Beginning in 1872, the England versus Scotland international is the world's oldest fixture between nations. Since then it has generated tremendous passions as well as rivalries, no more so than among Scottish fans, who regarded beating England as a victory of colonized over colonizer.
This documentary looks at the history of the international, highlighting some famous matches such as the "Wembley Wizards" international of 1927 when Scotland won 5-1; the infamous 9-3 drubbing England handed out to Scotland in 1961; and the famous 3-2 victory at Wembley by Scotland over the then world champions. Many of the players interviewed recalled how passionate these internationals were; no prisoners were ever taken on the field, while the England players were often intimidated by the sheer weight of numbers of Scottish fans who traveled down to Wembley to support their team.
Sometimes that support became somewhat over-enthusiastic; in 1977 after a Scottish victory there was a pitch invasion with Scottish fans digging up the hallowed Wembley turf as a souvenir and breaking the crossbar to take home. Incidents of violence increased during the Eighties, and the annual international was abandoned in 1989. Since then the two teams have met in the European Championship, and England have largely emerged triumphant.
The documentary was somewhat disjointed in structure, as it zigzagged from past to present and back to the past once more. The old internationals' reminiscences were highly entertaining, but there were moments that seemed a little incongruous, notably the re- enactment of the 1872 international in Glasgow, or the rather melodramatic dramatization of the 1902 disaster at Ibrox Park when 25 Scottish supporters lost their lives as a stand collapsed during the game.
Nonetheless it was gratifying to see film of great matches of the past, and to understand precisely why this international still holds a great deal of significance, even if the two teams only meet infrequently these days.
