Written and directed by Asif Kapadia, Diego Maradona is a documentary film about one of the greatest football (soccer for Americans) players that ever lived with the focus on his time playing for S.S.C. Napoli from 1984 to 1991 at a time when he was considered a god and then vilified through scandal and heartbreak. The film explores a man from the poorest area in Buenos Aires who would find a home in Naples for a time as he brought hope to the troubled city only to become a pariah in this classic rise-and-fall tale of the Argentinian player. The result is a rapturous and somber film from Asif Kapadia.
In the world of sports, there are certain icons that people can remember. In boxing, it’s Muhammad Ali. In baseball, Babe Ruth. In basketball, Michael Jordan. In American football, Joe Namath. These are name that are icons of their respective sports as other names can be put into the picture while in the world of football (soccer), there are numerous names that people will think. One of the most common names people will cite for an icon in soccer is Pele but others will cite Diego Armando Maradona as the icon of the sports. The Argentinian player was known for his dribbling, passing, and other styles of playing while using his small height at 5 feet and 5 inches to outsmart and outplay his opponents. From starting out with the Argentinos Juniors club for five years at the age 15 to being part of Boca Juniors in the 1981 to 1982 season and his work in the 1980s and early 1990s. There was no player that more revered but also more hated than Maradona.
The film focuses mainly his time playing with S.S.C. Napoli after an uneventful tenure with Barcelona, despite being the highest-paid player of his time for 5 million pounds ($7.6 million), from 1982 to 1984 as he was ravaged by injuries, setbacks, and fights with other players including a brawl at the 1984 Copa del Rey in front of King Juan Carlos and 100,000 fans during a game between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao. He would be transferred to S.S.C. Napoli for a record 6.9 million pounds ($10.48 million) where from 1984 to 1991, he was their star player as he would bring two league championships in the 1986-1987 season and in 1989-1990 season plus Coppa Italia in 1987, the UEFA Cup in 1989, and the Italian Supercup in 1990.
Shown mainly through archival and rare home movie footage provided by Maradona’s ex-wife Claudia Villafane as she along with one of Maradona’s sisters, journalists, sports writers, and Maradona himself would provide commentary about Maradona’s time in Naples which was considered the worst city in all of Europe in the 1980s. Yet, Maradona had a connection with the city as he was born in one of the worst areas in Buenos Aires as he was fourth child in a family that included three older sisters and two younger brothers to follow. In Naples which was a town in Southern Italy that received a lot of verbal abuse from towns from the north of the country was in dire straits economic and socially as Maradona’s arrival gave them hope. While that period of 1984 to 1991 would also have Maradona participate in two World Cups in 1986 and 1990 for Argentina who would win the Cup in ’86 as the Argentina-England quarterfinal game is discussed including the controversial “Hand of God” goal that Maradona did. Much of what writer/director Asif Kapadia explores is Maradona’s time in Naples as well as that international period as he was revered as an icon while was considered a God in Naples.
The usage of news footage, TV appearances, and other rare footage showcase the world that Maradona was in as he was someone who wanted to make sure that his own family lived well as well as be a people’s champion. Kapadia’s direction allows Maradona to make comments about his own accomplishments and flaws as a man as well as discuss his association with the local mafia family in Naples as well as the fact that he borne an illegitimate son in late 1986 which he denied until the mid-2000s. Maradona would admit to having affairs with other women while he was in a relationship and marriage to Villafane until their divorce in 2004 while Villafane knew about those affairs but didn’t care about since he always came home to her. Then there’s Maradona’s drug use as Maradona admitted to using cocaine during his time in Naples though it began when he was in Barcelona as he had it in control until 1990.
With the help of editor Chris King and sound editors Stephen Griffiths and Andy Shelley compiling all of the archival footage and audio interviews, Kapadia showcases the many trials and tribulations that Maradona endured but also his successes including his downfall in 1991 when his cocaine abuse caught up with him while getting the severe backlash following his performance at the 1990 World Cup when Argentina beat Italy in the semifinals during the penalty kick round as he went from beloved to the most hated man in the country. The usage of news footage, newspaper clippings, and other material showcase not just play into Maradona’s fall from grace but also the physical and emotional decline he would endure as Kapadia doesn’t touch upon his post-Napoli career that included a brief time at the 1994 World Cup where he was suspended due to a failed drug test. Yet, its epilogue plays more into an interview he did in the late 2000s as he had become obese and a shell of his former self as he would continue to struggle with his addiction to drugs.
Visual effects supervisor Dominic Thomson would provide some visuals to some of the news clippings along with some exterior shots of some of the locations. The film’s music by Antonio Pinto is terrific for its somber orchestral score that has elements of ambient music as it play into the many triumphs and failures of Maradona while music supervisor Iain Cooke provide a soundtrack of music in those times including Italian disco and European pop music that was popular around Maradona’s time in Italy.
Diego Maradona is a sensational film from Asif Kapadia. For anyone that loves soccer as well as Maradona should see this film while anyone not familiar with the sport or Maradona should seek this as an interesting subject matter of someone who was gifted only to succumb by temptation and his own faults as a man. Even as the amount of footage that is shown about the man himself showcases why he remains so revered for his playing as well as someone still trying to find himself. In the end, Diego Maradona is an incredible film from Asif Kapadia.
Asif Kapadia Films: (The Sheep Thief) – (The Warrior (2001 film)) – (The Return (2006 film)) – (Far North) – Senna - Amy (2015 film) - (Ali and Nino)
© thevoid99 2019
Directed by Asif Kapadia, Amy is a documentary about the life and career of British singer Amy Winehouse who rose big during the mid-to-late 2000s only to die tragically at the age of 27 in July of 2011. The film follows her tumultuous career as well as her struggles with substance abuse and various issues as well as fame itself that would eventually take its toll as it is presented with existing footage from her life and career with commentary by the people who were close to her as well as those who worked with. The result is a harrowing yet intoxicating film from Asif Kapadia.
On October of 2006, Amy Winehouse releases her second album Back to Black which was a blend of jazz and soul that unexpected became one of the biggest albums of the 21st Century so far. Winehouse would become this major star all over the world but the fame would eventually prove too much as the singer had struggles in her personal life such as a tumultuous marriage to longtime boyfriend Blake Fielder-Civil and her own battles with bulimia, alcoholism, and drug abuse that would ultimately claim her life on July 23, 2011 at the age of 27. The film is about Winehouse’s tragic life as it’s largely told through existing footage from home movies, concerts, recording sessions, and such throughout the course of her life as well as interviews from her own words during her lifetime as well as audio interviews from those who knew her.
With the aid of editor Chris King as well as sound editors Stephen Griffiths and Andy Shelley compiling many of the interviews with Winehouse’s friends, family, and collaborators during the course of the film. Asif Kapadia would use all of this footage to tell Amy’s story from this young girl who had lived largely with her mother after her parents divorced at the age of nine to her love for music when she was in her teens. Notably jazz as she was considered someone who knew every jazz record from front to back as her first album in 2003’s Frank showcased that love as her original aspirations were to just be a jazz singer playing small jazz clubs and succeed through that. Once she moved to the Camden area in North London during a thriving period in the music scene where a lot of indie bands such as the Kills and Babyshambles were playing at that time. Things suddenly changed when Winehouse met Fielder-Civil who would introduce her to drugs and all sorts of things.
Fielder-Civil isn’t a bad person as he really did love Winehouse but he was part of a scene that was quite destructive and it definitely snowballed into total chaos as they would marry in 2007 until he would be incarcerated for possession later that year. The person that is the film’s real villain is Winehouse’s father Mitchell who would be in Amy’s life around the time she would become famous and then use her for his own reality TV show that had him with a camera crew when all she wanted was her father. It’s among these moments in the film that is heartbreaking to watch as well as Winehouse’s big moment when she won Grammys including one for Record of the Year for the song Rehab where she was in Britain because she wasn’t well-enough to travel. Family and friends were at this event with her as it should’ve been a big moment but a friend of Winehouse recalled how sad it was because all Winehouse wanted was to get high to cope with not having her husband around and all of the bullshit that fame has brought her.
The final months of Winehouse’s life didn’t just show her trying to clean herself up and get ready to make a new album but it also showed the struggle she was going through that led to her final concert a month before her death in Belgrade, Serbia where the footage is just sad. Especially as she wasn’t mentally nor emotionally ready to perform in front of a large audience as it show how far she’s descended as the people in her band were concerned as are management and others in the industry which is quite surprising considering how cynical the music business is. With the aid of cinematographers Rafael Bettega, Jake Clennel, and Ernesto Herrmann in shooting aerial footage of some of the locations that were important in Winehouse’s life. Kapadia would also emphasize the importance of Winehouse’s music as lyrics would appear on some of the footage to express the pain of what she was singing to express parts of her life while there’s score music by Antonio Pinto, that is mainly ambient music with some orchestral piano pieces, that play into some of the darker moments in Winehouse’s tragic life.
Amy is a tremendous film from Asif Kapadia. It’s a film that isn’t just an artist that was gone too soon but also a troubled exploration of someone with a great gift but had trouble dealing with additional baggage that comes with being successful. In the end, Amy is a visceral yet astonishing film from Asif Kapadia.
Asif Kapadia Films: (The Sheep Thief) - (The Warrior (2001 film)) - (The Return (2006 film)) - (Far North (2007 film)) - Senna - (Ali and Nino)- Diego Maradona (2019 film)
© thevoid99 2017
Directed by Asif Kapadia and written by Manish Pandey, Senna is the story of the famed Brazilian Formula One racer Ayrton Senna who was considered one of the greatest racers in sport. The film explores the racer’s career from his debut at the 1984 Brazilian Grand Prix to his shocking death 10 years later at the San Martino Grand Prix. Told through various footage of the man in and out of the race track, the film is a look into one of the most compelling figures in sports. The result is one of the most intoxicating but also heartbreaking films about one of the greatest racers that ever lived.
The film explores the life and career of Formula One racer Ayrton Senna who was considered to be the fastest man in Formula One racing in the late 1980s and early 1990s. A man who was known for driving very fast in the rain as well as maintain a sense of consistency and drive as he would win three world championships in 1988, 1990, and 1991. In his native Brazil, he was considered a god though Senna was someone who often thanked or prayed to God for guidance. Senna’s death at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix on May 1 of that year was considered one of the most tragic moments in the sport as many questioned what went wrong on that day. Yet, the film is more about Senna and his legacy as it’s told through archival footage of his races including his early years racing go karts in the late 70s as well as audio interviews with those who knew him including his longtime rival Alain Prost.
Through these interviews and footage of the races, interviews, and rare home movies provided by Senna’s family, the film showcases the man as someone who was quite humble despite coming from an upper-class background. For the country of Brazil, he was a people’s champion that gave joy to the country during some of its most troubled times where Senna would use his fame and celebrity to help children in the country. Director Asif Kapadia keeps things simple by letting Senna tell his own story through these archival interviews as well as audio interviews from family members, the members of his racing team, and a few others. There’s also archival interviews with Alain Prost who was a teammate of Senna during their years as part of the McLaren racing team as they later became rivals that would intensify during the seasons from 1989 to 1991 where the two wouldn’t like each other. Yet, Prost and Senna would eventually renew their friendship in 1993 when Prost retired as he is part of the charity Senna had founded.
Kapadia would also use footage from Senna’s races to showcase the intensity of how he raced from the camera footage as it’s remastered by its cinematographer Jake Polonsky along with rare camera footage from interviews and other specials. Editors Chris King and Gregers Sall do amazing work in compiling the interviews and footage to help tell the story along with the audio interviews that are compiled by sound editors Stephen Griffiths and Andy Shelley. The film’s music by Antonio Pinto is brilliant for its mixture of ambient music and traditional Brazilian music to play into Senna’s identity as a Brazilian.
Senna is an incredible documentary film from Asif Kapadia about the life of Ayrton Senna. It’s a film that fans of the late Formula One racer will love while making it very appealing to those unfamiliar with the sport as it tells the story of a man who was a true champion of the people. In the end, Senna is a magnificent film from Asif Kapadia.
Asif Kapadia Films: (The Sheep Thief) - (The Warrior (2001 film)) - (The Return (2006 film)) - (Far North) - Amy - (Ali and Nino) - Diego Maradona (2019 film)
© thevoid99 2015
