The Damned United is a 2009 British sports drama film directed by Tom Hooper and adapted by Peter Morgan from David Peace's bestselling novel The Damned Utd, a largely fictional book based on the author's interpretation of Brian Clough's tenure as manager of Leeds United. It was produced by BBC Films and Left Bank Pictures, with additional funding from Screen Yorkshire and Columbia Pictures. Sony Pictures Entertainment distributed the film. The film was originally proposed by Stephen Frears, but he pulled out of the project in November 2007. Tom Hooper took his place and film was shot from May to July 2008. It was released in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2009.
Plot
After failing to qualify for the 1974 World Cup, England manager Alf Ramsey is sacked and replaced by Don Revie, the highly successful manager of Leeds United. Revie is replaced at Leeds by Brian Clough, a former manager of Derby County and a fierce critic of Leeds's style of play under Revie. Much attention is called to the fact that Clough's longtime assistant, Peter Taylor, has not joined him at Leeds, and Clough claims in an interview to Yorkshire Television that the team cannot possibly have been happy under Revie, due to the violent and physical nature of their game.
The roots of Clough's conflict with Revie are depicted as happening in a 1967 FA Cup match between Leeds, who were then leading the First Division (though they did not win it that season) and Derby, who were struggling near the bottom of the Second Division. Clough assumes Revie to be a similar man to himself, owing to the fact that they grew up in the same part of Middlesbrough; come the day of the match however, Revie either ignores Clough or fails to make him out in the crowd upon entering Derby's Baseball Ground stadium. The match proves to be a tough affair, and despite their best efforts Derby lose 2–0 to Leeds.[1] Clough initially blames the brutality of the Leeds players, but he and Taylor recognise that their side simply aren't good enough on a technical level and so remedy the problem by signing veteran Dave Mackay, along with several other young players. The club's frugal chairman, Sam Longson is extremely anxious about the investment and more so the fact that Clough didn't bother to consult him about signing Mackay. However, Derby win the Second Division title in 1969, and the following season once more face up to Leeds, the defending First Division champions... and promptly lose 5–0.
Back in the storyline's "present," Clough almost immediately alienates his Leeds players by telling them that they can throw away all their medals and trophies, because "[they] never won any of them fairly." The season starts with a Charity Shield match against FA Cup winners Liverpool, which is widely anticipated as both the final match of legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly and Clough's first match in charge of Leeds. However, the event is quickly marred when Leeds's captain, Billy Bremner gets into a violent on-pitch fight with Liverpool player Kevin Keegan, which results in both players being sent off, and in turn causes them to throw their shirts off and walk off the pitch bare-chested in protest. Leeds end up losing the match on penalties, but a more serious consequence is that Bremner is given a two-month suspension from all competitions, meaning that Leeds will have to start the season without their influential captain.
Returning to Clough's time at Derby, despite his continuing clashes with Longson over spending on players, the club win their first ever League championship in 1972, meaning a European Cup campaign the following year, which eventually sees them reach the semi-finals in a tie versus Juventus. Longson suggests that Clough rest his senior players in the match before; however this happens to be against Leeds, and Clough selects his best squad out of sheer pride and determination to beat Revie. This decision backfires after a particularly crunching match gives Derby a massive injury list. After the match, Bremner approaches Clough and sarcastically tells him "Good luck in Europe." Juventus quickly send them packing from the European Cup, giving Clough a chance to publicly lambast Longson.[2] Later that year, after Taylor suffers a heart attack, Clough decides to try and secure his position by offering up his and Taylor's resignations. To his horror however, the club's board call his bluff and not only terminate their contracts, but ban them from ever setting foot in the Baseball Ground again (although Clough still sneaks into their next match as a supporter anyway). Clough is confident that the board will come to their senses and re-instate him and Taylor, but Dave Mackay is appointed manager instead, and the appointment of the popular former player mollifies the Derby fans and extinguishes any hope Clough has of getting his job back.
Subsequently, he and Taylor are offered jobs as manager and assistant respectively of Brighton & Hove Albion, and they agree to take the jobs after having a holiday in Majorca which Brighton's chairman pays for. During the holiday however Clough is approached by representatives of Leeds and agrees to take over there.[3] Taylor on the other hand prefers the prospect of Brighton, knowing that whatever Clough achieves at Leeds it will still be with Revie's team, and after a fierce argument the two go their separate ways, with Clough taking over at Leeds and Taylor becoming Brighton manager.
Without their captain, and also suffering from major differences of opinion with Clough, Leeds suffer a horrendous start to the season and look to be in danger of relegation only one season after winning the title. After Bremner and the players air their grievances to the board, the club decides to terminate Clough's contract - although not before he forces them to pay a huge severance package.
Afterwards, Clough agrees to do another interview with Yorkshire Television, and this time Revie is there to have his say, bringing the two face to face at last. Clough accuses Revie of being cold-hearted and fundamentally dishonest, both as a person and a football manager, and Revie in turn brands Clough inflexible and egocentric. Clough also brings up the subject of Revie's failure to acknowledge him in the 1967 FA Cup match, and Revie claims to have not known who exactly the rookie manager was at the time (a doubtful claim considering that Revie was known for meticulously researching every opponent his team faced). After the interview ends, Clough drives down to Brighton to patch things up with Taylor.
In the film's epilogue, the audience is told that Don Revie proved a complete failure as an England manager, and afterwards never worked in football in his home country again, spending the rest of his career working in the Middle East. Brian Clough and Peter Taylor meanwhile reunited at Nottingham Forest, where he repeated his prior achievements with Derby by taking them up and winning the First Division, and this time bettered both Revie and his own spell at Derby by winning two European Cups in succession. The film ends by branding Clough "the best manager that the English national side never had."
Cast
Leeds United
Players
Derby County
Other
Production
Development
In 2006, Stephen Frears read The Damned Utd while travelling to the Venice Film Festival. He enjoyed the book and talked with The Queen producer Andy Harries about it.[5] He then sent it to Peter Morgan, with whom he also worked on The Queen, on the eve of that film's premiere in Venice; Morgan read it by the next morning.[6] Morgan enjoyed it, stating, "It deals with themes I love: Alcoholism and self-destruction and psychotic male competitiveness and treachery."[7] Development of the project continued through February 2007, when BBC Films executive producer Christine Langan, another producer of The Queen, became involved.[8] Frears had Michael Sheen in mind for Clough right from the start. Sheen had appeared in three other Frears projects: Mary Reilly, The Deal and The Queen. He was chosen because of his physical resemblance to Clough.[9] When Frears suggested to Sheen that he play the part, Sheen "rolled his eyes and burst into a wonderful impersonation" of Clough.[10] Sheen said Clough was "one of those people who's decided he's going to shape the rest of the world in his image. Inevitably there's something in us that recognises that that's playing with fire and the gods will have to strike you down."[6]
With Frears as director, principal photography was scheduled for the end of 2007. He pulled out of the film in November, stating that he could not work out the logistics of the film and that he had "set out in pursuit of something that was leading him down a blind alley". Tom Hooper, who directed Morgan's Longford, replaced him.[10] Hooper researched Clough by reading Duncan Hamilton's Provided You Don't Kiss Me, an award-winning biography of Clough. He also planned to meet with Clough's family and with some of the Leeds players during Clough's tenure.[11] Casting continued through to May 2008. In April, Colm Meaney, Timothy Spall and Jim Broadbent were announced as Don Revie, Peter Taylor and Sam Longson respectively.[12] During pre-production, Langan had viewed archive footage of Clough and Revie and considered whether Revie should be played by an actor much older than Sheen; despite being 47 in the footage, Revie "could pass for 60".[8] Before Meaney was cast, the younger Kenneth Branagh had been considered.[13] Non-league Garforth Town A.F.C. held auditions for non-speaking football players on 14 May.[14] Auditionees were expected to have played in the Northern Counties East League, Northern Premier League, or higher. Casting for extras took place on 20 and 21 May.[15]
Filming
Principal photography ran from 25 May to 2 July at locations in Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Majorca.[15] Chesterfield F.C.'s Saltergate stood in for Wembley Stadium, the Baseball Ground, Carrow Road, and Bloomfield Road.[16] Saltergate was chosen because it had not had any significant modifications since the 1970s,[17] though some repainting work was done by the production team to differentiate the grounds from each other.[16] The car park outside Elland Road was dressed to look like the Leeds training ground[18] (until the move to the training facilities at Thorp Arch in the early 1990s, Leeds United's training ground was located next to the stadium). Other locations used in Leeds include Headingley Stadium, the former site of Cookridge Hospital, and a linen hire firm in Armley.[19] The recreations of the television interviews (based on those conducted on the regional news show Calendar) were filmed at the same location as the originals, these being the Yorkshire Television Studios in Kirkstall Road, Leeds [20]. Further exteriors scenes were shot in Armley, Beeston and Adel.[19] The Derby County training facilities used grass-land also close to Elland Road.
During the week of 23 June, filming took place in Scarborough, in place of Brighton.[21] Interior scenes were filmed in the Victoria Sea View Hotel and the Esplanade Hotel.[19][21] Exteriors were filmed on the Queens Parade and at nearby Scalby Mills. Computer-generated imagery was added in post-production to make Scarborough look like Brighton. Filming then moved on to Saddleworth before concluding in Majorca.[21]
Music
Rob Lane composed the film score in December 2008.[22]
Release
The first television trailer premiered on Setanta Sports 1 on 23 January 2009, before the kick-off of the FA Cup Fourth Round tie between Derby County and Nottingham Forest.[23]
The distribution rights were originally pre-sold to Ealing Studios International. Sony Pictures Entertainment made a higher offer to the production companies and will now distribute the film worldwide.[12] It was released in the UK on 27 March 2009.[24]
A gala screening of the film will be held at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival in September 2009 before the film goes on a limited release in the United States on 25 September.[25]
Reception
Clough's widow, Barbara Clough, who was already an outspoken critic of Peace's book, expressed disappointment that the film was being made, insisting the majority of it never happened. On the implication that it would be similar to the book, she said "It's going to be pretty dire". Andy Harries responded by stating that "[The filmmakers'] goal is to tell a wonderful and extraordinary story with universal themes of success, jealousy and betrayal".[26] Filmmaker Donald Shaw criticised Sony's decision to release the film six days after what would have been Clough's 74th birthday. He said that Clough's family were "annoyed" that the film had even been made.[27] The Clough family declined an invitation to a preview of the film, and have stated that they loathe the whole idea of the film.[28] Nigel Clough says he has spoken to people within football who have told him the film bears no resemblance to what actually happened.[29] The film has, however, been extremely well received by film critics and currently holds a 91% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes[30].
BBC Sport journalist Pat Murphy noted 17 factual inaccuracies in the film after watching it twice.[31] In an interview with Murphy, Martin O'Neill stated that he had noticed an obvious error.[32] The film implies that Dave Mackay was still a Derby County player when Clough resigned as Derby manager in 1973. In fact, Mackay had left Derby in 1971 to become player-manager of Swindon Town, and later manager of Nottingham Forest. Mackay only returned to Derby as manager after Clough's resignation; O'Neill knew this because he was being managed by Mackay at Forest when Clough left Derby. O'Neill also questioned the relationship portrayed between Clough and Peter Taylor.[32] He praised the performance of the actors, however, particularly that of Michael Sheen as Clough.[32]
A further inaccuracy was that Brian Clough did not accept the job at Leeds United whilst on holiday in Majorca after accepting the Brighton & Hove Albion Job. He left in October 1973 and went on to manage Brighton for 32 games with little success, finishing 19th in the old Third Division and losing to non-league Walton & Hersham 4-0 in the FA Cup. The film also suggests that Leeds lost 1-0 to Luton Town during Clough's reign, this game played on 7th September 1974 infact finished 1-1 with Barry Butlin equalising for Luton after Leeds took the lead through Allan Clarke.
References
- ^ Although Leeds did beat Derby 2–0 in the FA Cup that season, in reality the game was played at United's Elland Road ground. It was the second of three games between the two sides that season, the FA Cup tie being sandwiched between the two legs of a Football League Cup Semi-Final.
- ^ In fact, the match between Derby and Leeds took place before Derby's quarter-final match, which they still won despite their injury list. Their eventual defeat by Juventus was with a nearly full-strength squad, and Clough blamed Juventus's gamesmanship, rather than Sam Longson for Derby's exit.
- ^ The film shows him effectively reneging on his deal to take over at Brighton, although in reality he had nine relatively unsuccessful months as manager there.
- ^ a b c d e f Mitchell, Wendy (21 June 2008). "Graham, McDonald take key footballer roles in The Damned United", ScreenDaily.com, Emap Media. Retrieved on 24 October 2008.
- ^ Kennedy, Maev (18 May 2007), "The Guardian profile: Stephen Frears", The Guardian, Guardian News and Media. Retrieved on 2 September 2008.
- ^ a b Jeff Dawson (April 2009). "Strife of Brian". Empire: pp. 116–120.
- ^ Charity, Tom (2 May 2007). "Peter Morgan Interview". LOVEFiLM. Retrieved on 24 April 2008.
- ^ a b Langan, Christine (25 February 2007), "My week: Christine Langan", The Observer, Guardian News and Media. Retrieved on 2 September 2008.
- ^ Staff (16 February 2007). "Queen director Clough film hopes", BBC News website (BBC News). Retrieved on 24 April 2008.
- ^ a b Solomons, Jason (11 November 2007). "Trailer Trash: Not Match of the Day", The Observer, Guardian News and Meda. Retrieved on 24 April 2008.
- ^ Bamigboye, Baz (18 January 2008). "Forty-four dreadful days in the life of Brian", Daily Mail, Associated Newspapers. Retrieved on 24 April 2008.
- ^ a b Dawtrey, Adam (24 April 2008). "Sony scores 'Damned United'", Variety, Reed Business Information. Retrieved on 24 April 2008.
- ^ Solomons, Jason (27 May 2007). "Trash Cannes: Ken revs up for Don", The Observer, Guardian News and Media. Retrieved on 29 April 2008.
- ^ Robinson, Paul (8 May 2008). "Garforth Town to host player auditions for Leeds United film", Garforth Today, Johnston Press. Retrieved on 10 May 2008.
- ^ a b "Chance to Take Part in a New Film". Chesterfield F.C. website (16 May 2008). Retrieved on 17 May 2008.
- ^ a b Whiteley, Pete (5 June 2008), "There's No Business Like.........", Chesterfield F.C. website. Retrieved on 2 September 2008.
- ^ Ward, Nick (31 May 2008), "Saltergate..or the Baseball Ground?", Sheffield Star, Johnston Press. Retrieved on 2 September 2008.
- ^ Calhoun, Dave (10 June 2008), "Set visit: 'The Damned United'", Time Out, Time Out Group. Retrieved on 2 September 2008.
- ^ a b c Robinson, Paul (30 December 2008). "Damned United: Release date set for Leeds United film", Yorkshire Evening Post, Johnston Press. Retrieved on 8 January 2009.
- ^ Taken from the DVD commentary of the film, The Damned United, Sony Pictures, 2009
- ^ a b c Beever, Kirsty (26 June 2008), "It's Spall over 'old big ed' – it is now", Scarborough Evening News, Johnston Press. Retrieved on 2 September 2008.
- ^ Carlsson, Mikael (2 December 2008). "Rob Lane: The Damned United", Upcoming Film Scores (Movie Score Media). Retrieved on 8 January 2009.
- ^ Sutcliffe, Rich (23 January 2009). "The Damned United promo to launch on Setanta tonight", mediaweek.co.uk, Haymarket Media. Retrieved on 23 January 2009.
- ^ "UK Film release schedule (March 2009)", Film Distributors' Association. Retrieved on 15 January 2009.
- ^ Seguin, Denis (30 July 2009). "Reitman’s Up In The Air to world premiere at TIFF". Screen International (Emap Media).
- ^ Alberge, Dalya (19 November 2007), "Film is offside, says Brian Clough's widow", The Times, Times Newspapers. Retrieved on 24 April 2008.
- ^ Staff (1 December 2008). "Controversial Brian Clough film to be released during his birthday week", Derby Evening Telegraph, Derby Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved on 5 December 2008.
- ^ "Damned: Clough family boycott film of legendary manager's life". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/mar/07/2. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7950412.stm
- ^ "The Damned United on Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. http://au.rottentomatoes.com/m/damned_united/. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
- ^ Russell Fuller (presenter). (2009-03-18). 5 live Sport. [Radio broadcast]. BBC Radio 5 Live. http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/programmes/fivelivesport.shtml. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
- ^ a b c "O'Neill reviews new Clough film". BBC Sport. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7951484.stm. Retrieved 20 March 2009.
External links
Video interviews
