Dudley filmmaker Marcus Distant on bringing footballer Duncan Edwards' life story to the screen

It was filmmaker Marcus Distant’s dream to pay homage to one of the Black Country’s most famous sons.

But he also wants the story of how Duncan Edwards rose from humble beginnings to become one of the greatest footballers ever to play for England to inspire the nation.

“Duncan means the world to people in Dudley and the Black Country.

“We’ve got this great icon who is loved by everyone and who can be an inspiration to us all by teaching us that anything in life is possible as long as you are willing to work hard towards your dreams,” says Marcus.

He has directed the short-film Duncan Edwards – The Boy Who Had It All telling the story of how Duncan famously lived on the town’s Priory Estate and signed for Manchester United as a teenager.

The footballer would go on to make 177 appearances for the Red Devils, scoring 21 goals and playing his part in two league title wins in the mid to late 1950s.

He also won 18 caps for England, netting five times for the national side and was once famously described by former team-mate and best friend Sir Bobby Charlton as ‘the only player who made me feel inferior’.

Duncan was notorious for being one of the hugely successful Busby Babes, the young United team formed under manager Matt Busby in the mid-1950s.

And tragically, he was one of eight players who died as a result of the Munich air disaster on February 6, 1958, along with flight crew, club staff, journalists and other passengers. Duncan was just 21 when he died in Germany, 15 days after the crash following an heroic fight for life.

There were 21 survivors including fellow Manchester United legend Sir Bobby Charlton, who had shared the same digs as Duncan in Manchester and during National Service when they were based at Nesscliff Barracks near Shrewsbury.

“Duncan didn’t get his fair share of life, it was cut short. But many people say he was one of the greatest footballers that ever lived,” says Dudley-born Marcus.

He has his own personal connection to the iconic footballer, as Duncan once babysat for his uncle John Ball and other members of the family.

The University of Wolverhampton graduate is now counting down the days until his short film honouring the Manchester United player is shown in their home town on February 24 – one of a number of tributes to the former footballer taking place this year.

But first the 30-year-old will travel to Northern Ireland for the first screening of The Boy Who Had It All since its world premiere at Old Trafford in October.

The film, which is being shown at the Ritz Multiplex in Cookstown tomorrow, has attracted interest around the world with a premiere in Norway also in the pipeline.

Marcus also has plans to enter it the Short Film Corner at Cannes in May as well as the Los Angeles Shorts International Film Festival in August and the prestigious Raindance Film Festival in London in September. Before getting started on the project, Marcus, whose day job sees him working at a metal recycling firm, had to gather together a dedicated cast and crew together as well as raise money to fund the production costs.

He turned to crowdfunding website Kickstarter to generate the £5,800 needed and appealed to people to back the project, saying: “His death at the heartbreaking age of 21 led to Duncan becoming somewhat of a mythical figure, but we would like to show a small slice of the reality of his life.”

Marcus also spent a year thoroughly researching Duncan’s life in great detail to ensure he would be giving his audience an accurate picture of his childhood and the start of his footballing career.

“I realised there were very few films about Duncan Edwards even though he was so talented. It was a story that needed to be told,” Marcus tells us.

Filming the 15-page script began at the end of 2016 with scenes shot at locations around Dudley including the town’s former museum in St James’s Road, Dudley Cemetery on Stourbridge Road and the Black Country Living Museum.

“The film starts off a bit like Titanic, in the ‘present’, and then goes back in time,” explains Marcus.

The world premiere took place at the home of Manchester United on October 1, which would have been Duncan’s 81st birthday.

Keen screenwriter Marcus says he is delighted to finally see his hard work to come to fruition and tells us that it will be a proud moment when the film is screened at the Dudley Archives and Local History centre later this month.

“It has taken two years from the initial concept to finishing the film. It was fantastic to have the world premiere at Old Trafford and I’m over the moon to be showing it in Dudley.