Euro 2008: The Groups

Following the brilliant lead of Sachin, and inspired by the upcoming European football championship, I've embarked upon a Euro tourney of my own: dedicated to cinema. The regulations are, as of yet, fluid—and will probably never solidify—but the premise is simple enough: watch one film from each of the 16 nations competing for the coveted title, and then rank them in some sort of order. The top two films in each group will move on to the knockout stage, and then go head-to-head against each other until only one European Champion remains. Film selection was based, in an inexact way, on three factors: the film had to be one I hadn't seen, the film had to be available to me, and it had to be a film I was hoping to watch anyway. So, with all that out the way, here are the films!


Group A

SUI - Jonah Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000 (Tanner)
CZE - The Cremator (Herz)
POR - Bones (Costa)
TUR - The Way (Guney)

IMDB Predictions:

CZE - 9 points
TUR - 6 points
SUI - 3 points
POR - 0 points

BBC Analysis:

Although the pundits are correct in praising the talent of the Czechs—their creativity should propel them easily into the next round—one dismisses Portugal at his own peril. The team's youth should not be mistaken for inexperience or immaturity, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them snatch second spot in the group. That said, much will depend on the Portugal-Turkey match, as the fan favourite Turks are coming into this tournament on a wave of emotion. Switzerland, though they'll not be embarrassed, will not pose a major threat to anyone. Their static, over-intellectualized game simply lacks the players to execute properly. Still, if the Swiss can somehow grind out a tie, they could find themselves playing spoiler.


Group B

AUT - Our Daily Bread (Geyrhalter)
CRO - Two Players from the Bench (Sorak)
GER - Heart of Glass (Herzog)
POL - Eroica (Munk)

IMDB Predictions:

POL - 7 points
CRO - 4 points
AUT - 4 points
GER - 1 points

BBC Analysis:

Much like their co-hosts Switzerland, Austria will look to play a defensive, suffocating style. Unlike the Swiss, however, the Austrians shouldn't be counted out. Because where the Swiss are all too familiar, the Austrians are an unknown quantity that just might provide the tournament with one of its shocks. Unless that happens, however, it should be Poland and Germany going through. The Poles, though perhaps not the most polished of squads, have the uncanny ability of completely reshuffling tactics at half-time, not to mention a heroic, dogged determination to win; and the Germans, like their great teams of the 70s, will attempt to soak up pressure and then hit unsuspecting teams on the break. It's not unfair to say that they'll try to hypnotize the opposition before putting one past their stunned opponents. The Croats round out the bottom of the group. A jolly good group of guys to have a pint with, but outclassed on the field.


Group C

NED - Black Book (Verhoeven)
ITA - The Red Desert (Antonioni)
ROM - Michael the Brave (Nicolaescu)
FRA - Balthazar (Bresson)

IMDB Predictions:

ROM - 9 points
FRA - 4 points
NED - 4 points
ITA - 0 points

BBC Analysis:

Although they've got a richness of young talent to choose from, the Romanians have opted experience over youth for this tourney. And though these veterans play an epic style, to be sure, they're also this year's most overrated squad. With many predicting Romania to breeze through the group in first spot, I wouldn't be surprised to see them fail to progress. The Dutch are in a similar position. They play attractive football and the fans love to watch them dominate weaker teams, but they'll have to play above what they're shown in the past to be able to continue their entertainment against two perennial powerhouses: France and Italy. Between the French and Italians, however, it's hard to pick. Both go through, but in which spots? The Italians are certainly gifted technically and have a storied history of success, but the French bring so much classical greatness and faith to this tournament that I can't choose. Either way, look for French star midfielder Balthazar Le Donkey to have a strong showing. Opposition defenders will pester and abuse him any chance they get, but he'll cope.


Group D

GRE - Landscape in the Mist (Angelopoulos)
SWE - The Virgin Spring (Bergman)
ESP - The Hunt (Saura)
RUS - The Cranes Are Flying (Kalatozov)

IMDB Predictions:

SWE - 3 points
RUS - 3 points
ESP - 3 points
GRE - 3 points

BBC Analysis:

Every tournament has its "group of death", and this one is no exception. Four skilled, able teams have been drawn together here, and it's nearly impossible to predict which two will move on. What's certain, however, is that all the games will be serious, sombre affairs. If I have a tip to give, it's that one should not underestimate the Spanish. Though tentative odds suggest Sweden and Russia will be the nations going through, Spain has more talent than may first appear to be the case. Their simple style masks significant depth. The Swedes are certainly no worse in that department, but their legend precedes them. Russia—fielding a naturalized Georgian striker in a key role—and Greece, which plays its very deliberate style very well, will provide tough opposition, though, and the group's too close to refer to anyone as a possible shocker. The entire Championship may be won or lost in this group.


Good luck to all the teams and players, and may the best nation emerge victorious. Matches begin as soon as possible. Stay tuned.