Mark Kermode picks the year's best DVD releases that went largely unnoticed – but are too good to miss
Ping Pong
(Hugh Hartford, 2012, Britdoc Films, E)
A documentary about octogenarian (and upward) table tennis may not sound like the most obvious formula for life-affirming thrills, but this splendid account of the Oap "paddles of fire" circuit is as nail-biting as any sports event this year. Most impressively, the age of the participants (some in triple figures) quickly becomes an irrelevance as their competitive personalities take over to dominate the drama. There's nothing quaint or genteel about this battle of wits from players whose faculties, both physical and mental, have clearly been enhanced by the beautiful game.
The Dardennes Collection
(Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, 2012, Artificial Eye, 15)
The work of these most admirably humanist directors is gathered together in a six-disc collection which cements the Dardennes' reputation as guardians of the beating heart of cinema.
Ping Pong
(Hugh Hartford, 2012, Britdoc Films, E)
A documentary about octogenarian (and upward) table tennis may not sound like the most obvious formula for life-affirming thrills, but this splendid account of the Oap "paddles of fire" circuit is as nail-biting as any sports event this year. Most impressively, the age of the participants (some in triple figures) quickly becomes an irrelevance as their competitive personalities take over to dominate the drama. There's nothing quaint or genteel about this battle of wits from players whose faculties, both physical and mental, have clearly been enhanced by the beautiful game.
The Dardennes Collection
(Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, 2012, Artificial Eye, 15)
The work of these most admirably humanist directors is gathered together in a six-disc collection which cements the Dardennes' reputation as guardians of the beating heart of cinema.
- 12/23/2012
- by Mark Kermode
- The Guardian - Film News
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