Dom Robinson reviews

Distributed by
VCI

Cat.no: VCLD 3608

Cert: 15

Running time: 97 minutes

Sides: 2 (CLV)

Year: 1996

Pressing: 1997

Chapters: 21 (13/8)

Sound: Dolby Surround

Widescreen: 1.85:1

Price: £24.99

Extras : None

Director:

David Evans

Producer:

Amanda Posey

Nick Hornby (based on his book)

Music:

Neill Maccoll and Boo Hewerdine

Songs:

• The Pretenders - Goin' Back
• The Bible - Honey Be Good
• The La's - There She Goes
• Tommy Steele - Little White Bull
• Harry J Allstars - The Liquidator
• The Smiths - I Started Something I Couldn't Finish
• Lloyd Cole and the Commotions - Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken ?
• Slade - Coz I Luv You
• Aztec Camera - Working In A Goldmine
• New Order - Round And Round
• Paul Hardcastle - The Wizard
• The Jesus and Mary Chain - April Skies
• Tim Hardin - How Can We Hang On To A Dream
• The Pogues - Fiesta
• Lisa Stansfield - All Around The World
• Fine Young Cannibals - Good Thing
• The Who - Baba O'Reilly
• Van Morrison - Bright Side Of The Road

Cast:

Paul: Colin Firth (Another Country, Circle Of Friends, A Month In The Country, The Hour Of The Pig, TV appearances: "Pride And Prejudice")
Sarah: Ruth Gemmell
Paul's Dad: Neil Pearson (TV appearances: "Between The Lines", "Drop The Dead Donkey", "Rhodes")
Paul's Mum: Lorraine Ashbourne
Steve: Mark Strong (TV appearances: "Emma", "Our Friends In The North", "Sharpe's Mission")
Jo: Holly Aird (TV appearances: "Dressing For Breakfast", "Soldier, Soldier", "Inspector Morse", "Kavanagh Q.C.")
Headmaster: Ken Stott (The Debt Collector, TV appearances: "Rhodes")
Ray the Guvenor: Stephen Rea (The Crying Game, Bad Behaviour, Angie, Angel)

Fever Pitch tells the tale of love between two people who initially hate each other. Paul and Sarah are two teachers at a comprehensive school, and the scene is set from the start as Paul is shown as being incapable of keeping a class quiet, while new teacher Sarah shows them who's boss from day one.

The film is set during the 1988/89 football season, which also encompasses the Hillsborough tragedy on April 15th 1989, and Paul has to find the balance between loving one woman and worshipping the eleven men of his home team, Arsenal. Paul wasn't always so besotted with the national game, and flashbacks going back over twenty years are given showing where his obsession began, and continue through the years showing how it progressed.

In the present day, each of the pair have their best friends to turn to when queries arise. Sarah has her flatmate Jo, and Paul has his Subbuteo-loving friend Steve. However, Paul soon learns that relationships, unlike football, aren't played out in seasons and it begs the question - is he more concerned about their relationship lasting once they get it together, or Arsenal's chances of winning the championship for the first time since 1971 ?

The film has a very good cast with some nemorable characters. Colin Firth equips himself well as the passionate fan for whom football means more to him than life itself. Of the rest of the cast, Neil Pearson and Holly Aird are two of the most well-known members, both having been seen in many television productions, and Stephen Rea pops up as a cameo as one of the interviewers when Paul is applying for the Head of Year job.

Ruth Gemmell is adequate in her teacher role, but the chemistry between the two leads doesn't seem quite as apparent as one would have expected in a film about two people who perfectly fit the phrase opposites attract.

The picture quality of the disc is first rate bringing out the flesh tones well, and completely avoiding any colour bleeding as you might expect when a school team with bright red shirts are running about a football field. One scene of note for quality comes early on in chapter 3, in the "Royal Oak vs. Ongar" match on 26th September 1988, as the match is played late at night against a superbly-floodlit pitch. The aspect ratio of 1.85:1 also presents the film much better than a fullscreen version would have.

The sound quality is also excellent, bringing the music to life in the many scenes full of top quality tunes from Van Morrison, The Bible, The Smiths and Aztec Camera, as listed earlier in this review, and also in the ambient scenes when music isn't playing.

The chaptering is also good in the most part, but at 21 over a 97-minute film, a few more wouldn't go amiss. Chapter 9 unfortunately starts in the middle of one of Firth's monologue's about becoming an adult. At this point it begins as we see some of the children from the school walking home after a match, when it should have been placed just a few seconds earlier showing not only that they won it but also that Firth clearly hasn't grown up fully yet as he can jump around with the best of them when the team he's coaching scores a goal.