Movie Natters: February 8, 2007 Archive

Dragging feet with Zinedine Zidane

Posted at 6:03 PM on February 8, 2007 by Euan Kerr (14 Comments)

It's a sad reality that French soccer star Zinedine Zidane will be best remembered by the vast majority of the world as the guy who ended his career by head-butting an Italian in the World Cup final.

For soccer fans he was an electrifying mid-fielder who made plays and scored goals. He was an international icon who had fought his way up from the streets of Marseilles to play for France and Real Madrid.

You can get a glimpse of that story during the Walker Art Center's Expanding the Frame series this weekend with the screening of "Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait."

Film makers Douglas Gordon and Phillipe Parreno set up 17 cameras around the Real Madrid stadium and tracked Zidane, and only Zidane, for an entire match during 2005.

Soccer fans looking for a fast-paced soccer movie will be frustrated. Global stars such as Beckham and Ronaldo flit by unacknowledged in the background. This is not their film.

This is a study of a man moving through space and time. We get to watch him, not what he is watching. As is the case with most ballgame playing team athletes, there is a whole lot more watching than actual time with the ball. In fact Zidane makes a point of getting rid of the ball just as soon as he gets it. Most of the time we see him walking or jogging into what he hopes will be a good position. We see him thinking, kicking his feet, spitting, and scratching. At times he takes off like a cheetah to get the ball.

And occasionally, very occasionally, he creates soccer magic.

It is those moments that made him famous. The other unglamorous moments are what lead to the limelight.

"Zidane" is both mesmerizing, and confusing, which is not necessarily a bad thing. How often do we unwaveringly watch one person for 90 minutes? Never. What do we learn? Not much really. Is this watching? If you can shed your expectations and open yourself to a new experience, yes, very much so.

A side note: Apparently there are soccer coaches all over the metro area talking to their teams about coming to see this film. The Minnesota Thunder has signed on as a co-sponsor of the event. I am really eager to hear how that turns out. This really is an art film more than a soccer film. The cineheads will love it. Younger soccerheads may find it a challenge

Comment on this post