REVIEWED - ONCE IN A LIFETIME: Here's a documentary about the brief enthusiasm for professional soccer - and the New York Cosmos in particular - that engulfed the US during the 1970s. Who cares? Weren't the Cosmos and their kind born of a cynical commercialism that makes Roman Abranovich look like a kindly philanthropist? Surely most of that team's stars - Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Giorgio Chinaglia - were well past their best? The whole thing was a ghastly circus, wasn't it?
Well, precisely. Among the many pleasures of the fabulous Once in a Lifetime is the way it allows the sort of European who might object to the very use of the word "soccer" to indulge his or her prejudices about America's attitude to the sport. One of the most telling moments in the film sees neophyte fans discussing why they have come to see Pele play. Far from being turned off by press speculation as to how much it cost to sign the Brazilian (those involved still disagree), the spectators seem to have turned up simply to see what sort of man costs $4 million or so. When that hype wore off, the professional leagues withered.
To be fair, Once in a Lifetime does permit the now ageing players to enthuse about the enormous fun they had during those strange days. Beckenbauer counts his decision to join the Cosmos as one of the wisest of his career. The deliciously arrogant Chinaglia, loathed by his team-mates during the glory years, still puffs his chest proudly when remembering his most spectacular goals.
The directors have been fortunate in happening upon such an extraordinarily colourful and articulate cast of characters. The slick, lucid men from Warner's Communications, which bankrolled the Cosmos, still look nauseous when contemplating the sums of money they flung away. The players, promoters and managers all have equally cracking stories to tell.
If one wanted to whinge, one might point out that the film-makers have delivered a film without any contemporary contributions from Pele. During the closing credits a legend appears informing us that the great man declined to be interviewed, accompanied by the noise of a cash register. Make of that what you will.
