Look at Britain - The Saturday Men

26 min programme

The Saturday Men is a unique opportunity to go behind the scenes of one of Englands oldest football clubs, West Bromwich Albion, and join the Baggies on and off the pitch.

This absorbing documentary is a celebration of the beautiful game, but it is also an important milestone in film-making, forming part of the ground-breaking Free Cinema movement.

Made for the Ford Motor Companys Look at Britain series in 1962, The Saturday Men was directed by John Fletcher, one of the leading lights of the Free Cinema movement. This is one of the earliest examples of the fly-on-the-wall documentary style which is such a firm favourite of filmmakers today, the non-intrusive observational method allowing unrivalled access to the real lives of the subjects.

This innovative style lets you see West Bromwichs First Division squad in training, chatting casually, playing golf, at home with family and turning out at The Hawthorns for a Saturday showdown. There's the tension of the match build-up, the passion of the fans, unique access to the boardroom and a chance to hear manager Archie Macaulay deliver his team talk. The Saturday Men features big names including Bobby Robson, Don Howe, David Burnside and Alec Jackson, but reflects how distant the lives of football stars of the 1960s are removed from todays privileged players including Welsh International Stuart Williams preparing for a new career in sales.

The music from James Harpham perhaps best known for composing the music from iconic BBC TV series Tenko enhances this atmospheric documentary, but the roar of the crowd as The Saturday Men take to the park is the ideal soundtrack to this film.

The Saturday Men was rightly praised in its own day, and now is not only an important piece of social history, but also a significant milestone in the development of documentary making. It is also a very special record of classic era for all football fans.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• duke media group
• look at britain
• the saturday men
• west bromich albion
• sir bobby robson

[HowlingJoe]

You knew you'd made it in those days when you could afford a whippet to walk on the tocky bonks and when you had your own glass to put your false teeth in when you went onto the pitch. You were doing really well if they were still there when you came back.

[besserman1]

David Burnside.Great ball juggler

[WalletandGrimace]

I saw this when I was kid - never forgot it.

A real reminder of what football was all about.

Thanks for posting.

[kefizz]

Rest In Peace Bobby .From an Albion Fan.

[slasheh]

harder chip! harder!