Directed by:
Mary McGuckianCinematography:
Witold StokCast:
John Lynch, Ian Bannen, Jerome Flynn, Ian Hart, Patsy Kensit, Cal MacAninch, Linus Roache, Adrian Lester, David Hayman, Roger Daltrey, Stephen Fry, Dave Duffy (more)Plots(1)
He was football’s first rock and roll star – a handsome, charismatic Belfast boy who could thrill and excite the crowds with every turn of the ball. But George Best was also the lead in his own Shakespearean tragedy, a flawed genius, brought down by drink, temptation and depression. In this 30 for 30 documentary jointly presented by ESPN Films, the BBC and Northern Ireland Screen, director Daniel Gordon (Hillsborough) recounts the tale of this beloved but be-devilled superstar with riveting, evocative footage and testimony by those who knew him at his best—and worst. There’s a lot of ground to cover in Best’s short life—from his electrifying debut with Manchester United at the tender age of 17, through the glory years that United won the 1968 European Cup, his adventures in the North American Soccer League, not to mention his time spent romancing the world's most beautiful, intoxicating women. But Gordon tells Best’s story with a skill worthy of the man himself. The film draws you into the drama that surrounded Best and makes you understand just why an estimated quarter of a million people lined the route of his funeral cortege to mourn his tragic passing. (Dogwoof Pictures)
(more)Cast
John Lynch
UK
Best movies:
In the Name of the Father (1993)
The Fall (2013) (series)
The Secret Garden (1993)
Ian Bannen
UK
Best movies:
Braveheart (1995)
The Hill (1965)
Gandhi (1982)
Jerome Flynn
UK
Best movies:
Loving Vincent (2017)
Ripper Street (2012) (series)
A Mind to Murder (1995) (TV movie)
Ian Hart
UK
Best movies:
Enemy of the State (1998)
Finding Neverland (2004)
Vinyl (2016) (series)
Patsy Kensit
UK
Best movies:
Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)
Bowie: The Video Collection (1993) (video compilation) - a.f.
The Corsican Brothers (1985) (TV movie)
Cal MacAninch
UK
Best movies:
Warriors (1999) (TV movie)
Dear Frankie (2004)
A Mind to Murder (1995) (TV movie)
Linus Roache
UK
Best movies:
Batman Begins (2005)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012) - a.f.
Priest (1994)
Adrian Lester
UK
Best movies:
Born Romantic (2000)
Dust (2001)
As You Like It (2006)
David Hayman
UK
Best movies:
The Hollow Crown (2012) (series)
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)
Murder Rooms: The Photographer's Chair (2001) (TV movie)
Roger Daltrey
UK
Best movies:
The Who: At Kilburn 1977 (1977) (concert)
The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert (1992) (concert)
The Who: Tommy - Live at the Royal Albert Hall (2017) (concert)
Stephen Fry
UK
Best movies:
Gormenghast (2000) (series)
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
V for Vendetta (2005)
Dave Duffy
Best movies:
House of America (1997)
In the Name of the Father (1993)
Into the West (1992)
Ian Fitzgibbon
Ireland
Best movies:
Prime Suspect (1991) (TV movie)
Prime Suspect 2 (1992) (TV movie)
Dalziel and Pascoe (1996) (series)
Amanda Ryan
UK
Best movies:
Elizabeth: The Virgin Queen (1998)
Dalziel and Pascoe (1996) (series)
Jude (1996)
Mary McGuckian
Ireland
Best movies:
This Is the Sea (1997)
Best (2000)
Lalor Roddy
UK
Best movies:
Kneecap (2024)
Ripper Street (2012) (series)
Hunger (2008)
David Reid
Best movies:
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
The Search for John Gissing (2001)
Mean Machine (2001)
Nora Connolly
Best movies:
Incognito (1997)
Scarlett (1994) (series)
The Witches (1990)
James Ellis
UK
Best movies:
Priest (1994)
Best (2000)
Resurrection Man (1998)
Richard Leaf
Best movies:
Braveheart (1995)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Penelope (2006)