One Night in Turin

“There are half a dozen images that define [the 1990s] this decade of change … First … is the sight of Paul Gascoigne crying into his England shirt after being booked in the 1990 World Cup semi-final against West Germany. Unaggressive and emotional, a billboard image that helped start an apparently unstoppable surge in popularity for the national team.” -The Observer

Just Football was lucky enough to receive an invite to the press screening of One Night in Turin recently. The film, released in cinemas nationwide on May 7th, is directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker James Erskine and based on Pete Davies’ book All Played Out, and is about the incredible inside story of the 1990 World Cup.

20 years ago England was home to deep civil unrest, in the midst of a recession, with an unpopular Prime Minister in power and a World Cup on the horizon. You might argue little has changed today in fact.

But in 1990, while the wider world discovered a newfound sense of hope and optimism as the Iron Curtain was torn down, dictators across Europe fell and Nelson Mandela took the last steps of his long walk to freedom, England drowned in grey skies and negativity.

Back then it was Margaret Thatcher, deep recession and poll tax riots causing such angst, and while a newly optimistic world prepared for Italia ‘90, at home, the England team was beset with both internal and external problems.

Rampant hooliganism, tabloid scandals and a nasty lingering discord between the press corps covering the England team and national coach Bobby Robson lent England’s own World Cup preparations a distinctly bleak outlook.

One Night in Turin tells the story of how, against such a backdrop, England’s remarkable and dramatic exploits at Italia ‘90 restored pride and joy to a nation. Interweaving unseen archive footage and specially shot imagery, Pete Davies takes us on a journey through the tournament, from England’s drab, weary opening draw with the Republic of Ireland to the desperate last final act that was Chris Waddle’s penalty miss against West Germany in the semi-finals.

The film is wonderfully captured, transporting us directly to the heart of life in 1990s England. One Night in Turin’s focus, predominantly, is on Italia ’90’s main heroes and villains.

On the one hand we have the heroes. Bobby Robson, national coach, under intense media scrutiny bordering hatred after accepting a managerial vacancy in Holland directly after the tournament (he hadn’t been offered a renewal of his England contract after Italia ‘90 anyway, what else was he to do?) and struggling to remain dignified and amiable whilst managing the team and dealing with the weight of public expectation and a string of dirty media tricks.

Paul Gascoigne, lovable rogue, vulnerable soul and genius talent all rolled into one – England’s Maradona. We watch as this promising young Geordie and wildcard pick goes from talented boy to national treasure through Gazzamania, effortlessly winning the hearts of England’s adoring public.

The rest of the cast (Butcher, Barnes, Lineker, Bryan Robson, Waddle et al) all have their moments, but it is through Robson and Gazza in particular that we experience the tournament.

Then there are the villains. The press, of course. England’s vast hooligan element and its fearsome reputation. The Italian police. And Colin Moynihan, the government minister, so desperately out of touch with the demands of his role as he balances a duty to defend travelling English supporters and the nation’s reputation alongside attempts at a tough stance on hooliganism.

In a sense I suppose One Night in Turin could be interpreted as a twist on the traditional whodunnit detective tale, as we the viewers piece together various behind the scenes clips from training camps and rest days to look for clues as to who or what exactly killed England’s World Cup dream.

“Ahh, there’s Waddle clowning casually around on the golf course, perhaps too casually…? “ we wonder. “Hmm this press corps aren’t in the least bit friendly, can any of this really be helping the team?” we fear. Or “ahh that Gazza, joking around without a care in the world, he won’t let us down..” we hope. We therefore unwittingly become detectives in the crime thriller that is England’s shattered hope, the previously unearthed archive footage our forensic evidence.

That aside, the stories of both Gascoigne and Bobby Robson are particularly heartwarming, and it is from them especially that the film draws it’s finest moments. For me One Night in Turin really hit home just how much of a football genius and all-round character Gazza really was. We laugh when he laughs. We giggle at his jokes. And, ultimately, we cry when he cries.

Meanwhile the immense dignity and integrity Robson shows in the face of a whirlwind of aggressive media hyperbole makes us all the happier when his dreams are so nearly rewarded. And all the more disappointed at the end, when those dreams are so dramatically snuffed out.

Arguably the most important part of One Night in Turin however is shoehorned into a small five second clip during the end credits. On the back of the feel-good factor, romanticism and undoubted commercial success of Italia ‘90 on English shores, a collection of smiley faces in suits pose for pictures, huddled together in a stuffy boardroom. They had created the Premier League. The rest is history.

With the World Cup 2010 just around the corner One Night in Turin provides a timely reminder of the intensely captivating powers a World Cup possesses. And for England, few World Cups if any have had such drama, so many intriguing storylines, characters and sub-plots and such a lasting legacy. The soundtrack is brilliant too.

A must watch film for all football fans, and for those interested in the raw potency a World Cup wields as means for cultural change.

One Night in Turin is out May 7th. To book tickets head to their website.

England, Football Films, Italia '90, One Night in Turin, Paul Gascoigne, Politics and Society, Product Reviews, Sir Bobby Robson