United: A depiction of disaster, passion and brotherhood

A famous personality in the world of football, Bill Shankly, once stated that “Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that”. This single quote is able to capture the emotion of any true football fan. It shows the passion and drive that goes into the sport which crosses any barriers, especially when it comes to a time of disaster that the sport happens to witness. One such huge instance is depicted in the 2011 TV drama film United.

In the late 1950’s, the football club Manchester United was managed by a man named Matt Busby, a revolutionary in the world of football who propagated training youngsters from within the ranks of the club to build a youthful team that was bound together by a love for the club and a sense of comradeship. This led to his team consisting of young adults who were affectionately nicknamed ‘Busby Babes’. Bobby Charlton was a 20 year old footballer who was just breaking into the team. He was coached by Jimmy Murphy who had a special spot of affection for him and supported him as he started making a name for himself. In 1958, the entire team flew to Belgrade, Yugoslavia, for a match, except for Jimmy who was attending to other duties. On the return flight to Manchester, England, the plane stopped off at Munich, West Germany, to refuel. In several attempts to take off amid the torrid weather, the plane had a horrendous crash which led to the deaths of 23 of its 44 passengers, including 7 members of the Manchester United football team. The story is told from the perspective of the surviving Bobby Charlton as he and Jimmy Murphy attempt to reconstruct the football team with support coming from around the world of football and local community.

The story is an emotional perspective for anyone that loves the sport of football and all that it stands for. Even those who have no affiliation to the sport can understand the impact of the disaster on the lives of the players, the families, the community and others. Even actor David Tennant, who plays the role of Jimmy Murphy, claimed to have no particular soft spot towards the sport but was moved by the story and put in a rousing performance in the film. The story showed how the footballing community came together in a time of distress. It is a chronicle of an important event which claimed the lives of a few, wrecked the emotion of the survivors and shook the lives of many.

Whether a supporter of the sport or not, the film is a must watch. It does not particularly depict the sport itself but is more about the occurrences in the lives of the people the sport affects. It is possible for anyone to connect with the story and put themselves in the shoes of the people on screen.