Talk about terrible timing! The arrival of filmmaker Frédéric Auburtin's deplorable drama chronicling the evolution of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) from its beginnings in the early 20th century up to the present coincided with the arrest of 14 of the organization's top executives on charges of bribery, fraud, money laundering, and racketeering. Utilizing title cards, the film charts the rise of the World Cup competition through the tenure of three FIFA presidents. Involved in the founding of FIFA in 1904, “visionary” Frenchman Jules Rimet (Gérard Depardieu) presided over the first FIFA World Cup in Uruguay in 1930 (the next World Cup was held in Italy under the Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini). Brazilian-Portuguese João Havelange (Sam Neill) led the organization from 1974 to 1998, a time when the sale of TV rights hugely increased—along with marketing agreements with Coca-Cola and Adidas. But Havelange was plagued with accusations of having accepted monetary bribes, as well as gifts of diamonds, paintings, art books, bicycles, and other sports equipment. Zurich-based businessman Sepp Blatter (Tim Roth) succeeded Havelange, working to increase the inclusion of African and Asian athletes. Although it's obviously unintentional, United Passions features a particularly ludicrous moment in which self-righteous Blatter warns against lucrative deals, noting that “the slightest breach of ethics will be severely punished.” A work of pure propaganda, this is not recommended. (S. Granger)
United Passions
Screen Media, 76 min., not rated, DVD: $24.95, Sept. 8 Volume 30, Issue 5
United Passions
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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