Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Friday 20 September 2019

From god to devil: Doc tells Maradona's

mythic tale

By JOCELYN NOVECK Much of the footage Ka- that is hard to fathom. At
Associated Press padia has unearthed here one point, a commentator
Who's that amazingly ex- is nothing short of mesmer- notes, virtually every Na-
pressive actor they got to izing, both for highly dra- ples home has a photo of
play Diego Maradona? The matic moments like Mara- Maradona, "many on top
one you can't take your dona's hero welcome in of their bed, next to Jesus."
eyes off of, whose every fa- Naples, where he was to At the 1986 World Cup in
cial muscle can project joy, spend seven chaotic years, Mexico, with Maradona
pain, sadness, humor or an- and quiet moments like the playing for Argentina, the
ger from miles away, and athlete simply sitting at a duality of the man is de-
This image released by HBO shows Diego Maradona in a scene
from the documentary "Diego Maradona." sometimes all at once? party and saying nothing, fined in two famous quar-
Associated Press Oh wait — this is a docu- looking lost and miserable terfinal goals against Eng-
mentary, and this is Mara- as the world starts to crum- land: the infamous "Hand
dona himself, one of the ble around him. of God" goal (he later con-
most colorful and fascinat- Because the Naples years fessed to scoring with his
ing personalities in all of form the heart of his film, hand) and minutes later
sports, with a life story bor- Kapadia spends only a few one of the greatest goals in
dering on the mythic. You minutes on Maradona's be- history, leading the ecstatic
may know the outlines of ginnings, from his birth in a announcer to shout: "What
the soccer legend's life, but Buenos Aires shantytown to planet did you come from?"
there's no way you won't his rise as a soccer prodigy There is amazing celebra-
learn something from "Di- who began supporting his tory footage here, in the
ego Maradona," Asif Ka- family from age 15. locker room and then in Ar-
padia's absorbing and ex- By the time Maradona ar- gentina, where he's hailed
haustive new film. rives in Naples in 1984, he's as a savior. More glory is
Most documentaries cut greeted as a messiah; the to come in Naples, where
frequently to talking heads. southern city is hungry to after a championship vic-
Kapadia, who won an Os- challenge the traditional tory people celebrate for
car for "Amy," about Amy soccer powerhouses fur- weeks, and a sign is erect-
Winehouse, doesn't do ther north. Some 75,000 ed at the cemetery for the
that, preferring to keep the adoring fans gather in the corpses: "You don't know
viewer firmly planted in the city's stadium to welcome what you missed."
narrative he's crafted from him. Things are soon to unravel.
hundreds of hours of never- A soccer genius celebrat- Maradona's cocaine habit
seen archival footage. The ed as much for his brilliant worsens, but as long as he
approach is hugely effec- instincts and vision on the is winning, his team bosses
tive here because we don't pitch as his physical abili- don't seem to care. He is
see the older, larger Mara- ties, he turns Napoli into high half the week, then
dona, now 58, until the very a winning team. He's re- cleanses his system to play
end. warded with a stardom on Sunday.q

Emeli Sandé returns with anthems for the

every day

Her clear, full voice powers like the stars we're going to
sweeping anthems, most shine bright and golden,"
of which seem perfectly Sandé sings, her voice full
suited for bringing energy of resolve.
to momentous occasions She is great on the dreamy
(remember her at the 2012 guitar and drum-led "Love
Olympic Games?), but just to Help"; endearing on al-
as good for motivating ev- bum gem "Free as a Bird,"
eryday people trying to with its strings and soulful
make it through their every choir; and completely in
day. her groove on "Extraordi-
"Real Life," her third full- nary Being." On that song
length album, finds the ac- she sings, "You are what
This cover image released claimed British singer-song- God imagined. You are
by Capitol Records shows
"Real Life," a release by Emeli writer-pianist keeping her a true perfection. Baby
Sande. good thing — playing mo- you're made of stars. Don't
Associated Press tivator — going. And that's let nobody tell you differ-
good for fans. ent."
By MELANIE J. SIMS That much seems clear It would be difficult not to
Associated Press from first single "Sparrow," a believe her.
Emeli Sandé, "Real Life" goosebump-inducing bat- But when Sandé mixes her
(Capitol Records) tle cry for the overlooked grandeur with the ordinary,
Emeli Sandé's music has al- and undervalued. "We've the results sometimes feel
ways leaned into the epic. got magic in our bones, just mismatched. q