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Documentary using archival footage turns the athleticism of John McEnroe into meditative choreography, shot while competing in the 1984 French...
Documentary using archival footage turns the athleticism of John McEnroe into meditative choreography, shot while competing in the 1984 French Open.
"France’s national sports archive holds a wealth of 16mm footage of John McEnroe’s virtuosic Paris matches. The vintage instructional films were shot to provide coaches and players with insight into his technique. While it’s true that McEnroe’s skills and agility are on display, the films also reveal much about his temperament, including his infamous temper tantrums. Director Julien Faraut hasn’t made a straightforward sports documentary though; for instance, we rarely see the player at the other end of the court. Rather, Faraut’s film riffs on French film theory and includes animation, movie clips, slow-motion sequences, and a delightfully amusing narration by Mathieu Amalric (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)." (Sydney Film Festival)
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Where to watch John McEnroe: In the Realm Of Perfection
Provocative
This film's got all the soaring athletic highs and devastating lows of any good sport movie, plus clever film school flourishes. What emerges is a provocative synthesis of the formal boundaries of athletic and cinematic art. The big personality at the doco’s centre doesn’t hurt its sense of drama, neither. Read full article
"A lovely meditation on time and movement, dedication and obsession, image and perception."
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Variety
Variety"Regardless of his enemy, the main event was McEnroe vs. McEnroe, in an unresolvable tiebreak of body and soul. There had been nothing like it, on public view, since the heyday of James Dean."
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The New Yorker
The New Yorker"The guy's wildly temperamental tennis would never be my first choice for such an acutely cinematic undertaking. But Mr. Faraut knows what he's doing."
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The New York Times
The New York Times""Perfection" at times risks being too pleased with itself for its own good, but its one-of-a-kind credentials are never in doubt."
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Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times"Game, set, match, even if the win's a tad exhausting."
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Hollywood Reporter
Hollywood Reporter"...at times the film feels like every character in a Wes Anderson movie got up and made a documentary on tennis."
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FilmInk
FilmInkJohn McEnroe: In the Realm Of Perfection | Details
- Rating
- 12, infrequent strong language, moderate sex references
- Runtime
- 95
- Genre
- Documentary, Sport
- Country of origin
- France
