Magnifique. That's the only word that adequately describes Thierry Henry's career. Actually, it's the only word that adequately describes Thierry Henry.
Smooth on and off the field, the French striker is a legend in his own time. Whether leading Arsenal to the EPL title, FC Barcelona to the Champions League title, or the French national team to the World Cup title, he has proven to be a goalscorer for the ages.
Now playing with the New York Red Bulls, he is still doing it: On Wednesday, Henry scored in a win against Toronto FC to take the top spot in the Major League Soccer goalscoring chart.
Of course, we soccer film fans know Henry for more than his on-field prowess. We know him as the young, graceful striker for the 1998 World Cup-winning French team documented by director Stéphane Meunier in the brilliant film Les Yeux dans les Bleus.
Ahead of the 2011 Kicking + Screening Soccer Film Festival, presented by the New York Red Bulls, K+S spoke to Henry about Les Yeux and his favorite soccer film.
What did you think of the movie Les Yeux dans les Bleus?
I think it was a great documentary. I don’t know if you can call it a movie. We didn’t actually act. We were just being ourselves in it.
Was it hard to have your life filmed while also taking part in the World Cup?
Well, it was kind of weird at the beginning because you do notice the camera everywhere around you. But then, after maybe two or three weeks, you didn’t even notice the camera and you are trying to be yourself and just trying to perform with your team. There was no acting, like I said. It was just us being us and forgetting about the camera. I think that makes the documentary extra special. Of course, it made it even more special because we won at the end.
Did it make you consider getting more into film making?
No, not really. Nothing about that, no.
Do you have a favorite soccer film?
Escape to Victory. I was young and that’s what I saw and I thought it was good to see some of the best players in the days interacting with some of the great guys on screen. Yeah, Escape to Victory was good.
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