Fever Pitch (1997)

Director:

David Evans

Writers:

Nick Hornby (book)
Nick Hornby (screenplay)

Release Date:

4 April 1997 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | Sport

Tagline:

Life gets complicated when you love one woman and worship eleven men

Plot:

A romantic comedy about a man, a woman and a football team. Based on Nick Hornby's best selling autobiographical novel...

Plot Keywords:

Pun In Title | 1970s | 1980s | Arsenal | Soccer

Cast

Luke Aikman	...	Young Paul
Bea Guard	...	Paul's Sister
Neil Pearson	...	Paul's Dad
Ruth Gemmell	...	Sarah Hughes
Colin Firth	...	Paul Ashworth
Richard Claxton	...	Robert Parker
Ken Stott	...	Ted, the Headmaster
Holly Aird	...	Jo
Mark Strong	...	Steve
Lorraine Ashbourne	...	Paul's Mum
Peter Quince	...	Chip Shop: Frank
Charles Cork	...	Rex
Bob Curtiss	...	Stan
Philip Bond	...	Turnstile Operator
Scott Baker	...	Man Behind

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:M (TV rating) | Australia:PG (original rating) | Germany:6 | Norway:7 | Spain:7 | Sweden:Btl | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Fortismere School, Muswell Hill, London, England, UK

Company:

Channel Four Films

Trivia:

When Sarah asks Paul to quote Byron, he quotes a famous couplet, "The Assyrians came down like the wolf on the fold; / Their cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold." But he changes "purple and gold" to "black and old gold." These are the colors of the Wolves football team. The away colors of Arsenal that season (1988-89) were black and a strong yellow, as seen in the film, which may have been designated "old gold" too.

Goofs:

When, as a child, Paul Ashworth goes to see the Reading FC game, the Reading FC Club Badge on the rosette of the supporters is the one which did not come into being until around the 1987-1988 season. The badge that should have been worn in the 1970s, when the match took place, was the old style 'Elm Trees' badge.

Quotes:

Sarah Hughes: What are those?
Paul Ashworth: My Arsenal boxer shorts. But they're not my best ones, I was running out...
Sarah Hughes: But you're willing to show them to another human being?

Movie Connections:

Remade as Fever Pitch (2005)

Soundtrack:

I Started Something I Couldn't Finish

A most personal film

For me this is one of the most personal films ever made.I was at all of the games at Highbury shown in the film.The celebrations take place outside the entrance to the West Stand where i have been entering for the past 45 years.The school at which Colin Firth is teaching was my school.I even saw it in the Odeon Muswell Hill which is just one minute from the school,and of course that night.who will ever forget that night.I remember it so vividly as if it happened yesterday.To me the sheer brilliance of the book and the film is that Hornby manages to bring to life the dreams we live together.It doesn't matter if you support Arsenal or any other team the dreams are just the same.I was in a local book shop the other day when i saw a later version of the book.I sat down and read the new pages and they were as real to me as if i had been sitting next to Hornby at the time that he wrote them.