“Beckenbauer, the last emperor”, on Arte: a “Kaiser” on the loose

ARTE – TUESDAY JANUARY 7 AT 11:45 P.M. – DOCUMENTARY

Programming documentaries devoted to the world of sport has never been one of Arte’s editorial priorities. But when the European cultural channel decides to offer it, it’s generally worth a look.

We remember in particular a documentary (signed Benoît Heimermann and Jean-Christophe Rosé) devoted to the history of the 100 m in athletics, or an astonishing portrait of Toni Kroos, a footballer who brought happiness to the German national team and his club, Real Madrid, before retiring from sports.

This time, with this three-episode documentary dedicated to Franz Beckenbauer (1945-2024), one of the greatest footballers of all time, Arte is once again playing on velvet. Because, beyond an exceptional sporting career, as much as a player as a coach or manager, the man who was nicknamed the “Kaiser” (“the emperor”) also embodied a new idea of ​​the profession of high-level sportsman. level and, more broadly, a new image of Germany.

By giving the floor to witnesses as diverse as the director Christian Petzold, the actor Matthias Brandt, his brother Walter Beckenbauer, political leaders, journalists or French admirers like Michel Platini or Didier Deschamps, the director Torsten Körner succeeds, with with the help of a multitude of astonishing film archives, a fascinating portrait of the “Kaiser”, a character revered throughout the world.

“He had class, elegance”

From his complicated relationship with a father who despised football to a breathtaking career, through a happy youth in Munich and a troubled love life, all the complexity of a man gifted for football and happiness appears on screen.

“Those who remain in history are those who give emotions. And Franz gave emotions. He had class, elegance”summarizes Platini, while Matthias Brandt broadens the spectrum: “To my knowledge, no one other than him has had a personal journey that matches the destiny of Germany to this extent. If you’re wondering what’s changed about us since 1945, just look at Franz’s photos. We can read there the transformations of a country. »

Beckenbauer, a genius player with crazy elegance, but also the first to take an agent to manage his numerous advertising contracts, to frequent the world of fashion and music, to shake up clichés. “The best known, the most famous, the most distinguished German footballer was also the least German of all! Franz had a lightness, a sort of nonchalance”this Matthias Brandt. “Like a musician in a band, he knew when to step up and when to step back”concludes Christian Petzold.