Jack Charlton was a man of, ahem, complexities. On the one hand, he was a jovial, deadpan national Grandda, an English football hero who came to Ireland and became our hero too. On the other, he was a profoundly difficult and uncompromising man who managed to fall out with his mother and brother and who led his teams as a (self-admitted) benevolent dictator. Capturing all sides of the man in a film seems like an unfathomable task, but if the first trailer is anything to go by, it seems like the brains behind Finding Jack Charlton might have cracked it.
Released today for the first time, the film seeks to cover Jack's astonishing feats as a player - winning the World Cup, for one - and as a manager, taking Ireland to never-before-reached heights while also casting a light on the man himself, warts and all. On top of that, it goes deep into the little-known struggles of the later period of his life, when the great man battled dementia away from the public eye.
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The trailer, soundtracked by everyone's favourite Dublin trad act Lankum's haunting version of Wild Rover, features interviews from everyone: his brother, Manchester United legend Bobby, plus his wife Pat and son Jack junior, as well as Ireland superstars Paul McGrath and Andy Townsend and even members of U2. The central theme is his fight against dementia and the legions of hand-written notes that he left behind to give a record of his extraordinary career as a manager.
There's behind the scenes archive film from those great days with the Ireland team, but also footage from his last days at his home. For every triumphant moment from those 88, 90 and 94 tournaments, there's also heartbreak as the once great Charlton struggles with dementia and at times struggles to walk and remember crucial moments from his life and career. It's a level of honest treatment that the man himself would have appreciated.
The film is being made by Gabriel Clarke, the former ITV touchline reporter turned documentary filmmaker, whose previous credits include Bobby Robson: More Than A Manager, and Pete Thomas, who made Adam Hills: Take His Legs, which deep dives the Aussie comedian's life in disability rugby league. The production company behind it, Noah, also has serious chops in sports documentaries, having recently made The Edge, a film so compelling that it made cricket interesting.
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Finding Jack Charlton is set for simultaneous release in cinemas, on DVD, Blu-ray and digital next month and will also be shown on BBC Two in 2021.
Featured Image Credit: PA ImagesTopics: Ireland