Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait [DVD] [2006]

I thought this film was tremendous. I rented it on Amazon, and now I'm going to buy it.

At first when it started, I slightly doubted the concept, as Zidane was not heavily involved, but as the game progressed, and his involvement increased, I was sucked right into the stadium alongside ZZ. I could feel the pressure of going a goal down at home; I won't spoil it by saying more about the game; you can hear the fans so clearly, the stadium audio is superb and soundtrack builds the tension as the clock ticks. This concept would not have worked with 'average' players who cannot control a ball as well ZZ etc. ZZ is a genius, and this DVD helps understand why. Some folk have mentioned Playercam on Sky, this is no comparison to that. Its loads better. The camera work, cinematography, the quality of the video, the audio quality picking up the players, fans, even just hearing ZZ scuffling along the grass is top class!!!

Well done to the directors, of which one was from Glasgow, my home town. I was lucky enough to see ZZ's Champions League goal at Hampden, and he's undoubtably the best player I've ever seen. I've been lucky enough to see him play twice. The DVD is brilliant. You really appreciate how good he is and how easy he made the game look. Playing alongside him in this DVD helps! :-)

A must for all football fans.

It's not surprising that this video divides opinion. For those expecting a biodoc of Zidane, or a highlights sequence it could come across as about as welcome as watching paint dry, but for the football/sports fanatic this DVD gives a unique insight into a day at the office for a world superstar. As Zidane admits, he'd have liked to have played the game of his life but, to quote from the film,`magic is sometimes very close to nothing at all.'

For a large part of this game Zidane's magic is kept under wraps, but one of the most notable features is his almost zen-like concentration as he stalks the pitch waiting to explode into action. For the football fan one of the major revelations is just how little communication there is between Zidane and his teammates - even after a goal little is said - he spends large stretches of the match completely silent, with the occasional furrowed brow or shake of the head to indicate displeasure, with a couple of words to the referee when he awards a dubious penalty.

Then, like a big cat sensing a kill, he's off, racing past a defender to deliver a perfectly weighted, chipped cross to the head of Ronaldo and the match is all square. Almost imperceptibly, the tempo of the game increases and Zidane gets more involved. Real go into the lead and the tension seems to drop. Roberto Carlos makes a quip and Zidane's impassive features break into a beaming smile, but it's as if the cap he's been keeping on his emotions is released and, when a fellow player is fouled he steams in - suddenly displaying the burst of rage that exploded in the World Cup final - and his game is over.

Like he says, it would have been good to have given a stellar performance, but as an intimate record of what it's like to play in the cauldron of the Bernabeu, it's worth watching.

If you appreciate a well made production, then you will appreciate Zidane. This film follows Zidane around the pitch with the soundtrack of Mogwai. This film uses excellent cinematography and is a fascination and unique insight into how Zidane plays on the pitch. A must for all Zidane fans and a must for all fans of great cinematography.