Tim,

The isolation of a team player was the odd feeling for the beginning of the 
film. The removal from what is normal for you to consume a game of football. 
I think that was the initial sensation that made the audience realise that 
this was different. Forget the game, the action taking place around this 
man/animal is only there to serve as context for his behaviour. In the first 
act, the editing team had concentrated on introducing the character in the 
21st Century Portrait. In the later stages, it was when cutting to wider, 
lower quality shots, that the sensation was that of dislocation.

I accept that Zidane may be pretty close to the remit of conceptual art. But 
as when any high art comments, exhibits or inhabits a mainstream culture as 
popular as football it has to compromise from both sides and will inevitably 
marry entertainment tribes with each other. Footy lads mulling over the 
philosophical muse that is Douglas Gordon's half time news footage sequence 
over a pint of Stella in Soho. An Austrian girl trained in dance, watching 
the first 90-minute football match in her life and appreciating the beauty 
of human movement in the way she can only compare to the ballet.

The ‘Meursault’ bit, I’m on my last legs defending and am considering 
relinquishing it as a strong thread through 10,000 words. It doesn’t stand 
the mileage under the spotlight I feel. I do however; feel that the decision 
not to home in on the red card incident was played well. Perhaps the footage 
lacked what the filmmakers wanted to imply. Again it only served as context, 
perhaps the off screen act can sometimes carry more drama with the 
confusion.

A hero? His ethnic, financial and social upbringing relative to his fame, 
influence and competitive success put him in a strong position to be a 
worthy hero. Does the violence linked to his image now exclude him from the 
courageous, brave and the noble?

I'm pretty into the sound recording/design in post/composition. The 
technical aspects are also something I also wish to discuss if anyone has 
any knowledge or ideas.

Cheers,

Benjamin




>From: Timothy and Margaret Cawkwell <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: Film-Philosophy Salon <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Zinedine Zidane a 21st Century Portrait & Camus
>Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2007 17:09:48 +0100
>
>Dear Ben
>
>This is an interesting project. John Donne said, 'No man is an island', but 
>the
>makers of 'Zidane: a 21st century portrait' seem to have had the explicit
>intent of contradicting this by 'isolating' Zidane on camera, ie making him 
>into an
>island. This seems to be an especially odd view to take of a footballer
>who has to play with 10 other players in a team, and doubly odd because
>Zidane's genius as a footballer, apart from his technical skill,
>has been to be so tactically aware of how he might link up with other
>players, an awareness that puts him ahead of the 21 other players on the
>pitch.
>
>Unless there is an interview with Zidane in which he explicitly endorses 
>the
>film as a true picture of him as a person and footballer - in which case I
>am completely nonplussed! - I think it utterly failed to do justice
>both to him as a footballer and someone with an interesting life, full of
>difficulties surmounted.
>
>I don't think he's a hero, but he is a multi-facetted human being.
>Despite having 17 (I think) cameras filming the
>football match, the film-makers either did not capture the incident leading
>to his red card with a nearby camera , or deliberately chose to obscure 
>what happens by only showing it in a very
>long distance shot so that it was virtually uninterpretable. One might call
>it his Meursault moment, but I suspect it was much more complex. Also,
>Meursault is a character in fiction so the author can invent motive or lack
>of motive, but Zidane is real flesh and blood and entitled to be treated 
>with respect.
>
>Me, I'm with John Donne.
>
>Tim Cawkwell
>Norwich, UK
>
>*
>*
>Film-Philosophy Email Discussion Salon.
>After hitting 'reply' please always delete the text of the message you are 
>replying to.
>To leave, send the message: leave film-philosophy to: 
>[log in to unmask]
>For help email: [log in to unmask], not the salon.
>**

*
*
Film-Philosophy Email Discussion Salon.
After hitting 'reply' please always delete the text of the message you are replying to.
To leave, send the message: leave film-philosophy to: [log in to unmask]
For help email: [log in to unmask], not the salon.
**