come up with bad, mediocre or at best, just about watchable films. Pele: Birth of a Legend is a film that could have perhaps changed that perspective. Unfortunately, it falls short of expectations and is somewhere between mediocre and barely watchable.
As the name suggests, Pele: Birth of a Legend is the story of Edson Arantes do Nascimento and how he became a symbol of hope and greatness for Brazil. Directed by Jeff and Michael Zimbalist, the movie tells about the footballer's early life: his relationship with his father whose career was cut short by a serious injury.
The director duo chooses to tell two different stories through this film: about Pele and the history of Brazilian football. Brazil has always been associated with beautiful, flamboyant and exciting football. However, there was an eight-year period when it was - believe it or not - heavily criticised. The 1950 World Cup final where they lost to Uruguay was the turning point.
European teams adopted more result-oriented tactics to stifle the flair of Brazil. "Ginga", street style football was the bedrock on which Brazilians laid the foundation of their football. Suddenly, two consecutive World Cup losses shook this foundation and Brazil began to choose pragmatism over romanticism. Then Pele turned up.
At the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, Pele became the youngest player to win and score in a World Cup. Pele was a product of "ginga" style and it was his emergence that saw Brazil go back to their roots and win three of the next four World Cup titles.
The film deals with Pele's relationship with his father and how he taught him to play football with mangoes. Young Pele (played by Leonardo Lima Carvalho) and his friends are street footballers who showcase skills straight out of the excellent football ads that Nike used to make in the '90s. The dialogues are extremely awkward, both in terms of writing and delivery. Sport is as much about skills and talent as it is about drama and emotion. While Pele's story has both in abundance, the film fails to capture it.
The teenager Pele is played by Kevin de Paula who does a decent job in conveying the vulnerability of the football star. A R Rahman delivers a musical score that will not stay in your mind once you exit the movie hall.
It's disappointing as Pele's story - as exaggerated as it may have been - has genuinely inspiring moments. The directors try too hard to show how a 17-year-old changed an entire country's image. Pele was one of the greatest football players of all-time and a movie on his life deserved better treatment. Football as a subject, for that matter, deserves better treatment from film makers. That, however, is a different story altogether.
Pele: Birth of a Legend isn't a film that will be appreciated by hardcore football fans. It has too much unnecessary melodrama and too less of exciting football sequences. The best part of the movie comes at the end when they show old footage of Pele terrorising defences and delighting fans. How I wished they had showed that old footage for 107 minutes rather than a disappointing film on one of the all-time sporting greats.
