Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 26, 2010

Screened at the Cannes Film Festival, Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno’s "Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait" (2006) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye. The supplemental features on the disc include an interview with Zizou, a second interview with Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno, a making of, trailers, biographies and more. With optional English subtitles. Region-Free.

Zizou

Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno's Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait is not a typical documentary film. In it, you won't see footage from the French footballer’s greatest games. You won’t hear other footballers talking about his legacy either. You also won't see Zidane's fans worshiping their idol. Instead, you would see ninety minutes of pure magic.

The entire film is actually a single game of football - Real Madrid vs. Villareal, played in front of 80,000 fans at the legendary Santiago Bernabeu stadium on April 23, 2005. During the game, 17 strategically positioned movie cameras, under the supervision of cinematographer Darius Khnodji (Delicatessen; Seven; My Blueberry Nights), followed the French superstar. That is it.

Now, hold on. Don't disregard Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait yet. I know that you are not impressed with my short description of it. A few years ago, before the film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, I stumbled upon a similar description of it in a French online magazine that did not exactly pique my curiosity either. I mean, what could be so exciting about spending 90 minutes watching one man - and hardly any of his teammates - playing football?

If you assume that the creators of the film simply focused on Zidane's supreme technical skills and perhaps his celebrity status - after all, together with Ronaldo, Luís Figo, Roberto Carlos and David Beckham, he was one of the notorious Galácticos - to put together a flashy documentary, then the answer would be "nothing." But you would be wrong.

If you give Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait a chance, you would be welcomed into the intimate world of a true magician who saw and played the game of football according to a unique set of rules. You would also see how he anticipated and reacted to everything that typically occurs during a highly competitive match, how he communicated with his teammates without uttering a single word.

Of course, to truly appreciate Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait, you must be a football fan. Not necessarily a fan of the French footballer, but definitely a person who is as passionate about the game as he was in order to understand what made him unique.

In addition to mesmerizing visuals, Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait also boasts an intoxicatingly beautiful soundtrack courtesy of Scottish ambient rockers Mogwai. At times matching Zidane's rhythm, the music transforms the film into a near meditative experience, one that is only occasionally disrupted by the crowd's yelling and screaming. Mogwai's "I Do Have Weapons", "Terrific Speech" and especially "Black Spider" are particularly effective.

Note: Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno's Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait is not the first experimental documentary feature about a famous footballer. In 1971, German director Hellmuth Costard shot Fußball wie noch nie a.k.a Football As Never Before, which follows legendary striker George Best during the course of a single game - Manchester United vs. Coventry City.

Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno's Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye.

This is a very strong high-definition transfer that I think a lot of people would be impressed with. Many of the panoramic shots from Santiago Bernabeu stadium, for example, look absolutely stunning. Of course, there is footage in the film that retains all the jitters and macroblocking from the original TV broadcast of the match between Real Madrid and Villareal. Generally speaking, fine object detail, contrast, and clarity are very good. The color-scheme also does not disappoint - greens, yellows, whites and blacks look rich and sharp. Furthermore, I did not detect any serious stability issues to report in this review. I also did not see any signs of harsh noise filtering. Finally, I did not spot any annoying flecks, cuts, marks, or stains. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0. For the record, Artificial Eye have provided optional English subtitles for the main, but I don't think that they are actually needed.

While abroad, I saw Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno's Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait theatrically and thought that its soundtrack, courtesy of Scottish ambient rockers Mogwai, was as impressive as the actual film. Having just watched the film again, I must say that the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track does it justice 100%. Obviously, this is not a film that would test the muscles of your audio equipment, but I guarantee that you would be very pleased with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and its terrific range of dynamics.The LPCM 2.0 track is by no means disappointing, but during "Black Spider" and especially "I Do Have Weapons" it is very easy to hear that it lacks the fluidity of the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.

Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: All of the supplemental features on this disc are in PAL. Therefore, if you reside in North America, or another region where PAL is not supported, you must have a Region-Free player capable of converting PAL to NTSC, or a TV set capable of receiving native PAL data, in order to view them.

Interview - in this rather short interview, Zizou talks about the film, why he agreed to do it, what it means to him, his love for the beautiful game, etc. In French, with optional English subtitles. (9 min).

Interview - in this interview directors Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno talk about their decision to make a film about Zizou, their admiration for everything he has achieved in his career, the unusual structure of the film, the wonderful score, etc. In English, not subtitled. (32 min).

The Making of Documentary - a very good featurette with plenty of raw footage from the production process and interesting comments by the directors and Zizou. In French and English, with English subtitles. (42 min).

Cannes introduction - a short message from Zizou for the Cannes premiere of the film. In French, with optional English subtitles. (1 min).

Trailer - the original theatrical trailer for the film. (2 min).

Stills Gallery -

Philippe Parreno Biography-

Douglas Gordon Biography-

Trailers - trailers for other Artificial Eye Blu-ray releases.

Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno's Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait is mesmerizingly beautiful, breathtakingly sensual film with a soundtrack to die for. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye, looks and sounds great. It is also Region-Free. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.