The Miracle Of Bern

The Miracle Of Bern reminded me of Wondrous Oblivion, a British film about cricket and fatherhood in south London during the Fifties.

This is a German equivalent, sweet in its way, but too parochial to hold much interest for foreign audiences.

Football is the sport, specifically the 1954 World Cup, which Germany won, inspiring national euphoria after the shame and hardship of the post-war decade.

Matthias (Louis Klamroth) is the mascot of Germany's star player, The Boss, who, despite his nickname - perhaps, because of it - spends most of his time on the bench.

Matthias has his own problems. His father has just returned from a Russian PoW camp and his failure to readjust to ordinary life is destroying the family.

These two strands are generally effective, if a little blunt. At one point, Matthias finds he has just been served his pet rabbit for dinner. As he runs off in tears, the soundtrack soars as if the Berlin Wall has just come down.

Still, subtlety isn't everything. Many of the scenes are well handled, especially those on the pitch, and the cinematography and period detail is impressive. Acting-wise, Peter Franke steals the admittedly poorly guarded show, as the team's world-weary manager.

However, the script is predictable and hackneyed. The football plot makes no attempt to surprise, so any child will foresee the outcome.

The family scenes are better, but unlike Wondrous Oblivion, the writers show no interest in the more dramatic potential subplots. How do you rebuild a marriage after 12 years apart? How do you feel about a son you never knew existed? The film barely touches on these questions.

Nonetheless, The Miracle Of Bern is fairly amusing and somewhat refreshing after our own attempt at a footie film this summer, the deeply unpleasant Football Factory.