The Natural (1984)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Barry Levinson

Writers:

Bernard Malamud (novel)
Roger Towne (writer) ...

Release Date:

11 May 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sport

Tagline:

The best there was!

Plot:

An average baseball player comes out of seemingly nowhere to become a legendary player with almost divine talent.

Plot Keywords:

Baseball | Tree | 1930s | Lightning | Team

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Robert Redford	...	Roy Hobbs
Glenn Close	...	Iris Gaines
Kim Basinger	...	Memo Paris
Wilford Brimley	...	Pop Fisher
Barbara Hershey	...	Harriet Bird
Robert Prosky	...	The Judge
Richard Farnsworth	...	Red Blow
Joe Don Baker	...	The Whammer
John Finnegan	...	Sam Simpson
Alan Fudge	...	Ed Hobbs
Paul Sullivan Jr.	...	Young Roy
Rachel Hall	...	Young Iris
Robert Rich III	...	Ted Hobbs
Michael Madsen	...	Bartholomew 'Bump' Bailey
Jon Van Ness	...	John Olsen

Runtime:

134 min | USA:144 min (Director's Cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Norway:12 | Iceland:L | Argentina:Atp | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Sweden:7 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:6 | Australia:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

All-High Stadium - 50 Mercer Avenue, Buffalo, New York, USA

Company:

Delphi II Productions

Trivia:

While the story is an adaptation of the book by Bernard Malamud the plot has been changed for movie to be more "uplifting". Several characters and symbols are heavily influenced by the writings of Homer and Greek mythology: - the line, "Have you ever read Homer?" - Roy Hobbs = Odysseus (trying to "find his way" [home]) - Max Mercy = Vulcan, God of Fire and Forging (he can "make or break you" and always seen in Red/Brown clothing) - Pop Fisher = Zeus, King of the Gods (his uniform is #1 and both the oak tree and lightning bolt a la the Wonderboy bat are his symbols) - The Judge = Hades, God of the Underworld (always in the dark a.k.a. death, and the dead were "judged" in the underworld) - Memo Paris = Kalypso, a sea nymph (she held and distracted Odysseus from returning home; Odysseus had an affair with her). Kalypso means "I will conceal" in Greek - Iris Gaines = Penelope, wife of Odysseus (his true love from whom he was separated for 20 years while she raised their son)

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When years later Hobbs makes just "one" pitch at the end of practice, ...the ball zooms across the plate and lodges into the net behind. You can clearly see a string attached to the ball as it lodges into the net.

Quotes:

Pop Fisher: People don't start playing ball at your age, they retire!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Boffo! Tinseltown's Bombs and Blockbusters (2006)

Soundtrack:

STAR SPANGLED BANNER

The Ultimate Sports Fantasy Movie

This is THE classic sports-Walter Mitty-fantasy movie, with an ending that may seem corny to cynical critics or those who prefer the book, but was perfect for me and a lot of other people.

Granted, I am a little biased in my review since the movie was made in the area in which grew up. Having made many trips to the ballpark in which the movie was filmed, and to the old-fashioned soda shoppe where Robert Redford and Glenn Close re-unite, this movie was special to all of us in Western New York. It always a kick, too, (and a bit odd) to watch the final scene since the opposing pitcher is a personal friend.

I think I would have loved this movie regardless of the "home-field advantage." It's an interesting, involving story that has you really rooting for Redford's character. To have actors like Close, Robert Duvall, Richard Farnsworth, Kim Basinger, Wilfred Brimley, Darren McGavin, Barabara Hershey, Robert Prosky, Joe Don Baker and others in the "lineup" doesn't hurt, either!

The cinematography is beautiful, too. That was something I never really appreciated until after several viewings. There are some wonderfully subdued brown and golden hues in here. This is very pretty motion picture.

All the characters - the good and the bad, and there are plenty of both - are fascinating. It's also nice to see an actor in a baseball film that actually knows how to throw, hit and field a baseball. This is a great, old-fashioned storytelling.