I just saw "The Game of Their Lives". In the movie, Stan Mortensen travelled to the US for a series of friendly matches. After one match against the USMNT, he insulted the entire American team for the upcoming match in the 1950 WC Finals during a banquet organized by the USSF. He sounded liked an insensitive snob from the English gentry. Of course, the American players were pissed and Mortensen became the loathsome opponent from the typical Hollywood sport movies. In reality, Mortsensen played in the 1950 WC match against the US, but was not part of the team that went to the USA for the friendly matches. It was Stanley Matthews, not Mortensen, who went to the USA. Hollywood just needed a villain and Mortensen became the victim. Why can't Hollywood create a fake charactor so that a real person was not portrayed in a negative way?
I can accept historical inaccurancies in a movie for the sake of entertainment. All historical movies were liked that. I do have a problem if they put a negative light on a real person when that person was not even there.
Agreed. I watch a lot of historical movies and am not as bothered by historical inaccuracies as I once was, but what they did to Mortensen was terrible. Of course, they did do a little of the reverse, with the scenes in which a man who died in 1976 is shown giving profound quotes to an interviewer at an MLS game.
The way that "Morty" was portrayed in "The Game..." was a pure travesty IMO. "Morty" was always a gentleman & the very ideal of the Corinthian sportsman. Here are some links about Mortensen: This is the Spartacus Educational profile of "Morty", make sure that you scroll all the way down on this pg.: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/BLACKPmortensen.htm This is the National Football HoF profile on Mortensen: http://www.nationalfootballmuseum.com/pages/fame/Inductees/stanmortensen.htm This is the soccerhistory.org profile of "Morty": http://www.soccerhistory.org.uk/Stan Mortensen.htm This is a detailed profile fr. football-england.com: http://www.football-england.com/Stanley_Mortensen.html Another profile on Mortensen fr. the Blackpool official site; you have to scroll way down again: http://www.blackpoolfc.co.uk/page/SeasideLegends/0,,10432~140692,00.html Btw, I was lucky enough to see "Morty" play quite a few times for Blackpool, Arsenal (he made guest appearances for them during the war), Hull City & England. If anyone wants to hear an eyewitness account of watching him play just lmk.
Since posters here seemed to like my first group of links on "Morty": here's some more for you: This is a profile of Mortensen fr. clicklancashire.com & an interview w/his nephew, Gordon Carpenter: http://www.clicklancashire.com/spor...pool-fc-legend-stan-mortensen-remembered.html This is a profile of "Morty" along w/some rare photos fr. The Mirror: http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/archive/Stan-Mortensen-article2887.html There's also links to eight Mirror back pg. articles on Mortensen when he was still playing via the link above. This is an excellent profile of Mortensen fr. englandcaps.co.uk: http://www.englandcaps.co.uk/StanMortensen.html Mortensen's profile fr. givemefootball.com, which is also the official site of the PFA: http://www.givemefootball.com/player-profiles/stan-mortensen Here are some excellent photos of "Morty"; the 6th photo is "Morty" in action during the '53 FA Cup Final. The Bolton player right behind Mortensen in the photo was England centre-half Malcomn Barrass: http://www.canvasstorehouse.com/pictures_4215543/stan-mortensen.html This is about the one match where Mortensen played for the Toon during wartime football v. Leeds Utd. in Jan. of '43 as the goal-scoring I-R alongside Albert Stubbins as the No.9 (W-M term.): http://www.newcastleutd-mad.co.uk/n..._mortensen_has_a_toon_past_558062/index.shtml
I'm a Blackpool fan and to us Stan Mortensen was not only a hero but also reputedly a real gentleman. It's appalling that a great player can be slandered in this way. I hope that his family sue the ass off whoever has made the film. I'm really fed up about this.
These are some excerpts fr. Mortensen's 1949 book "Football Is My Game" posted on a Blackpool fansite: http://s11.invisionfree.com/BLACKPOOL_BISONS/ar/t61.htm http://z11.invisionfree.com/BLACKPOOL_BISONS/ar/t60.htm If you go back to the Club History forum; you can see the list for all of the book excerpts...
I don't think whoever made that film had any ass left to sue after they lost it actually producing the film.
This is British Pathe match coverage of Mortensen wearing the No.9 shirt for Blackpool in '51: http://www.britishpathe.com/video/birmingham-v-blackpool The reel info gives you more detail about this FA Cup semi-final replay v. Birm. City...
I watched that movie when I was in High School, nearly 30 years ago. I did not have an opinion back then, but ypu were talking about the other composer, right? I recalled that he confessed many times that he killed Mozart when he was in a mental aslyum amny years after the events depicted in the movie.
Yep right, my point is that historical inaccuracies are ok if it's clear that the movies is not intended to be a biography or a historical dramas that attempts to accurately portray a historical even of any kind. I haven't seen 'The Game of our Lifes' so I can't comment on that though. And going through the reviews I don't think this will change anytime soon.
But Amadeus or Abe Lincoln the vampire killer does not justify Stan Mortensen's portrayal. They could easily create a fake player as I have stated.