No 1

A film about soccer without a ball and without players ... The film gives a description of the preventive measures taken by the police to cope with a huge crowd attending a popular spectacle. It deliberately and almost completely dispenses with verbal statements, allowing atmosphere and original sound to speak for themselves. The clip-clop of (police) horses' hooves, the sound of the engines of police vehicles, of helicopters and water cannons, of walkie-talkies as well as video camera surveillance and the distribution of truncheons on the one hand, and the heaving crowd of fans, their pleasure, their disappointment, their shouts of support. The chronological record of a - peaceful - day of soccer does not apportion blame, without comment and stimulates discussion weather the "special police assignment" is really necessary. —JK

An attractive montage of a vivid and often tense highlights from the soccer field ... Headers, fouls, dribbling, runs, goalmouth dramas are juxtaposed, slowed down, repeated and at the same time embellished acoustically in such an apt and lively manner by the music of the leading German jazz and rock guitarist Volker Kriegel, that even the viewer spoilt by live soccer will enjoy seeing it. The artistes of the bid ball become leading dancers at the penalty mark. Slow motion, animation, modification or restriction of color further lend emphasis to the close interaction with the musical movements, achieving a positive unity, regardless weather attention is focussed on the goalkeeper, on team play, on vigorous tackling or on goalmouth excitement, which are all synchronized in sequence form with the musical sections. The film contains extracts from 13 first division soccer games in Germany. –Joachim Kreck