Plenty of nasty rain falls on superstar Giorgio Chinaglia in Cosmos doc
ONCE IN A LIFETIME: THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF THE NEW YORK COSMOS (Paul Crowder & John Dower, 2006)
Maysles Cinema
343 Malcolm X Blvd. between 127th & 128th Sts.
Tuesday, June 15, $10, 7:30
212-582-6050
www.mayslesinstitute.org
The 1970s was a crazy time in New York City: President Ford told the Big Apple to drop dead, David “Son of Sam” Berkowitz went around shooting strangers, a blackout led to looting and rioting, and a powerful CEO fought to bring the foreign game of soccer to the New World. The vastly entertaining documentary ONCE IN A LIFETIME details the story of Warner Bros. chairman Steve Ross’s determined, desperate attempt to make soccer a major sport in America. And he did it the old-fashioned way: with a lot of cash. Backed by music moguls and big-time soccer fans Ahmet and Nehui Ertegun, Ross put together the New York Cosmos, one of the greatest teams to ever play the world’s most popular game. As the name says, he filled the Cosmos with international stars that would have made Carl Sagan proud: Giorgio Chinaglia, Franz Beckenbauer, Carlos Alberto, Steve Hunt, and, of course, the magical Pelé, who was signed to a multimillion-dollar deal at a time when such numbers were unheard of even for baseball. When the Cosmopolitans started winning, the city adopted them, following their exploits from the green AstroTurf of Giants Stadium to the silver disco ball at Studio 54.
Directors John Crowder and John Dower talk to all the major players, both behind the scenes and on the field, except for Ross, who died of prostate cancer in 1992, and Pelé, who declined to participate (most likely because he wanted money to talk). Among the people telling tales out of school are such Cosmos stars as Beckenbauer, Alberto, Werner Roth, Shep Messing, and Chinaglia, who is painted as the villain responsible for eventually bringing down the franchise. (But Chinaglia doesn’t care; he sits self-assured behind a desk or in a chair, proud of what he accomplished.) Marv Albert, David Hirshey, Cosmos mascot Mario Marianni, Ross’s son Mark, superstar Rodney Marsh, Mia Hamm, Phil Mushnick, Ahmet Ertegun, and numerous executives put the fascinating tale in perspective, often seeing things very differently. Historical archival footage of the Me Decade is mixed in with terrific soccer moments, set to a 1970s soundtrack that includes songs by Kool and the Gang, Junior Walker, the Jam, Donna Summer, the Pretenders, Steely Dan, the Commodores, Parliament, Sparks, and the Main Ingredient. Cosmos fans must stay through the end of the credits for a sweet little coda that goes something like this: clap-clap / clap-clap-clap / clap-clap-clap-clap / Cosmos! (ONCE IN A LIFETIME is screening at the Maysles Cinema in Harlem as part of Jock Docs, a three-day series of soccer-related films in honor of the start of the World Cup that also includes RED CARD: SOCCER AND RACISM, SOCCER AS NEVER BEFORE about George Best, and ZIDANE: A 21st CENTURY PORTRAIT.)