Here is an unashamedly partisan documentary whose ostensible subject is the 1975 European cup final between Bayern Munich and Leeds United – a match that seems to have largely disappeared from the public’s nostalgia memory board. (This includes Leeds supporters, many of whom in this film’s opening sequence appear to be completely unaware of its ever having taken place – let alone know the result.) The game, of course, was notoriously won by Bayern, after a disallowed goal and a couple of what you might think were nailed-on penalty claims.
Director-producer Harvey Marcus previously gave us Waterloo Sunset, an amiable study of social housing in central London, and this – while similarly low-budget – is very much a change of pace. It is a furious supporter’s-eye view of the action, with many of the diehard Leeds fans still burning with rage about it all. The words “cheated”, “robbed” and “corrupt” are thrown about, though nobody (wisely) makes these claims against Bayern, preferring to focus their ire against referee Michel Kitabdjian (who died in 2020).
