This film – linked above – was released in 2001. Any England football fan of that era (and perhaps of any era) will relate to its content. I think I had watched it at some point, but I watched again with my father around Xmas 2004 – when my life was a tad disorganised and we did not know what was around the cormer. My father never communicated in a specific manner – but always talked using symbols and allusions. The actor – Ricki Tomlinson (who plays Mike Bassett) – is a working-class man who was put in prison in the UK during the “Builders’ Strike” – for being a member of a Trade Union. Although pardoned years later – he was abused in prison and resorted to hunger-striking.
My family would travel to my parent’s home in Torquay at various times of the year – and me and my father sat in the darkened front-room of 2 Torbay Road – and howled with laughter at this remarkable English film! My Dad wanted me to see how ordinary people experience life – including pitfalls and disasters – and how they a) deal with it, and b) over-come these problems. The English way also includes a sense of humour. Anyway, my life sorted itself out and afterwards more great things were experienced and achieved. Today, for no reason at all, this film came up on YouTube – perhaps because it has a fictional match between England and Mexico. Today, the England Team is routinely reaching semi-finals and finals – but you never can tell if a return to the old form is on the cards!
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 