In a film dedicated to the history of Fifa released in 2014, Gérard Depardieu played Jules Rimet, who, at the head of the international federation, was at the origin of the creation of the World Cup. United Passions, by Frédéric Auburtin, was very expensive.
Indicted for rape and sexual assault, and plunged into a huge media scandal since the broadcast of a Further investigation on France 2, Gérard Depardieu obtained the support of 56 personalities from the world of culture denouncing the “ lynching » of the 75-year-old actor, described as “ last sacred monster of cinema “. No person linked to the world of sport signed this column published by Le Figarowhile this great football fan could very well have been a football figure.
Depardieu in fact played Jules Rimet, a true football myth, in United Passions, a film by Frédéric Auburtin released directly on DVD in July 2014. The film traces the history of Fifa and in particular the reign of Jules Rimet at the helm of the body for 33 years. First president of the FFFA (which became the FFF), he was then elected head of the international federation in 1921 and worked directly on the creation, in 1928, of the World Football Championship (which became the World Cup).
One of the worst films in history
New Zealander Sam Neill (Alan Grant in Jurassic Park) and the Englishman Tim Roth (Reservoir Dogs, pulp Fiction) respectively played Joao Havelange (president of Fifa from 1974 to 1998) and Sepp Blatter (all-powerful until 2015) in this film therefore also praising the growth of Fifa in modern times, without discuss the numerous management and corruption scandals.
At the request of Gérard Depardieu, United Passions was previewed at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, but was not screened in theaters in France. This was the case in the United States and the reviews were cataclysmic due to the quality of the game and the honesty of the story. It is recommended at 0% on Rotten Tomatoes and is ranked among the worst films in history by Moldy. THE Guardian bluntly called him “cinematic excrement”…
