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  Directed by
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  Starring
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  Specs
  • Full Frame
  • Dual Layer (RSDL )
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital Stereo
  Subtitles
    English
  Extras
  • Audio commentary
  • Cast/crew biographies - Player Profiles
  • Featurette - Summer of '66
  • Photo gallery
  • Animated menus
  • Digitally remastered
  • 2 Interviews - Kenneth Wolstenhome, Tina Moore

The World Cup Final 1966 - England v West Germany

Roadshow Entertainment/Roadshow Entertainment . R4 . COLOR . 113 mins . G . PAL

  Feature
Contract

With the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals in Korea and Japan recently coming to an end, with Brazil winning a record fifth title, this DVD release is aptly released at a time to build on the substantially raised awareness of the game in Australia. With the Socceroos narrowly failing to qualify for Korea-Japan there was debate as to whether anyone here would watch. The fact that games were shown at a reasonable time no doubt helped the popularity, but a lot of us would argue that it doesn’t matter what time of day the games are on, we would still watch. The success of the 2002 tournament is evidence of a desperate need to build a strong league in this country and for the Socceroos to qualify for the next World Cup finals in Germany in 2006.

But enough about the present day tournaments, it's time to take a trip down memory lane for one of the greatest games in World Cup history (well it is if you are English).

Recently in England, a newspaper poll declared that the English public voted the 1966 World Cup Final victory as the greatest sporting achievement by the nation in history. Many would debate if it truly is the number one, but it would certainly be in the top five. This DVD allows viewers the opportunity to decide for themselves.

Since its inception in 1930, the FIFA World Cup has grown in stature to become the penultimate international football tournament. Brazil were the cup holders from the 1962 finals in Chile and the rest of the world's best were in England for the country's first and only hosting of the tournament.

Brazil were aiming for a third consecutive title, but had been knocked out of the tournament at the group stage having only won one match. Pele had been battered and finally injured by opponents during this stage and the world champions were about to relinquish their crown. They have won the title again since and when you consider Brazil are regarded as the best football team in the world and they have only managed to win the tournament five times, this is proof of what a great achievement it is.

There was much controversy associated with this tournament. The African nations had forfeited because it was announced that the winner of the African Nations Cup would not get automatic qualification. They would instead have to face the winners in either the Asia or Oceania groups. Sound familiar? Another controversy was the fact that England had the advantage of playing all their games at Wembley, the venue for the final. Then there is the most remembered incident, that which occurred in the final itself, the Geoff Hurst goal that put England 3-2 up. Had the ball crossed the line? Not having the technology of today, it is certain this question will never be answered with 100% accuracy.

England’s path to the final had been less than convincing. They had won their group by beating Mexico and France and drawing with Uruguay. West Germany had also won their group by beating Switzerland and Spain and drawing with Argentina. So both teams progressed to the quarter final knockout stage, England accounting for Argentina 1-0 and West Germany trouncing Uruguay 4-0. The semi finals saw England narrowly scrape past first time finalists Portugal 2-1 and the West Germans similarly scraped past the Soviet Union with the same score-line. So it was on to Wembley Stadium for the final. England had played all their games previously at Wembley whereas for West Germany it was their first visit to the twin towers in the tournament.

The final itself was played in front of a massive crowd, including Queen Elizabeth II. The atmosphere was electric and the expectations of the nation were high. There was a large German contingent in attendance also, adding to the atmosphere. There were many factors to take into account for this clash. England had never lost to West Germany prior to this encounter. England had never proceeded past the quarter final stage before and England also had the weight of the home nation resting on its shoulders.

For the benefit of those that have not seen this game before I won’t go into detail of scorers or the final score, although most will be aware that England were victorious, but I will say that one man broke a record that afternoon and that record is still held to this day.

"Some people are on the pitch, they think it’s all over... It is NOW!"

Kenneth Wolstenholme’s commentary of the game is first rate. His diction is flawless, as is his knowledge of the players and of the sport itself. Sadly he has now passed on, as have a few of the players from this game, but thanks to this DVD their memory will live on.

It is hard to not make comparisons with the 1966 tournament and current day football, but there are some glaring differences. In 1966 there were no fancy hairstyles (apart from Bobby Charlton’s comb over) and there were no different coloured boots. Players could pass the ball back to the goalkeeper and even the thought of diving or play-acting was unthinkable. The athleticism of the players was not what it is today, but it was played at a much slower pace, where passing was more potent than outpacing your opponent. Both eras have individual elements that make them great and, as a football fan, there is nothing better than watching the game you love develop and grow.

England has failed to achieve the weary heights of success since, but the big part of being a football fan is optimism. They came close in Italia ’90 when the Germans gained revenge, knocking them out in the semi final. Success has never been achieved in the European Championships either and many English football fans are praying they will see England win something while they are still alive. With the likes of current day players such as David Beckham and Michael Owen, there is great optimism for this to happen.

There is not much to entice non-football fans to watch this DVD, but lovers of football should enjoy it immensely, as I did. There is a real sense of tradition and history and a wonderful sense of pride is gained from watching the nation that invented the game winning the penultimate title.

  Video
Contract

With the actual game itself being black and white, due to the fact that colour television wasn’t available yet, my expectations were not too high as far as quality goes. I was pleasantly surprised. There is of course some grain, but this only adds to the viewing pleasure. There are still the occasional film artefacts, but nowhere near as many as expected - in fact I've seen more on films made in the ’90s. Presented in full frame, this certainly looks aged, but not the 36 years of age that it actually is. Taking into account this age of the source material, the BBC has truly excelled themselves.

The interview footage used is of a very high standard also. Again in full frame but this time in colour, picture is sharp and colours are vibrant. There is occasional over-saturation, but this is not too noticeable and never detracts from the viewing pleasure. There are English subtitles that are very accurate.

  Audio
Contract

Audio supplied is Dolby Digital 2.0 and is more than adequate. The audio really sounds good, giving the feel of the time along with wonderful commentary. There is very little separation across the front speakers and the audio does struggle at times with the immense crowd noise and excitement of the commentator, but overall it is more than sufficient.

  Extras
Contract

There are quite a few extras available with this release that truly add to the whole experience.

Commentary with five of the 1966 England team
This is a nice feature with former England teammates Jack Charlton, Martin Peters, Geoff Hurst, George Cohen and Gordon Banks. It sounds more like a bunch of friends sitting in a pub reliving their experiences and for that reason I highly recommend it. This is a great way to relive the game through the eyes of the players.

Summer of ’66
Through the use of archival footage and interviews with the players, this featurette goes into great depth about the World Cup and what it meant to not only the players but also to the nation. Running for 18:13, this is a wonderful addition.

Interview with Kenneth Wolstenhome
Running for 14:52, this interview with the commentator is very informative. He talks about the build up to the finals, the tournament and the final itself. Sadly, Kenneth is also no longer with us, having died recently.

Interview with Tina Moore
Wife of beloved England captain Bobby, Tina talks about the tournament and how her husband became the most loved man in England. She reveals some interesting facts about him and shows how life was back then from her point of view. Sadly Bobby Moore passed away in 1993, but he will always be remembered. This feature runs for 9:40.

Player Profiles
From an England team photo, you are able to select a player and look at his profile. Information contained here is the standard statistics you would find for players such as clubs played for and age etc.

Picture Gallery
Containing several archival photographs from the time, this is a great historical view of events.

  Overall  
Contract

Many football fans, especially English ones, have seen the goals from this game time and time again, but have never seen the game in its entirety. If you are a lover of football and English, this is a must have DVD. If you are simply a lover of football and history, again this is worth the purchase. It is doubtful anyone else would be interested. Hopefully this will be the first of many future football releases in this country. There are already a few Manchester United and Liverpool DVD releases available in Australia, so hopefully other clubs will follow this example and release titles soon. With a ton of extras and a very good quality transfer, this is a great purchase.


  • LINK: http://www.dvd.net.au/review.cgi?review_id=1606
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      And I quote...
    "Relive a magical day in sporting history on this terrific DVD release. "
    - Adrian Turvey
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Akai DV-P2000
    • TV:
          AKAI CT-29S55AT 68cm
    • Receiver:
          Akai AM-SS1500
    • Speakers:
          Akai
    • Centre Speaker:
          Akai
    • Surrounds:
          Akai
    • Subwoofer:
          Akai
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