CINEMA
Pelé: Birth of a Legend - Hollywood and football again
A biopic of Pelé is another attempt by the film industry to make the beautiful game something the cinema-going public want to see. Can this one join the small pile of successes?
Hollywood and football have not always been a match made in heaven, with many seemingly sound ideas for films losing out at the box office and slated by critics. The latest release sees the man some have dubbed as the greatest ever make it from the slums to the big time.
Pelé: Birth of a Legend
As IMDb described it, the film covers 'Pele's meteoric rise from the slums of Sao Paulo to leading Brazil to its first World Cup victory at the age of 17'. This biographical drama was written and directed by Jeff and Michael Zimbalist and stars Leonardo Carvalho Lima and Kevin de Paula as the younger and older versions of the great man.
The Brazilian dream
The story is a good one - the romance of a rags to riches story can often work on an audience especially when talent of the highest order overcomes other societal hurdles - but whether the film attracts enough attention from the mass cinema goers will depend on several factors including those early critiques.