RIP Robert Redford

[Bubbler]

"The Natural" for deeply-steeped baseball historians (or those like me interested in its history) required a lot of suspense of disbelief, like "knocking the cover off the ball." (I guess that would have to be a ground rule double?)

But man, it set the predicate for a lot of baseball movies (serious and otherwise) to follow, like "Bull Durham" and "Major League." Mainly the interaction between an aging player and the superannuated manager.

Even as a kid, I thought the “knocking the cover off the ball” was over the top.

But then this happened …



So I defer to Roy Hobbs.

 

[Bubbler]

I have a deep appreciation for “The Natural”, but not because of how accurately it depicts baseball, its story (OK, but not mind-blowing), the characters (in my mind, the movie never really gets me to care whether Roy Hobbs reconnects with his old flame or not) or some treatise on being above or dragged down into corruption.

I like “The Natural” because few movies in any genre better depict the intoxicating drug that is wonderment.

In several scenes - the cover coming off the ball, the clock getting shattered, the finale - these are the moments you hope to have as a sports fan. You might get them, you might not, but you dream of them.

The movie synthesized it into one “legend”, but Roy Hobbs represents the experiences we seek from sports. That adrenaline rush, that sense of tribalism and community pride, that feeing of good fortune when you know your team has that one phenom.

In this sense, baseball is just a canvas. “The Natural”, if you think about it, could use any sport to tell its story.

Baseball, though, works best because creates these singular moments, and often, from players who have a hot moment in the sun or just happen to be in the right place at the right time.

Baseball is the ultimate game of failure, so we yearn for those who master the failure, if only for a little bit. It’s a perfect sport to depict wonderment, which then produces passion. Soccer can also do this, but baseball is where more chances are given to the individual to produce wonderment.

Add to that the already-mentioned and wonderful cinematography and the best thing Randy Newman ever did with the rousing score and “The Natural” cuts right to the core of why we live for this ****.

Even if sports more often produces heartbreak, anger, or most frequently, just a mundane existence that mirrors our own, “The Natural” demonstrated what we dream about. For that, I will always appreciate it, and Redford with it.

 

[DanOregon]

The odd thing about The Natural was the book was written as satire by Malamud. The filmmakers made the movie literal.

 

[Bubbler]

The odd thing about The Natural was the book was written as satire by Malamud. The filmmakers made the movie literal.

The book vs. movie thing? Never really cared.

Much like “The Shining”, the movie is its own thing, using the story as a jumping off point.

Some people hate that, but I take those on a case-by-case basis.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

I have a deep appreciation for “The Natural”, but not because of how accurately it depicts baseball, its story (OK, but not mind-blowing), the characters (in my mind, the movie never really gets me to care whether Roy Hobbs reconnects with his old flame or not) or some treatise on being above or dragged down into corruption.

I like “The Natural” because few movies in any genre better depict the intoxicating drug that is wonderment.

In several scenes - the cover coming off the ball, the clock getting shattered, the finale - these are the moments you hope to have as a sports fan. You might get them, you might not, but you dream of them.

The movie synthesized it into one “legend”, but Roy Hobbs represents the experiences we seek from sports. That adrenaline rush, that sense of tribalism and community pride, that feeing of good fortune when you know your team has that one phenom.

In this sense, baseball is just a canvas. “The Natural”, if you think about it, could use any sport to tell its story.

Baseball, though, works best because creates these singular moments, and often, from players who have a hot moment in the sun or just happen to be in the right place at the right time.

Baseball is the ultimate game of failure, so we yearn for those who master the failure, if only for a little bit. It’s a perfect sport to depict wonderment, which then produces passion. Soccer can also do this, but baseball is where more chances are given to the individual to produce wonderment.

Add to that the already-mentioned and wonderful cinematography and the best thing Randy Newman ever did with the rousing score and “The Natural” cuts right to the core of why we live for this ****.

Even if sports more often produces heartbreak, anger, or most frequently, just a mundane existence that mirrors our own, “The Natural” demonstrated what we dream about. For that, I will always appreciate it, and Redford with it.

Well ... damn ... that's the best thing I've read about that movie. Ever.

 

[dixiehack]

I saw a little bit of The Natural. Only Robert Redford movie I’ve seen to my knowledge.

Let’s just say the plot didn’t suck me in.

 

[micropolitan guy]

I saw a little bit of The Natural. Only Robert Redford movie I’ve seen to my knowledge.

Let’s just say the plot didn’t suck me in.

You are missing out on a lot of very good movies.

 

[dixiehack]

I probably am. I’ve just not seen many movies since I was a kid. My stack of “You should watch this.” films stretches to the clouds.

 

[Here me roar]

I watched The Natural last night. It's not a good movie. I said what I said.

 

[poindexter]

I saw a little bit of The Natural. Only Robert Redford movie I’ve seen to my knowledge.
ur week
Let’s just say the plot didn’t suck me in.

I watched The Natural last night. It's not a good movie. I said what I said.

I'll go one step further. I don't like any of the big baseball movies. Too schmaltzy for me. Romanticize the sport too much. "Wanna have a catch?"-blechhh

But to not watch any Redford movies? The Sting? All the President's Men?
Hell, just take 2 hours out of your week and watch 3 Days of the Condor. You will not be disappointed.

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

Not watching All The President’s Men or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid … I mean, it’s a choice.

Seeing Butch and Sundance as a kid led to a fascination with the old and new west that led me in several interesting directions, one of which led to a very involved term paper in college. (And a sequel to it when CNN went looking for Butch’s grave in South America and found neither Butch nor Sundance in the ground there.)

 

[Here me roar]

I've seen many Redford movies, just not The Natural till now.

 

[Bubbler]

Watching “The Natural” now. I can understand why someone wouldn’t like it. I don’t like it for its plot, characters, etc.

I also think the Bump Bailey death, which is also in the book, is a very asinine deus ex machina. It almost drags the movie down single-handedly it’s so abrupt.

However, I still love it for the reasons cited in the original post … it perfectly portrays the wonderment of sports.

 

[Jake from State Farm]

When you read Malamud the idea of Roy knocking the cover off the ball is very dramatic. It loses something in the transition to film

 

[Chet Lemon]

I think they pulled off the Bump thing pretty well, all things considered. It’s essentially played for laughs, with the news reel footage followed directly by back to baseball action. Bump was kind of a d-bag - Madsen is so good in that role - and the news reel gives him the cliched hero treatment. I think the movie knows it’s kind of a silly plot device, and is winking at us.

 

[micropolitan guy]

Watching “The Natural” now. I can understand why someone wouldn’t like it. I don’t like it for its plot, characters, etc.

I also think the Bump Bailey death, which is also in the book, is a very asinine deus ex machina. It almost drags the movie down single-handedly it’s so abrupt.

However, I still love it for the reasons cited in the original post … it perfectly portrays the wonderment of sports.

For me it's worth watching just for the scenes filmed in War Memorial Stadium, where my dad, myself and about 1500 other die-hards frequently watched the Bisons futilely play as an affiliate of the hopeless 1960s Mets, Senators and Expos.

 

[outofplace]

The odd thing about The Natural was the book was written as satire by Malamud. The filmmakers made the movie literal.

The book is such a drag. I see why they had to change it for the movie.