Revere filmmaker scores big with his brilliant documentary on ‘64 football season
By Cary Shuman
As Brandon Brito’s memory-stirring documentary, “Unbeaten: The Beach City Boys of 1964,” was heading toward its dramatic finish at a private screening inside the Rumney Marsh Academy auditorium Saturday night, the cheers and applause began in earnest.
For Brito had taken the audience of players from that unforgettable team of 60 years ago, their families, friends, and even the current-day RHS gridsters in attendance on an emotional 90-minute journey when high school football was king in this city and Saturday afternoons belonged to the great Silvio Cella and the “Beach City Boys,” as the talented filmmaker calls them in the title of his work.
Brito knows first-hand the power of high school sports as a unifying force. He excelled on the field himself for the Revere Patriots, acquiring life’s lessons from his coaches such as Lou Cicatelli and setting the foundation for his matriculation (and ultimately his degree in Film Studies) from Boston College, one of the most prestigious institutions in the nation.
The ’64 players immediately sought out Brito after the screening to basically say, “Thank you,” for rekindling their greatest high school memories of that “unbeaten” season.
There were emotional scenes during the player interviews in the film such as when star running back Paul Nuell apologized to his teammates for being declared ineligible and causing the team to have to forfeit all its victories heading into a titanic showdown against undefeated Winthrop in the Thanksgiving game.
But the controversy around Nuell – who had some breathtaking runs throughout the season – only affirmed the resilience and togetherness of the team and made this season even greater. For Coach Cella gathered his devastated team in the days leading up to the final game and it regrouped and went out and beat Winthrop, 8-0, on a touchdown by Bill Cintolo in the final seconds before an overflow crowd at Paul Revere Stadium. In the film, fans are seen standing on the high platform in front of the stadium scoreboard to get a view of the action.
The greatness of the Del Gaizos
Through his intensive research and information-gathering for the film, Brito was able to show films of all but one game (a victory over perennial powerhouse Lynn Classical) in his documentary. What those films reaffirmed was that quarterback Jim Del Gaizo was a football legend in the making at the helm of Revere’s explosive offense. Considered state’s best high school quarterback at the time and certainly part of the most dynamic twin-brother passing combination in America with his brother, captain John Del Gaizo, at tight end (and the equally superb Paul Drover at the other receiving post), Jim Del Gaizo displayed talent, poise, confidence and a strong and accurate left arm (he was bound for NFL immortality as a member of the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins) that jumped off the screen in Brito’s documentary.
Praise from the players
The players knew they had seen something very special in Brito’s masterful work.
“I’m overjoyed with the gentleman [Brandon Brito] that took the time out of his busy life to capture and reflect upon the success of the unbeaten 1964 team,” said Victor Mancini, who set up the game-winning touchdown versus Winthrop with a pass reception from Jim Del Gaizo. “He’s not only been a master producer, but he’s done something for the whole team of 1964 that will be memorialized in the historical records of the Revere Historical Society. He captured the essence of what this team was like and what it was like to play football for Silvio Cella.”
“Right now, my father is probably crying, because I was crying in my seat,” said Mike Cella, son of Silvio Cella, who was in the ninth grade during the 1964 season. “The film was done so perfectly and it was so collectively great by the guys who were in it. Like Victor said, Brandon captured the essence of what it was to play ball in the City of Revere back in that time.”
Said a grateful Bill Cintolo, who went on to play football at Rutgers, “I thought Brandon did a very nice job. The documentary captured the team, the time, and it showed that football is a game, but it’s a lesson in life. And if you take it as a lesson in life, you’ll never go wrong.”
A message from Mayor Keefe
Revere Mayor Patrick Keefe was unable to attend the screening (he was in Oklahoma to watch his son, Patrick Keefe III, graduate from U.S. Army Basic Training) but he relayed a video message expressing his gratitude to Brito and his plaudits to the 1964 RHS football team.
“Brandon Brito, we really thank you for putting this documentary together,” said Keefe. “The 1964 unbeaten Beach City Boys showed this community what resilience really means. We cannot thank you enough for what you’ve done for our community, and we can’t wait to see this on the big screen.”
Thoughts from the filmmaker
Brandon Brito was pleased by the positive reaction to his film.
“I think the audience really enjoyed the film,” said Brito humbly. “I’m going to take the feedback in stride and I’m going to use the time within the next couple of weeks to make it even better before I release the film to the public. This is a story that needs to be told for many reasons. Not only is it nostalgic for the people that were involved with that team, but my hope is that it’s something that motivates the kids and athletes in Revere. Hopefully, a story like this is something that can uplift some spirits.”
