The greatest of them all

Rating: 8/10 (8 April 2019)

Bernard Malamud's novel about baseball and lost opportunities in life was written
in 1952 but finally got to the big screen in 1984. Robert Redford is our protagonist Roy Hobbs who missed his big opportunity to have a career following
a shooting incident. 16 years later at an age when players are retiring he gets
signed as a rookie for the New York Knights (Giants) and becomes a Joe Hardy
like sensation.
Like Joe Hardy there's some deviltry at work in the form of Robert Prosky the
team owner in league with Arnold Rothstein like bookmaker Darren McGavin
who want to bet against the fast rising Knights powered by Redford.
The film has a real baseball feel to it and Malamud dipped into baseball lore
to come up with his characters. Joe Don Baker as The Whammer is a not too
veiled portrayal of Babe Ruth. Michael Madsen who crashes into the outfield
wall and fractures a skull is based on Dodger outfielder Pete Reiser who ended
his career though not fatally with too many encounters with Ebbets Field's
outfield wall. Hobbs himself as we see him practicing in the Iowa cornfield
is Bob Feller no doubt.
The Natural is impeccably cast besides those mentioned there is Robert Duvall
the sportswriter who both eventually remember where he saw Redford before
and who smells a rat in the pennant race. His character is based on legendary
sportswriter Hugh Fullerton who discovered the Black Sox scandal. Wilford
Brimley is the crusty old manager of the Knights and Richard Farnsworth his
coach.
For a change women in this baseball movie got some roles of substance. Barbara Hershey is brief but memorable as a deranged baseball groupie who
shoots Redford in the abdomen, said incident based on the shooting of Phillies
first baseman Eddie Waitkus. Kim Basinger plays another baseball groupie,
a temptress to lead Redford astray. And Glenn Close got a Supporting Actress
nomination as his faithful girlfriend.
The Natural got other nominations for Best Music Score, Art Direction, and
Cinematography.
Redford looked pretty good on the field, a lot better than Gary Cooper for
instance playing Lou Gehrig. The Natural takes its place among the great
films about baseball.