Newly uncovered courtside footage of the tennis star’s 1984 French Open final defeat has been turned into a documentary about sport, film and the nature of genius
John Patrick McEnroe was the wayward artist of men’s tennis, a spoilt-brat genius who used his racket as a wand. Throughout his peak year of 1984 he conjured magical winners from impossible angles and whipped furious storms from the calmest of waters. His matches became a box office draw – high-octane drama beamed live to the masses.
I first fell for tennis during McEnroe’s mid-80s heyday, at about the same time I fell in love with cinema. So I am indebted to the director Julien Faraut for reconciling my twin passions. Tennis, he insists, is the most cinematic of sports. Its top-flight athletes are the equivalent of movie auteurs. These players are distinctive, inimitable and in perfect command of their material. That is,...
John Patrick McEnroe was the wayward artist of men’s tennis, a spoilt-brat genius who used his racket as a wand. Throughout his peak year of 1984 he conjured magical winners from impossible angles and whipped furious storms from the calmest of waters. His matches became a box office draw – high-octane drama beamed live to the masses.
I first fell for tennis during McEnroe’s mid-80s heyday, at about the same time I fell in love with cinema. So I am indebted to the director Julien Faraut for reconciling my twin passions. Tennis, he insists, is the most cinematic of sports. Its top-flight athletes are the equivalent of movie auteurs. These players are distinctive, inimitable and in perfect command of their material. That is,...
- 5/16/2019
- by Xan Brooks
- The Guardian - Film News
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