ianlouisiana Review of United

United (I) (2011)

Suitably respectful but curiously uninvolving look at a tragedy.

[6/10 · 27 April 2011]

Beneath a Lowry-esque factory scape of evocatively smoking chimneys,the 1956 version of Manchester United train on a pitch of the type once described by Bill Shankly as one he wouldn't keep coos on. In ungainly shorts and tracksuits,boots like cardboard boxes and kicking balls that weighed a ton once waterlogged,these young men contrived to be not only one of Britain's finest ever football teams,but it's most ill - starred. Within two years,fate had robbed Manchester of a huge proportion of its football heritage and The England team of some of its most influential players. The Munich air disaster has been well - documented,debated,blame apportioned (for many years the pilot was quite wrongly held responsible and only cleared after a long campaign by BALPA)for a very long time. If the BBC were going to do a docu - drama about it one might have thought that the 50th anniversary might have been an appropriate time,but three years on it has arrived on our screens to a reasonably small chorus of hurrahs,and those mainly directed at the Corporation's current love - object Mr D.Tennant. "United" is respectful,slow - paced,and,I almost hesitate to say,rather boring. The programme - maker's obsession with all things Northern may not extend to its top executives who,strangely, seem not too keen to actually live up there, and it does tend to give its portrayal of people and places oop North a slight rose - coloured tinge,the rough good humour,the solidarity of the poor,the comic postcard coppers etc. In "United"it is given full rein,extended even further than Manchester to Tyne and Wear to give another of the Corporation's favourite sons Mr T. Healy a small but meaty part. A bit like "Titanic" where we all know the boat is going to sink,we all know the plane is going to crash so suspense and surprise are out of the question,it's mainly a matter of characterisation that will hold our attention,and,to be fair to him,Mr Tennant,not one of my favourite performers I have to say,is very good at times as Jimmy Murphy,United's charismatic trainer,but all too often resorts to his customary bug - eyed over - enthusiasm when required to express emotion. Mr D.Scott is disturbingly like Warren Oates as Matt Busby,emitting menace when his public persona was one of genial paternalism. About 20 minutes too long,"United" may,perversely,have benefited at least from an historical point of view,with a larger cast to encompass the scale of the disaster,as key players and other important figures have been omitted. As it is,it serves to present an almost prehistoric football era of polite,respectful and law - abiding players whose annual wages en masse wouldn't pay the champagne bill for a good night out for today's top teams.