The boy wonder was destined for greatness since his teenage years, a beacon of hope for his beloved Brazil.
“Pelé was a product of his era. Brazil, instead of being a country of tomorrow, it was a country of today, and Pele was the protagonist” says a Brazilian journalist about his nations favourite son. There are few names in the world that are as recognizable as “Pelé”, the original superstar footballer who broke every record there was: is, and ever has been. From the poverty-stricken streets of Brazil, shining shoes for a dime, to conquering the World Cup at 17, the future was bright for this young man. Pelé shares the story of the great footballer, emotional interviews with the man himself guide the film, along with superbly remastered footage. It is the history of Brazil that takes centre stage in this story though, as the directors show us the country’s dark history of violent dictatorships, and how football became more than a sport for this proud nation.
Directors David Tryhorn and Ben Nicholas’s decision to home in on the tyrannical rule of Brazil during the 1960s is assisted by the experience of producer Kevin Macdonald – known for directing The Last King of Scotland and Marley (to name a few). His input lifted Pelé into being more than a football film, but about the hardships Brazil had to face under the leadership of its far-right politics, under the regime of a strict military power. Pelé highlights how the man himself, and the national team became a beacon of light for these people; the one thing they had left that made them happy, and boy was that team good at football, rightly being considered the greatest footballing nation of all time.
Pelé begins by sharing the man’s earlier life, following in his father’s footsteps as a talented footballer who then finds himself being signed by the great Santos FC as a teenager, leading him onto the path of greatness. Soon after he joins the Brazil national team at 17 and shining as a star by winning the 1958 World Cup (the first of three). There is still some debate about the legitimacy of Pelé’s skills and that period of football in general, but the films archive footage shows how legitimate he was; head and shoulders above anyone and everyone, a player before his time, possessing skills that would find him at home in the current generations game. Pelé put Brazil back on the map, abolishing the “Mongrel Complex” that had stuck with this underachieving nation, changing the meaning completely.
The film changes at the halfway mark, beginning to focus on the military dictatorship that ruled over Brazil during the 1960s and beyond. Pelé loved his fellow Brazilians, but he always wanted to stay impartial when it came to politics, strictly focusing on his football. He shares how he often came under scrutiny for his public meetings with the countries various leaders. Were his football accomplishments enough to cement his fate as a hero in the eyes of his fellow people, or would his personal exploits seal a different fate? With the 1970 World Cup win – involving possibly the greatest team of all time – it symbolized a new chapter in the history of Brazil; the beginning of a new decade, with it, the hope that Brazil could find some peace and freedom for its people – something that did not happen for another 15 years.
If you are expecting a film that revolves solely around football, then you are going to be disappointed. Football is the supporting theme in Pelé, it explores more important matters, which is somewhat refreshing in a documentary like this. It does show Pelé on a humanistic level, how he saw himself as just a man and not a god like many of his peers made him out to be. The now ailing Pelé addresses many personal and public moments he had throughout his life, and the way he speaks and carries himself made me change the opinion I once had of the man. There is one thing that is for certain after watching Pelé, this is the man who truly made “The Beautiful Game” beautiful.
Available to watch on Netflix now.
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