Something About Beckham (Documentary)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: D     Program: B

 

 

David Beckham is a worldwide phenomenon, except in the United States.  The recent feature film Bend It Like Beckham (2002) was a sleeper hit in the U.S. and still did little to make him a star (t)here.  Not that the film was very much about him, as it was simply a comedy that celebrated his success though his characters, which is odd to watch when your media is practically ignoring the entire sport of soccer.

 

The short 47-minutes-long program is not bad, finally explaining to a novice like this critic what the hubbub is all about.  He has set a new standard of classiness in the sport, which gets as rough as Hockey in the U.S. and Canada, much like its young followers.  Every time he was told he could not go very far, or even had seemed to fail beyond comeback, there have been qualities about him that have made him a survivor.  His talents have obviously not hurt, but there are thousands of very talented people who do not even become known in the first place, so this is one lucky man.

 

The interviews are plentiful and chart his rise with his former Spice Girl pop-singing wife, a father, and continuing an unstoppable career.  He seems to be humble, passive and quiet, sincerely so.  “Becks” as he is nicknamed seems to handle the success and fans well enough.  Instead of being a show that just goes on and on about how great he is, we get smart insight and examination about the phenomenon.  That is why this show is worth catching and does not disappoint.

 

The full screen image is off of what looks like a good, recent PAL analog video source.  The footage is mostly video, being that he is so young.  The simple stereo is PCM CD 2.0 Stereo, but that is much smoother than the usual Dolby 1.0 or 2.o we usually get stuck with.  This is good quality considering the sources.  There are no extras.

 

One last thing about the Beckham success is that it is one that is not dependent on the U.S., which some people might actually resent or even scoff at.  Those in the U.S. think big success is only encompassed by “the American Dream” and the like, but with the rest of the world out there, you can succeed without the U.S. and especially when you did not grow up there.  He’s British, the #1 ally of the U.S. at that, so why can we not embrace this success better?  One reason is Americans cannot handle the long-term pace of soccer, and corporations still cannot seem to figure out how to back up sports without commercial breaks.  Even a few dozen cable sports networks still have not changed this.  That is another thing that will keep striking wiser viewers as they watch this work, even when Beckham is being persecuted by his own media.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo