The Game of their Lives

52 min.
Also Available as 80 min.

Knocking out one of the tournament favourites, Italy, in the World Cup, North Korea became the first Asian team to make it to the quarter finals. This film tells the remarkable tale.

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The Game of their Lives

The Game of their Lives

In 1966 North Koreasent shock waves through World Cup history.

Nothing has been heard from the team since they returned home from their matches in England. After four years of negotiations, a Western film crew was granted unprecedented official access to North Korea.

The Game of Their Lives is more than a football film. It is a tale of struggle and success, the beauty of a sport crossing cultural barriers. It is the story of how an unfancied team from a Communist country arrives in England at the height of the Cold War and is not only adopted by the local townspeople of Middlesbrough but also ends up winning the hearts of the football world.

The Press wrote:

“A gem of a documentary” The Sunday Times

“An amazing film” The Guardian

“The greatest story never told” Wall Street Journal

Director Daniel Gordon
Download Daniel Gordon
Produced by DR in association with BBC
Duration 52 min.
Year of Production 2002
Original Title The Game of their Lives
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