- Pele’s eventful life can now be seen in a Netflix documentary. (Attribution Netflix)
Pele was a poor kid, a millionaire and a superstar as a football player. But Brazil’s football god has become an instrument of military dictatorship. In a new documentary, former allies accuse him.
What is it about?
He walks into a large empty room. His beauty is upright; He sits in a chair and looks back at life: Pele, the Brazilian national captain, the king of the pitch, the first football billionaire. Team members, coaches, journalists and sisters have their say.
Your memoir contains archive material and football scenes. More than one football legend is celebrated here. It’s also about Pele as a puppet of politics.
What is so special?
First, it tells the story of a poor boy whose shoes shine on the street after his father loses his job. It is about a 17-year-old football genius who shot Brazil for the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. With this victory, national confidence in the country also increased. Pele’s rise was accompanied by economic growth in his homeland.
A military coup took place in the mid-1960s, and the new rulers wanted to gain a foothold in the glamor of the famous soccer star. Emilio Garastasu, president and leader of the military dictatorship, met Medici in 1969 for a photo opportunity. He greets his opponent with a wide smile. “He was never interested in politics,” Pele said.
His former teammate Paulo Caesar Lima says: “Pele’s statement against dictatorship alone would have brought a lot of benefits.” The documentary raises the question of the relationship between politics and football and Pele’s followers.
Rating
The 1970 World Cup was the grand finale and documentary showdown. Military dictatorship interferes with team formation. This should be Pele’s last World Cup. Traveling by a Brazilian journalist, he is a leftist who secretly supports opposing teams: “I couldn’t help but rejoice as soon as Pele got the ball.”
In fact, only the player counts on the pitch. Even if you know the outcome of the game against Italy, the editing seems to be live.
“Skin”
Authentication. USA 2021
Directed by David Trihon and Ben Nicholas
Length: 108 minutes
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