MusaNETFLIX ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY
Title: VILLA: A People’s Passion
Tagline: History isn’t always written by the winners.
Opening Scene:
[Black screen. The roar of a massive, modern crowd erupts. Then, a sharp cut to silence.]
ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE (1970s, grainy):A lone figure, in the iconic claret and blue, dribbles past a defender on a muddy pitch. The commentary is crackly, passionate.
NARRATOR (V.O.):“What does it mean to belong? To a place? To an idea? For some, it’s a religion. For others, a birthright. For the people of Birmingham, England, it’s a football club.”
Episode 1: “Founding Fathers and First Lions”
· A visually stunning, moody recreation of 1874: Four men in a darkened Villa Cross pub, forming a cricket club to play football in the winter.
· Interviews with renowned historians placing Victorian Birmingham at the heart of the Industrial Revolution. Aston Villa was the city’s ambition made flesh.
· Exploration of Villa’s early dominance: Six FA Cups and six league titles before 1910. The first true “superclub.”
· Key Figure: George Ramsay, the Scottish visionary who shaped the club’s attacking philosophy. He’s presented as a forgotten genius of the game.
· Themes: Foundation, identity, the birth of a giant.
Episode 2: “The Holy Trinity and the Fall”
· The story of the 1957 FA Cup win, the last great triumph of the old guard. Joyous, but with a foreboding tone.
· Then, the long, slow, inexplicable decline. From the First Division to the Third in just a decade. Archival newsreels show crumbling stands and confusion.
· The arrival of the savior: Patriarch Doug Ellis (“Deadly Doug”). Was he a ruthless businessman who saved the club, or an autocrat who held it back? Ambiguous interviews with former players and staff.
· The 1975 League Cup win – a flash of light in the gloom, proving the potential was still there, sleeping.
· Themes: Decline, pride, contentious stewardship.
Episode 3: “The Miracle of Rotterdam”
· The cinematic heart of the series. The hiring of Ron Saunders – a granite-faced, militant leader. Interviews with his surviving players paint a picture of fear, respect, and unbelievable discipline.
· The 1980-81 League Championship win: against-all-odds footage, pure grit and defensive mastery.
· THE DRAMA: Saunders’ shocking resignation mid-European Cup run. The anointing of his unassuming assistant, Tony Barton.
· May 26, 1982, Rotterdam: Treated like a heist movie. Peter Withe’s shin. The final whistle. Pure, unadulterated ecstasy. They are Champions of Europe.
· The Aftermath: The documentary doesn’t shy away from the tragedy that followed for many heroes, contrasting the peak with the personal valleys.
· Themes: Triumph, sacrifice, the fleeting nature of glory.
Episode 4: “The Premier League Rollercoaster”
· The wild ride of the modern era. The slick, continental flair of Big Ron Atkinson’s team. The nearly-men of 1990 and 1993.
· The David O’Leary Era & “The Bomb Squad”: A dark, fascinating chapter. Internal revolt, fan protests, a team at war with itself.
· The Randy Lerner era: American idealism, huge investment, Martin O’Neill’s thrilling side, and the heartbreaking 2010 League Cup Final loss. The slow unraveling. Relegation in 2016. The sense of a sleeping giant turning comatose.
· Themes: Chaos, hope, repeated cycles of boom and bust.
Episode 5: “Egypt, Castles, and Unai”
· The Arrival of Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens (NSWE). High-stakes finance footage. Serious, calculated interviews with the owners. This isn’t a plaything; it’s a strategic acquisition.
· The false start: Dean Smith’s promotion and “Greatest Escape,” but then stagnation.
· The Gambit: The shock appointment of Unai Emery. News reports frame it as a step down for him. The fans are skeptical.
· Insider footage of Emery’s first team talk. His obsessive, analytical approach is shown as almost alien compared to British football culture.
· The stunning transformation. From 17th to 7th. The return to Europe. The emergence of Ollie Watkins and Douglas Luiz as world-class talents.
· Themes: Modern football, data vs. passion, a new kind of resurrection.
Episode 6: “The Holte End: This Place is Ours”
· The entire episode is from the perspective of the fans.
· Interviews with multi-generational families, famous fans (e.g., Tom Hanks, cited in a fun segment), local politicians, and the everyday supporters.
· Focus on the Holte End – the largest single-tier stand in Britain. It’s a character in itself. Stories of what the club meant during the hardships of the 70s and 80s in Birmingham.
· The 2023-24 season: Qualifying for the Champions League. Treated not with the bombast of 1982, but with a profound, tearful sense of belonging regained. “We’re back where we should be.”
· Final montage: the muddy 19th-century pitch dissolves into the gleaming Villa Park of today. Kids in 2024 kits run past a statue of William McGregor, the Villa man who founded the Football League.
· NARRATOR (V.O.): “Trophies gather dust. Records are broken. But a people’s passion? That is eternal. This is not just a story of a football club. This is the story of Aston Villa.”
Style:
· Cinematic, moody visuals. A color palette that shifts from sepia (history), to gritty 70s film (decline), vibrant 80s saturation (Rotterdam), and sleek, modern tones (the Emery era).
· Score: A mix of haunting post-punk (echoing Birmingham’s music scene), classical strings for history, and driving synth-wave for the modern comeback.
· Narrator: A iconic, respected voice with gravitas and warmth (e.g., someone like Helen Mirren or Brian Cox).
Logline: A century-and-a-half saga of one of England’s most storied football clubs, Aston Villa, tracing its journey from Victorian pioneers to European champions, through catastrophic decline and into a modern-day renaissance, told through the unwavering passion of its people.
Musa
