The 1981 film Escape To Victory tells the story of Allied prisoners of war taking on their German captors in a football match during the Second World War. Sport is notoriously difficult to convincingly translate into a cinematic format, but the makers of the film had a novel idea: use actual footballers. While big names like Bobby Moore and Pele transcend sport, there were less-heralded footballers who became actors for one film. Many of those footballers plied their trade for Ipswich Town, at the time one of the greatest sides in Europe.

The reason that Escape To Victory has jumped back into popular consciousness is due to the sad passing of Kevin Beattie, one of those Ipswich footballers who helped in the production of the film. Escape To Victory boasts an impressive array of acting pedigree through the likes of Michael Caine, Sylvester Stallone and Max von Sydow. Alas, Caine was not as talented a footballer as Beattie, one of the most complete players of his generation.

Beattie would be blighted by injuries to deny him the chance to become as recognisable as Pele and Moore, but he was the ideal candidate to fill in for Caine during the footballing scenes. With the worlds of football and film colliding, interesting stories were always going to arise. Stallone is rumoured to have challenged Beattie to an arm-wrestling match during filming, presumably conditioned to winning such competition. When Stallone lost, he was so annoyed that he refused to speak to Beattie for the rest of the process. Fellow Ipswich stars John Wark, Russell Osman and Laurie Sivell all featured as named characters in one of the most surreal moments of their footballing career.

Perhaps based on the performative nature of both, many sports stars have tried their hand at acting. Mike Tyson is a particularly ubiquitous presence on the cinema screen in recent years. The former heavyweight boxing champion has appeared in a range of comedic roles, from his memorable appearance in The Hangover to popping up in a couple of Scary Movies. Tyson even lends his likeness to two of William Hill’s table games, providing thematic inspiration to both blackjack and roulette.

Tweety Bird and Michael Jordan in Space Jam. Source: Space Jam via Facebook.

Tyson is not the only physically imposing sportsman to appear on screen. Dwayne Johnson’s transition from wrestler to Hollywood heavyweight is well-known, with John Cena aiming to carve out a similar career change. LeBron James is set to follow in the footsteps of Michael Jordan to act alongside a Looney Tunes cartoon cast in Space Jam 2, with James using his basketball prowess in the same way that Moore and Pele brought their specific skills to Escape To Victory.

While many of the stars of Escape To Victory may not have the star appeal of Tyson, their comparatively unassuming nature serves to make the film more immersive. Admittedly, the presence of Pele is hard to ignore, but who better to call when you need someone to score a crucial overhead kick? Subsequent football movies have failed to capture the spirit and action of Escape To Victory, whose legacy remains powerful 37 y

Lead image: FliXposed – Classic Film Community via Facebook.