The Damned United

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the novel on which this film is based, see The Damned Utd.

The Damned United
Theatrical release poster
UK theatrical release poster
Directed byTom Hooper
Written byPeter Morgan
Based onThe Damned Utd
by David Peace
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBen Smithard
Edited byMelanie Oliver
Music byRob Lane
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 27 March 2009 (2009-03-27) (United Kingdom)
  • 25 September 2009 (2009-09-25) (United States)
Running time
97 minutes[2]
CountriesUnited Kingdom
United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$6.4 million[3]
Box office$4.1 million[1]

The Damned United is a 2009

Leeds United
in 1974.

Originally proposed by Stephen Frears, he pulled out of the project in November 2007, and Hooper took over. Filming took place from May to July 2008. Marking the fifth collaboration between screenwriter Peter Morgan and actor Michael Sheen, who plays Clough, the film was released in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2009 and in North America on 25 September.

Despite controversy due to the film's numerous historical inaccuracies and its poor performance at the box office, The Damned United received critical acclaim upon release, with particular praise given for Sheen's performance. It received numerous award nominations including the

Satellite Award
for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama and Best Actor in a Supporting Role and the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for Best Feature Film Screenplay.

Plot

After failing to qualify for the

Peter Taylor (Timothy Spall
), has not joined him.

The roots of Clough's conflict with Leeds are depicted as happening in a 1968 FA Cup match between Leeds, the leaders of the First Division[4] and Derby, who were struggling near the bottom of the Second Division. Clough assumed Revie to be a similar man to himself, as they grew up in the same part of Middlesbrough and both played for Sunderland, and made many preparations for the match. However, on the day of the match, Revie failed to even acknowledge Clough upon entering the Baseball Ground. Derby lost 2–0.[5]

Although Clough initially blames the brutality of the Leeds players, he and Taylor recognise that their side are not good on a technical level. They sign veteran

Juventus. Unfortunately, against Longson's advice, Clough uses his best squad in the last match before the semi-final against Leeds, purely out of pride and determination to beat Revie. They suffer injuries and Billy Bremner (Stephen Graham) sarcastically wishes Clough well for the semi-final. Juventus defeat them 3-1, and Clough publicly lambasts Longson.[6]

Taylor suffers a heart attack, and Clough tries to secure his position by offering his and Taylor's resignations in a protest against Longson's unwillingness to fund further signings. He is outraged when the directors accept their resignations and ban them from entering the Baseball Ground again (although Clough later sneaks in as a supporter). Derby fans' protests raise Clough's hopes of being reinstated, and he is backed by the majority of his players as well, but Mackay is appointed manager instead. Derby fans quickly lose interest and Clough loses all hope of getting his job back. He and Taylor are then offered jobs at

Majorca. There, Clough agrees to take control of Leeds after being approached by their representative.[7]
Taylor, however, argues the case for staying at Brighton, and after a bitter quarrel, the two go their separate ways.

Back in the storyline's "present”: Clough alienates his players in their first training session, first by accusing them of winning all of their awards by cheating, and then making them start with a 7-a-side game as if they were schoolchildren. When team captain Billy Bremner protests that Revie never made them do this, Clough reminds them that he is not Revie and threatens a severe punishment for any player who mentions the former manager's name or methods again.

The season starts with a Charity Shield match against FA Cup winners Liverpool at Wembley, which is widely anticipated as both the final match of Liverpool manager Bill Shankly and Clough's debut as Leeds manager. Unfortunately, the event is marred when Bremner gets into a fight with Kevin Keegan. Both are sent off, and in turn throw their shirts off and walk off the pitch bare-chested in defiance. Leeds lose the match and Bremner is given a two-month suspension from football, forcing Leeds to start the season without their influential captain. As a result, Leeds suffer a horrendous start to the season and are in danger of relegation only one season after winning the title.

After Bremner and the players air their grievances to the board, the club terminates Clough's contract after just 44 days - though he forces them to pay an enormous severance package. Afterwards, Clough agrees to do a final interview with

Yorkshire Television, but finds Revie there to confront him, bringing the two face-to-face at last. Clough accuses Revie of being 'cold-hearted' and 'fundamentally dishonest', both as a person and a football manager, and Revie in turn brands Clough as 'inflexible and egocentric'. Clough brings up the incident at the 1968 FA Cup, and Revie claims to have not known who the rookie manager was at the time. After the interview, Clough drives down to Brighton
and reconciles with Taylor.

In the film's epilogue, the audience is told that Revie "failed as England manager" and afterwards never worked in football in his home country again, spending the rest of his career working in the Middle East, where he was accused of financial mismanagement. Clough and Taylor, meanwhile, reunited at the "small, provincial club" Nottingham Forest, where they repeated their prior achievements with Derby by helping them win promotion to the First Division and then winning the title. They went on to better both Revie and their own spell at Derby by winning two European Cups in succession, in 1979 and 1980. The film ends with the caption: "Brian Clough remains the greatest manager the England team never had."

Cast

Production

Development

In 2006,

BBC Films executive producer Christine Langan, another producer of The Queen, became involved.[11] Frears had Michael Sheen in mind for Clough right from the start. Sheen had appeared in three other Frears projects: Mary Reilly, The Deal and The Queen. He was chosen because of his physical resemblance to Clough.[12] When Frears suggested to Sheen that he play the part, Sheen "rolled his eyes and burst into a wonderful impersonation" of Clough.[13] Sheen said Clough was "one of those people who's decided he's going to shape the rest of the world in his image. Inevitably there's something in us that recognises that that's playing with fire and the gods will have to strike you down."[9]

With Frears as director, principal photography was scheduled for the end of 2007. He pulled out of the film in November, stating that he could not work out the logistics of the film and that he had "set out in pursuit of something that was leading him down a blind alley". Tom Hooper, who directed Morgan's Longford, replaced him.[13] Hooper researched Clough by reading Duncan Hamilton's Provided You Don't Kiss Me, an award-winning biography of Clough. He also planned to meet Clough's family and some of the Leeds players during Clough's tenure. Casting continued through to May 2008. In April, Colm Meaney, Timothy Spall and Jim Broadbent were announced as Don Revie, Peter Taylor and Sam Longson respectively.[14] During pre-production, Langan had viewed archive footage of Clough and Revie and considered whether Revie should be played by an actor much older than Sheen; despite being 47 in the footage, Revie "could pass for 60".[11] Before Meaney was cast, the younger Kenneth Branagh had been considered.[15] Non-league Garforth Town A.F.C. held auditions for non-speaking football players on 14 May.[16] Auditionees were expected to have played in the Northern Counties East League, Northern Premier League, or higher. Casting for extras took place on 20 and 21 May.[17]

Filming

Alterations to Elland Road for filming.

Principal photography ran from 25 May to 2 July at locations in Yorkshire, Derbyshire and

Yorkshire Television Studios in Kirkstall Road, Leeds.[22] Further exteriors scenes were shot in Armley, Beeston and Adel.[21]
The training ground used by Derby County was the quarry football pitch which is nearby to the Elland Road Stadium.

The former Bradford Central Police Station on The Tyrls in Bradford city centre, was used for the interiors of the Elland Road board room, players' lounge and manager's office.[23][24][25][26] The building was demolished in 2015.[27]

During the week of 23 June, filming took place in Scarborough, in place of Brighton.[28] Interior scenes were filmed in the Victoria Sea View Hotel and the Esplanade Hotel.[21][28] Exteriors were filmed on the Queens Parade and at nearby Scalby Mills. Computer-generated imagery was added in post-production to make Scarborough look like Brighton. The Royal Hotel in Scarborough was also used.[24][29][30] Filming then moved on to Saddleworth before concluding in Majorca.[28]

Release

The first television trailer premiered on

Sony Pictures Entertainment made a higher offer to the production companies and would distribute the film worldwide.[14] It was released in the UK on 27 March 2009.[32] A gala screening of the film was held at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival in September 2009, the film went on a limited release in the United States on 9 October that year.[33]

Box office

The film earned a total of US$3,604,339 in the UK and Republic of Ireland, and in Canada and the US, it earned US$441,264; the worldwide box office take was US$4,045,603.[1]

Reception

Critical response

The Damned United was acclaimed by film critics. On the

weighted average score of 81 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[35]

Empire's reviewer William Thomas awarded The Damned United three stars out of five. He praised the film for "capturing the emotional toil of football", although added that it "struggles to find its stride".[38]

Prior to its release, Clough's widow Barbara, already a critic of Peace's book, expressed disappointment that the film was being made at all.[39] The Clough family declined an invitation to a preview of the film, affirming their opposition to the entire project.[40] Clough's son Nigel said he did not intend to watch the film and that those in football who had seen it had told him it bore "no resemblance" to what actually happened.[41] Sony's decision to release the film six days after what would have been Clough's 74th birthday was also criticised.[42]

Producer Andy Harries responded to the Clough family's criticisms by stating that "The filmmakers' goal is to tell a wonderful and extraordinary story with universal themes of success, jealousy and betrayal". Harries added that without adding fictional elements the film would not have been as exciting to watch.[43] He also reassured Clough's family that the film would be a more sympathetic portrayal of Clough than in the book. Writer Peter Morgan claimed that he did not feel the film's accuracy was of major importance.[43]

Historical accuracy

Dave Mackay sued Left Bank Pictures over his portrayal in the film, angered at the implication that he had betrayed Clough in taking the Derby manager's job. Martin O'Neill, who played for Mackay at Nottingham Forest before his departure to manage Derby, suggested that the film falsely implied Dave Mackay was still a player at Derby County when becoming manager of the club, whilst also questioning the portrayal of the relationship between Clough and Peter Taylor, though he praised the performance of the actors, particularly that of Sheen.[44] In March 2010, Mackay won an apology and undisclosed damages from Left Bank Pictures.[45] Roy McFarland agreed with Mackay's decision to take legal action and said that he enjoyed Sheen's performance, but otherwise "did not particularly like the film".[46]

The publishers of the novel had already been successfully sued by Irish midfielder and former Leeds player Johnny Giles. He wrote: "Many of the things Peace talks about in the book never happened and, for that reason, I felt it necessary to go to the courts to establish that this was fiction based on fact and nothing more."[47][48]

BBC Sport journalist Pat Murphy, a personal friend of Clough, noted 17 factual inaccuracies in the film, including various errors regarding the timing of events. He particularly dismissed as "absolute nonsense" a scene where Clough stays in the Derby dressing room during a match against Leeds, too nervous to watch.[43][49][50]

In the film it is shown that three signings are made by Clough at once, those of Dave Mackay, John McGovern and John O’Hare. However, O'Hare was signed almost a year before Mackay, and McGovern and Mackay were signed on different days. Murphy also declared that the insinuation of Clough not wanting to debate with Revie about his tenure at Leeds United is completely inaccurate.[43]

Murphy was also angered by the portrayal of Clough's drinking and smoking. He insisted that throughout the 1970s Clough was a perfectly fit manager who often actively trained with players at training ground matches, and that the portrayal of him drinking and smoking heavily was a battle he faced approximately 10–20 years after he became manager of Nottingham Forest in 1975.[43]

In the film, Clough is seen preparing Derby's

Leeds United and Revie blanking him on the way into the ground. In fact, the tie was played at Elland Road, Leeds' home ground.[51]
Brian Clough managed
Majorca
in 1974, having previously accepted the Brighton job on a handshake and taking the holiday, paid for by the club, before starting work, implying he never actually managed the team. Taylor and Clough are also seen to argue fiercely in Majorca over the Leeds' manager's job offer. There is no record of Clough arguing with Taylor over joining him at Leeds nor a lack of interest in Brighton.

The film says that Leeds lost 1–0 to Luton Town during Clough's reign; this game, played on 7 September 1974, in fact finished 1–1 with Barry Butlin equalising for Luton after Leeds took the lead through Allan Clarke.[53]

The film shows Clough standing outside an entrance to Derby County's Baseball Ground featuring the stylised ram emblem, in 1968; in reality, the latter was not designed until 1971.[54]

The film implies that Derby's 5–0 defeat to Leeds occurred in the 1969–70 season, soon after their promotion to the first division, with

Leeds United against in the match. In reality the 5–0 result occurred in October 1972,[55] the season after Derby won the 1972 first division championship and the fourth season since their promotion. It was McQueen's first year as a Leeds player; he had not been at the club in 1969.[56]

The film shows suspended Billy Bremner sitting next to Clough in the dug-out during a game. In reality, players/coaching staff are not allowed in the dug-out while on suspension.[57]

The film implies Clough re-united with Taylor straight after leaving Elland Road in Sep 1974. However, Taylor managed Brighton & Hove Albion by himself for the 1974/75 and 1975/76 seasons, with Clough joining Nottingham Forest in Jan 1975 where he managed by himself up to the end of 1975/76. Taylor then re-united with Clough professionally in July 1976 at Forest, with the pair winning promotion in 1976/77.

Awards and nominations

Award Category Nominee Result
British Independent Film Award
 Best Supporting Actor Jim Broadbent Nominated
ALFS Award
 British Supporting Actor of the Year Timothy Spall Nominated
Satellite Award
 Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama Michael Sheen Nominated
Satellite Award
 Best Actor in a Supporting Role Timothy Spall Nominated
Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award Best Feature Film Screenplay Peter Morgan Nominated

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "The Damned United (2009)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  2. ^ "The Damned United (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 9 March 2009. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  3. ^ "The Damned United (2009) – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  4. ^ Though Leeds were leading the table, they did not win the league that season, eventually finishing fourth. The eventual winners were Manchester City
  5. Football League Cup
    semi-final.
  6. ^ In fact, the match between Derby and Leeds took place before Derby's quarter-final match, which they won despite their injury list. Their eventual defeat by Juventus was with a nearly full-strength squad, and Clough blamed Juventus's gamesmanship, rather than Sam Longson, for Derby's exit.
  7. ^ The film shows him effectively reneging on his deal to take over at Brighton, although in reality he had nine relatively unsuccessful months as manager there.
  8. ^ Kennedy, Maev (18 May 2007), "The Guardian profile: Stephen Frears", The Guardian, Guardian News and Media. Retrieved on 2 September 2008.
  9. ^ a b Dawson, Jeff (April 2009). "Strife of Brian". Empire. pp. 116–120.
  10. ^ Charity, Tom (2 May 2007). "Peter Morgan Interview". LOVEFiLM. Retrieved on 24 April 2008.
  11. ^ a b Langan, Christine (25 February 2007), "My week: Christine Langan", The Observer, Guardian News and Media. Retrieved on 2 September 2008.
  12. ^ Staff (16 February 2007). "Queen director Clough film hopes", BBC News website (BBC News). Retrieved on 24 April 2008.
  13. ^ a b Solomons, Jason (11 November 2007). "Trailer Trash: Not Match of the Day", The Observer, Guardian News and Media. Retrieved on 24 April 2008.
  14. ^ a b Dawtrey, Adam (24 April 2008). "Sony scores 'Damned United'", Variety, Reed Business Information. Retrieved on 24 April 2008.
  15. ^ Solomons, Jason (27 May 2007). "Trash Cannes: Ken revs up for Don", The Observer, Guardian News and Media. Retrieved on 29 April 2008.
  16. ^ Robinson, Paul (8 May 2008). "Garforth Town to host player auditions for Leeds United film", Garforth Today, Johnston Press. Retrieved on 10 May 2008.
  17. ^ a b "Chance to Take Part in a New Film". Chesterfield F.C. website (16 May 2008). Retrieved on 17 May 2008.
  18. ^ a b Whiteley, Pete (5 June 2008), "There's No Business Like.........", Chesterfield F.C. website. Retrieved on 2 September 2008.
  19. ^ Ward, Nick (31 May 2008), "Saltergate..or the Baseball Ground?", Sheffield Star, Johnston Press. Retrieved on 2 September 2008.
  20. ^ Calhoun, Dave (10 June 2008), "Set visit: 'The Damned United'", Time Out, Time Out Group. Retrieved on 2 September 2008.
  21. ^ a b c Robinson, Paul (30 December 2008). "Damned United: Release date set for Leeds United film", Yorkshire Evening Post, Johnston Press. Retrieved on 8 January 2009.
  22. ^ Taken from the DVD commentary of the film, The Damned United, Sony Pictures, 2009
  23. ^ "Making of the Damned United. Fascinating behind the scenes looks at the film creation of David Peace's novel on Brian Clough's tenure as Leeds manager". On: Yorkshire Magazine. 14 December 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  24. ^ a b "The Damned United". Screen Yorkshire. 23 June 2013. Archived from the original on 23 June 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  25. ^ "The Damned United". Bradford Film Heritage. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  26. ^ Willis, Peter (27 January 2009). "First look at THE DAMNED UNITED - Plus the day in the life of a virginale extra!". WhatCulture.com. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  27. ^ "Work starts to demolish remainder of Bradford Central Police Station on The Tyrls, in Bradford city centre". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 13 May 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  28. ^ a b c Beever, Kirsty (26 June 2008), "It's Spall over 'old big ed' – it is now", Scarborough Evening News, Johnston Press. Retrieved on 2 September 2008.
  29. ^ "Putting Yorkshire on the nation's screens". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  30. ^ "Why filmmakers do like to be beside the seaside". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  31. ^ Sutcliffe, Rich (23 January 2009). "The Damned United promo to launch on Setanta tonight", mediaweek.co.uk, Haymarket Media. Retrieved on 23 January 2009.
  32. ^ "UK Film release schedule (March 2009)", Film Distributors' Association. Retrieved on 15 January 2009.
  33. ^ "The Damned United (2009): Release Info". IMDb.com. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  34. ^ "The Damned United on Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
  35. ^ "The Damned United". Metacritic. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  36. ^ Ebert, Roger (14 October 2009). "Tony Blair, David Frost and now a fallen English sports legend". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  37. ^ "The Damned United". The Guardian. 7 March 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  38. ^ "The Damned United". Empire Magazin. 21 August 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  39. ^ Alberge, Dalya (19 November 2007). "Film is offside, says Brian Clough's widow". The Times. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  40. ^ Gibson, Owen (7 March 2009). "Damned: Clough family boycott film of legendary manager's life". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
  41. ^ "Clough will snub 'Damned United'". BBC News. 18 March 2009. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  42. ^ Staff (1 December 2008). "Controversial Brian Clough film to be released during his birthday week", Derby Evening Telegraph, Derby Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved on 5 December 2008.
  43. ^ a b c d e Cox, David (30 March 2009). "The Damned United should never have been made". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  44. ^ "O'Neill reviews new Clough film". BBC Sport. 18 March 2009. Retrieved 20 March 2009.
  45. ^ "Football legend Dave Mackay wins legal action over portrayal in movie The Damned United". This is Derbyshire. 25 January 2010. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  46. ^ "Former Rams star backs Mackay's decision to sue makers of movie". This is Derbyshire. 26 March 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  47. ^ "Publish and be Damned: Giles fights back for Revie and Clough". The Independent. 13 November 2010. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  48. ^ "Exclusive: Clough portrayal helped drive Giles's libel bid". The Yorkshire Post. 12 November 2010. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  49. ^ Russell Fuller (presenter) (18 March 2009). 5 live Sport (Radio broadcast). BBC Radio 5 Live. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
  50. ^ "Is it the real story of Cloughie?". Express & Star. 20 March 2009. Archived from the original on 15 May 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  51. ^ "Leeds United: Season 1967 - 1968: Division One". leeds-fans.org.uk. Retrieved 21 May 2008.
  52. ^ "Why did Brian Clough become the Brighton manager?". 3 November 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  53. ^ "Leeds United 1973-74 - Leeds United Season Stats 1974-75 - Leeds United 1975-76". wafll.com. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  54. ^ "New Rams crest revealed". BBC. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  55. ^ "IF YOU KNOW YOUR HISTORY (1972/73)". thesetpieces.com. 28 January 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  56. ^ "Gordon McQUEEN". sporting-heroes.net. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  57. ^ "LAW 3: THE PLAYERS". thefa. Retrieved 27 January 2020.

External links

Video interviews
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