Those Glory Glory Days

I have seen this movie many times and it never fails to impress with its accurate reflection of the times. The actors are all spot-on, especially the younger ones. I was a young girl during this period and can guarantee that this was how it was for us. I watch it these days with a sigh, remembering that in those days, life was so straightforward for us. Danny Blanchflower, Bill Brown, Peter Baker, Ron Henry, Maurice Norman, Dave McKay, Cliff Jones, Bobby Smith, the late John White (tragically struck by lightening whilst playing golf) Terry Dyson and Les Allen - these were legendary names when being a footballer meant a devotion to the sport rather than to one's income. Plus, it's always wonderful to revisit Spurs when they were Giants! (Once a Spur - always a Spur!) This movie for me is a companion piece with Jack Rosenthal's "Ptang Yang Kipperbang" which was also based on young teens of that era. (and was also superb)

This film is in my top 5. I don't understand why it isn't more widely known and appreciated. Zoe Nathenson gives such a nuanced and endearing performance amongst a cast of equally fascinating characters. OK, I admit that I'm a Spurs fan but really the team could be of any geographic location or era. It's the obsessive passion that rules the girl's daily existence that provides the comedy and character interest. The close ups on Zoe's face reveal a wonderfully considered character with darting eyes, a nervous energy ( the gum chewing), a breathless vocal rhythm and inner / outer dialogue. The scene around the piano is absolute genius and makes me laugh on every viewing. The adults in the film appear as other worldly, accurately reflecting how that older generation feel so out of touch with a teenager's reality. The dad that is distracted from his parental responsibilities by a younger colleague. The mum who is distracted by her obsession with the aesthetics and demands of middle class life in the suburbs. I know the script by heart and still have my vhs recorded version of it. Some films are just perfect, and this is one of them...... for me!

What a glaring inaccuracy ianlouisiana! This was written by Julie WELCH, NOT Julie Burchill - completely different person, albeit a journalist. I believe Burchill wrote for the music press originally before going on to work in other fields. Get your facts right!

Also IMHO this is not a patch on P'tang Yang Kipperbang; nowhere near as good in any way, shape or form. Absolutely NOT! In fact it's pretty crap all round with a fifth rate cast. A waste of everyone's time and no I don't support a rival team or have any particularly strong views on football. It's on Film 4 on a Monday afternoon and it's BORING! Furthermore it is inaccurate in saying that Spurs were the first team to win the 'double' as Preston North End had done so in the previous century and another club also had;their name escapes me.

Film 4 made a number of simple but beautifully observed pictures in the years immediately after the launch of the channel, but which no-one makes any more. This is an excellent example, a perfect companion to the more famous P'Tang Yang Kipperbang.

Quite why this is so overlooked is difficult to understand - could it be that (with some bitter irony) a film that has a sub-theme of discrimination against women in football is itself ignored because its a film based around a group of girl football fans?

Or could it be that people are put off because its a "football film", or about one club?

Whatever the reason is, its a shame as this is a little gem. A perfect evocation of what it is to be young, as well as being a sports fan. Iit captures the feel of early 60s perfectly, before the decade began to swing. But above all its about friendship. What it isn't about is football (or even, come to that, girls) - that is almost incidental, a core to build the story around.

Above all this is a warm, happy, gentle, perfectly paced film that would appeal to just about anyone of any age. Even Arsenal fans!

Poor old 'Zorplo' simply doesn't get it. This is a genuinely entertaining film, brilliantly scripted, staged and acted, and it captures perfectly not just the mood of the times but also the madness of teenage obsession. As a 60-something male and admitted Spurs supporter, I loved the film the first time I saw it many years ago and I've seen it several times since, never enjoying it any less. It's a wonderful example of British film making at its best, so much better than the modern crash-bang-wallop offerings which seem to believe that loads of nudity and foul language make up for an absence of any real story, acting, humour or irony. Anyone with a Bruce Willis fixation probably won't like it; anyone who likes genuinely good films certainly will.