42- Barriers Against Racial Discrimination Fall Well ****

Rating: 10/10 (8 February 2014)

The film takes place in 1947 when Dodger General Manager Branche Rickey takes a big gamble by signing Jackie Robinson to a Dodger contract in major league baseball.
While this is a very good film, I was somewhat disappointed by the performance of Chadwick Bosnan as Robinson. When the real Jackie Robinson spoke, it was as if pearls of wisdom descended from that mouth. His speech clearly showed the intellectual capacity he had amassed from graduating from UCLA. Bosnan shows none of that.
As Rickey, Harrison Ford was outstanding and it is truly surprising that he doesn't appear on this year's Oscar nominee list for best supporting actor.
The film is excellent because it shows how the Dodger players went from signing a petition against Robinson to where they coalesced around him.
The shocking behavior of fans in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati are shown, and Philadelphia manager Ben Chapman comes off as a disgusting racist.
A wonderful film depicting social upheaval in the United States.