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The Great Game is a 1930 British film, one of the earliest feature films to use football as a central theme.[1] [2]
| The Great Game | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Jack Raymond |
| Written by | Ralph Gilbert Bettison William Hunter John Lees W. P. Lipscomb |
| Produced by | L'Estrange Fawcett |
| Starring | John Batten Renee Clama |
| Cinematography | Basil Emmott |
Release date |
|
Running time | 79 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Background
editLike The Winning Goal (1920) and The Ball of Fortune (1926), the main plot in The Great Game revolved around football.[1]
Much of the film is set in Chelsea's home ground, Stamford Bridge.[citation needed] It contains guest appearances by numerous real-life footballers from Chelsea F.C., Arsenal F.C., and Birmingham City F.C.[3] These included George Mills, Andy Wilson, Sam Millington and Billy Blyth.[citation needed]
It was also notable for featuring the first credited appearance of Rex Harrison.[citation needed]
Plot
editThe film's plot contains many elements of what would become clichés in the sporting film genre. Dicky Brown is a young, aspiring footballer who plays for a struggling side, the fictional Manningford F.C., a team in the midst of a successful cup run. He manages to charm the daughter of the chairman and thus breaks into the side, and ultimately wins the Cup for his team.
The film covers now clichéd conflicts within football which still exist. The manager of the team wants to give his young players a chance in the side; the chairman, on the other hand, insists on signing established star players, such as Jack Cock (then of Millwall F.C., previously of Chelsea F.C. and Everton F.C.).
Cast
edit- John Batten as Dicky Brown
- Renee Clama as Peggy Jackson
- Jack Cock as Jim Blake
- Randle Ayrton as Henderson
- Neil Kenyon as Jackson
- Kenneth Kove as Bultitude
- A. G. Poulton as Banks
- Billy Blyth as Billy
- Lew Lake as Tubby
- Wally Patch as Joe Miller
- Rex Harrison as George
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Gisbert, Paco (February 2002). "Fútbol y cine: un matrimonio imposible" [Football and cinema: an impossible marriage]. Archivos de la Filmoteca (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 November 2024 – via ProQuest.
- ^ The Observer Book of Film. Observer Books. 2007. pp. 74–75.
- ^ "The Great Game". BFI. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
External links
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