Sons
Of Ben: The Movie (2016/Rothburg Road/Gravitas DVD)
Picture:
C Sound: C Extras: D Documentary: C+
Philadelphia
is know for Ben Franklin, it's history, their football, their
cheesesteaks, the birthplace of the U.S. and nick-named as the City
of Brotherly Love, but what isn't know as well known is their love
for soccer, or the 'Sons of Ben'. Long before there was even
a major league team, wannabe fans came together to form die hard fan
group, and together the formed what became the actual Philadelphia
Major League Soccer. Jeffrey C. Bell's Sons Of Ben: The Movie
(2016) tells the story.
The
Sons of Ben are a group soccer fans existed before even the team
existed for the sport. It started out from European-American
citizens when their dads and fathers remembered what it was like to
watch European 'Football' or soccer and told their families. So,
they gathered together and began marching in parades. As the group
grew larger and larger it soon became evident to the officials to
start a team and turned a dying town into a million dollar
phenomenon.
Even
growing up in Philadelphia, there are many things that go unnoticed
or aware to it's citizens, but one of the things you can never under
estimate is a city loves for it's home teams and sports. What was so
unique about the Sons of Ben was how it originated and was created by
the fans before the city officials. Hopefully, in time, soccer would
be a big as a sport in America as football.
This
is not bad, but way too short at 75 minutes and not as good as the
'soccer in America' documentary Once In A Lifetime (reviewed
elsewhere on this site), but fans of Philly and the game will still
want to give it a look.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image and lossy Dolby Digital 2.0
Stereo sound are nothing to write home about, though this might plat
better on Blu-ray, so we'll see, and there are no extras.
-
Ricky Chiang
