Those Glory Glory Days (1983 TV Movie) User Reviews

It's not just about football!

[sirduke1 · 8/10 · 11 October 2010]

If you're looking for a film about football, steer clear of this one! However, if you want to relive those adolescent days of excessive and obsessive behavior, this is what you're looking for. I'm not saying that if you're a football buff then you should avoid this, rather, don't look for technical merit in the accuracy of the soccer content. After all, we all know that Tottenham Hotpsur star "Glen" doesn't spell his name "Hoddlle" don't we? I have no interest in football whatsoever, but I could relate to the central characters totally. This is more than a little thanks to the superb acting of child prodigies Zoë Nathenson , Sara Sugarman, Cathy Murphy and Liz Campion. A reassuring cameo appearance by Danny Blanchflower himself, adds to the sweet ambiance of the picture. To complete the whole scenario, there's Julia McKenzie, and Peter Tilbury with their portrayal of "60s middle class marital and parental psyche" The story revolves around Julia (Nathenson) and her adoration of everything "Spurs" and, in particular, Danny Blanchflower. This being set during the 1960/61 season in which Spurs made their way to winning the first "double" (League and FA cups) of the 20th century.

I first saw it on its original transmission by Channel 4 in 1984 and didn't see it again till last night when I watched the DVD. It hadn't lost any of its magic! Many films that are made years later than when they are set seem to have a transparency that lets you see clearly styles and fashions of the period they are made in. What I mean is, a film made 20 years after the "set" always tends to be an "amalgam" of the two periods (Mk3 Cortinas on the road in Quadrophenia and 1960s hairstyles in Battle of Britain to give two examples.) Those Glory Glory Days doesn't suffer this affliction.

It's a well made film with an interesting plot line. What more do you need?

Of its time

[crumpytv · 6/10 · 11 October 2020]

In 2020 it is difficult to understand who the target audience may have been back in 1983. Overall it felt a bit like a Grange Hill spin off. It was inoffensive (a change these days) and typically British, There were some period inaccuracies, but having said that and having been a boy in the era of the famous Spurs double winning side it was easy to follow what it was all about. Great to see Danny Blanchflower and so sad that he had an early and sad demise.

Wonderful

[purpleyaks · 10/10 · 14 August 2006]

I have seen this movie many times and it never fails to impress with its accurate reflection of the times. The actors are all spot-on, especially the younger ones. I was a young girl during this period and can guarantee that this was how it was for us. I watch it these days with a sigh, remembering that in those days, life was so straightforward for us. Danny Blanchflower, Bill Brown, Peter Baker, Ron Henry, Maurice Norman, Dave McKay, Cliff Jones, Bobby Smith, the late John White (tragically struck by lightening whilst playing golf) Terry Dyson and Les Allen - these were legendary names when being a footballer meant a devotion to the sport rather than to one's income. Plus, it's always wonderful to revisit Spurs when they were Giants! (Once a Spur - always a Spur!) This movie for me is a companion piece with Jack Rosenthal's "Ptang Yang Kipperbang" which was also based on young teens of that era. (and was also superb)

A period piece that is now a period piece itself

[johnbirch-2 · 9/10 · 13 August 2011]

Film 4 made a number of simple but beautifully observed pictures in the years immediately after the launch of the channel, but which no-one makes any more. This is an excellent example, a perfect companion to the more famous P'Tang Yang Kipperbang.

Quite why this is so overlooked is difficult to understand - could it be that (with some bitter irony) a film that has a sub-theme of discrimination against women in football is itself ignored because its a film based around a group of girl football fans?

Or could it be that people are put off because its a "football film", or about one club?

Whatever the reason is, its a shame as this is a little gem. A perfect evocation of what it is to be young, as well as being a sports fan. Iit captures the feel of early 60s perfectly, before the decade began to swing. But above all its about friendship. What it isn't about is football (or even, come to that, girls) - that is almost incidental, a core to build the story around.

Above all this is a warm, happy, gentle, perfectly paced film that would appeal to just about anyone of any age. Even Arsenal fans!

Excellent

[potless · 31 May 2006]

I have a copy of this and it evokes memories of an earlier time when football meant more than just money. It is a tale of four girls passion for one particular football club and their excitement as the season draws to a close at the prospect of doing the double! It is a coming of age tale which reflects the lives of the four girls but one in particular as her family structure starts to disintegrate. Set at the beginning of the sixties it captures perfectly the time period and there is of course the guest appearance by Danny Blanchflower the Spurs legend. If you get the opportunity to see this - take it! It will make you smile.

AUDERE EST FACERE

[kevin c · 4/10 · 25 February 2002]

What can I say. A film about supporting 'by far the greatest team the world has ever seen', and one of the finest players ever to pull on a lillywhite shirt.

Aside from my bias, it's a little British movie that only GB can make. Touching and funny, it perfectly captures the joy and pain of being a teenager.

Bring back Monday lunchtime FA Cup draws.

those glory glory days

[kerriehitchcock · 10/10 · 20 March 2006]

I remember watching this on Channel 4 when i was young.I really loved it and I watched it so many times that i knew it word for word and even started to eat brown sauce with every meal.unfortunately the video tape wore out years ago.As a Tottenham supporter I may be a little biased but I think that this is a wonderful film reflecting on the days when football was at it greatest,and watching it through the eyes of a young girl gave an insight to how life really was like in the 1960s.I would certainly recommend to anyone that they watch this film regardless of which team they support.I am trying to find a copy of this film and I look forward to watching it again with my own children.

Boring and hackneyed!

[zorplo · 1/10 · 15 April 2013]

What a glaring inaccuracy ianlouisiana! This was written by Julie WELCH, NOT Julie Burchill - completely different person, albeit a journalist. I believe Burchill wrote for the music press originally before going on to work in other fields. Get your facts right!

Also IMHO this is not a patch on P'tang Yang Kipperbang; nowhere near as good in any way, shape or form. Absolutely NOT! In fact it's pretty crap all round with a fifth rate cast. A waste of everyone's time and no I don't support a rival team or have any particularly strong views on football. It's on Film 4 on a Monday afternoon and it's BORING! Furthermore it is inaccurate in saying that Spurs were the first team to win the 'double' as Preston North End had done so in the previous century and another club also had;their name escapes me.

Great story, great acting, great film !

[jdhb-768-61234 · 9/10 · 1 September 2013]

Poor old 'Zorplo' simply doesn't get it. This is a genuinely entertaining film, brilliantly scripted, staged and acted, and it captures perfectly not just the mood of the times but also the madness of teenage obsession. As a 60-something male and admitted Spurs supporter, I loved the film the first time I saw it many years ago and I've seen it several times since, never enjoying it any less. It's a wonderful example of British film making at its best, so much better than the modern crash-bang-wallop offerings which seem to believe that loads of nudity and foul language make up for an absence of any real story, acting, humour or irony. Anyone with a Bruce Willis fixation probably won't like it; anyone who likes genuinely good films certainly will.

Glory Glory Hallelujah

[Shempz · 23 April 2002]

I saw this once many years ago on Channel 4, and was mesmerized - it hasn't been on since, but luckily I tracked down a timecode copy!

The film itself sums up perfectly what it is like to support the greatest football team in the world. The 61 Spurs Double side that played with a style never before seen or matched since. The film centres on Julia and her friends who follow passionately Spurs through this historic season, and it culminates in their attempts to watch the FA Cup Final.

The acting from the cast is superb, and it both funny and emotional. If ever this is on TV again, I recommend that you watch it.

I just wish I was alive during the Glory Glory Days to experience it as well.

"Oh Danny - if only you knew"...Julie Burchill

[ianlouisiana · 10/10 · 16 August 2009]

Julie Burchill,columnist,author,playwright,well-known in the UK for her trenchant views on almost everything wrote this autobiographical play about growing up as a middle-class Jewish girl in North London.It starts with Ms Burchill in the Press Box at White Hart Lane failing signally to be taken seriously as a football reporter in that all-male preserve. Leaving the ground in a despondent mood she is nearly run over by ex-Spurs captain Danny Blanchflower who drives her back to the Daily Express building in Fleet Street (known in the trade as "The Black Lubyanka".During the journey she opens her heart to mr Blanchflower on whom she had had a serious crush 20 - odd years previously. "Those Glory Glory years" was shown on BBC TV as one of the "First Love" series 26 years ago.It is the sweet,sad story of Julia,gawky,bespectacled teenage football fan and her love affair with Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Her obsession gets her into trouble at home and at school,and ultimately,she steals tickets for the Cup Final from a friend's father. It helps your enjoyment of the movie if you understand the fierce pride of the true football fan,the lure of the magic League and Cup "Double", and the intenseness of a young girl's love. There are some fascinating scenes from the 1961 Cup Final courtesy of Pathe News,and the era is perfectly evoked. The whole thing is sad and funny by turns,beautifully observed and exquisitely performed. I feel it is an injustice that it is not better known.

Underrated film

[teejdancer · 9/10 · 9 August 2023]

This film is in my top 5. I don't understand why it isn't more widely known and appreciated. Zoe Nathenson gives such a nuanced and endearing performance amongst a cast of equally fascinating characters. OK, I admit that I'm a Spurs fan but really the team could be of any geographic location or era. It's the obsessive passion that rules the girl's daily existence that provides the comedy and character interest. The close ups on Zoe's face reveal a wonderfully considered character with darting eyes, a nervous energy ( the gum chewing), a breathless vocal rhythm and inner / outer dialogue. The scene around the piano is absolute genius and makes me laugh on every viewing. The adults in the film appear as other worldly, accurately reflecting how that older generation feel so out of touch with a teenager's reality. The dad that is distracted from his parental responsibilities by a younger colleague. The mum who is distracted by her obsession with the aesthetics and demands of middle class life in the suburbs. I know the script by heart and still have my vhs recorded version of it. Some films are just perfect, and this is one of them...... for me!