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        <p align="center"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><b><img src="/images/review-jinky-dvd.jpg" width="125" height="177"><br>
          Lord of the Wing - Jimmy Johnstone, Celtic's Greatest Ever Player; directed 
          by Jamie Doran; 97 minutes; video &pound;14.99 - DVD &pound;19.99</b></font></p>
        <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1"> If you're 
          going to take as your subject matter for a documentary, 'Celtic's Greatest 
          Ever Player' you'd better make sure you produce a film that does it 
          justice. Thankfully Jamie Doran does that and in the process has crafted 
          a film that in my opinion will become essential viewing for anyone who 
          treasures memories of wee Jinky in his pomp or who has more than a passing 
          interest in the history of our great club.</font></p>
        <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1"> The edition 
          I had to review begins with some footage shot on the night of the film's 
          premiere in Glasgow which will doubtless rekindle happy reminiscences 
          of those who were in attendance but which for those who weren't does 
          well to capture the atmosphere of a wonderful football evening.</font></p>
        <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1">It starts 
          with a moving tribute to Lisbon Lion Ronnie Simpson who had passed away 
          earlier that week and then moves on to an introduction by Peter Mullen. 
          After that we are into the film proper, and are immediately reminded 
          of Jinky's medical condition with some stark and bleak facts about motor 
          Neurone Disease. Yet, for all this terrible affliction has quite a pervasive 
          presence throughout the film, there is little that is morbid or mawkish 
          about what is depicted on screen. What comes across, rather, is how 
          the wee man has faced his predicament with the kind of courage that 
          characterised his performances on the pitch all those years ago.</font></p>
        <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1"> Johnstone's 
          early life in Viewpark as the son of a coal miner is recounted mainly 
          by the man himself and is a glimpse of a bygone era. But it's still 
          made clear what a formative influence his upbringing had on his adult 
          life.</font></p>
        <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1"> His playing 
          days are portrayed through a mixture of personal anecdote, clips of 
          Jimmy in action and recollections of opponents and admirers. Most of 
          the action stuff will be familiar to anyone who has seen previous features 
          about Jinky (still great to watch even so), but Jamie Doran has also 
          unearthed some surprises, including an amazing sequence shot by somebody 
          on an 8mm cine camera who was filming the highlights of the Red Star 
          game being shown on the telly in his living room. It looks like the 
          film shot by Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong while they were on the Moon 
          but amazing nonetheless. </font></p>
        <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1">As you 
          listen to the likes of Brian Clough, Bobby Charlton, Terry Cooper and 
          a host of others pay tribute to Jinky's skills as a footballer it becomes 
          clear that his stature in the game is not confined to those with a love 
          of the Hoops. Former Lions team mates, of course, have plenty to say 
          about Johnstone and his unique relationship with Jock Stein, but some 
          of the funniest stories are told by the likes of John Greig and Willie 
          Henderson. </font></p>
        <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1">As what 
          is often euphemistically described as 'a larger than life character' 
          most of Jimmy's particularly notorious exploits have passed into the 
          realm of Scottish football folklore. They are given another airing here 
          and, for all their familiarity, still manage to raise a smile, especially 
          the infamous Largs rowing boat sketch. What is often overlooked about 
          that incident is that following the press furore Jinky went on to play 
          a blinder against England at Hampden the following Saturday in a match 
          which Scotland won by 2:0. </font></p>
        <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1">The thorny 
          subject of Jinky's abbreviated Scotland career is not ignored and Pat 
          Crerand provides some forthright views on the nature of the SFA during 
          the early to mid 60s. The attitudes of the Scottish game's hierarchy 
          had a deleterious effect on Jinky which became so bad he asked Jock 
          Stein to tell them not to pick him for internationals. It is to the 
          film maker's credit that he doesn't shirk from confronting these kind 
          of issues, and this applies to Jimmy's personal life when his career 
          was over and he descended into his own alcohol induced perdition. It 
          makes for painful viewing at times, given its often confessional tone, 
          but is always gripping and again the overall impression you're left 
          with is one of life affirmation rather than self pity. </font></p>
        <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1">The story 
          is brought up to date with jinky's struggle to beat his disease and 
          ends on a typically upbeat note as he helps Jim Kerr fulfil one of his 
          ambitions by recording Dirty Old Town with his football hero. </font></p>
        <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1">Apart from 
          this particular track there are a few other musical numbers in the film 
          which help capture the spirit of the wee man and his time. Apart from 
          the football men, the Celtic celebs also have their say, and one of 
          the most perceptive contributions is from Fran Healy who describes how 
          Jimmy somehow personified what so many of us feel about Celtic, particularly 
          on those occasions when he was being assailed by what Cloughie describes 
          as 'ignorant thug full backs'. </font></p>
        <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1">In one 
          sequence Jinky is filmed during a recent visit to a Celtic home game 
          and is swamped by a torrent of good wishes and adulation showing that 
          he still has an amazing capacity to bring out a warmth of feeling in 
          people which is quite moving. </font></p>
        <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1">After the 
          credits the film ends with more footage from the premiere including 
          a poignant speech from Jimmy. Talk about not a dry eye in the house!</font></p>
        <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1"> I wouldn't 
          hesitate to recommend this film to anybody. Do yourself a favour and 
          get hold of it. You won't be disappointed. </font></p>
        <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1">MANFRED 
          LURKER </font></p>
        <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1">The film 
          is available at http://www.jimmyjohnstone.com</font></p>
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