Soul of the Game

Jackie Robinson: "How old _is_ he?"
Lahoma Paige: "Not a day older than he has to be."

release year: 1996
genre: baseball drama
viewing setting: home DVD 6/10/22

synopsis: In 1945, existing and future Negro League stars vie for the chance to break baseball's color barrier.

impressions: The more recent 42 may be better-known and more successful, but this came first. It's the story of three players: Satchel Paige (a dominant pitcher, but past his prime), Josh Gibson (a slugging catcher, in his prime but facing health problems), and Jackie Robinson (a young soon-to-be-star second baseman, who's the one actually chosen to play in the major leagues.) I don't know if the relationships between these three, as shown here, were real, but the film does a great job of showing these players' talents and fame, the challenges they faced, and their perspectives on what it would be like to be the first black player in the major leagues. I loved it.

acting: Delroy Lindo does an outstanding job as the flamboyant Paige. Mykelti Williamson also turns in a strong performance as the troubled Gibson, whose health may have suffered from being held back from competing in the majors. Blair Underwood is good as a young, somewhat naive (but still best-positioned to change history) Robinson. Edward Herrmann is Branch Rickey, the team owner who had the guts to make this happen.

final word: Great, fun baseball movie showing a side of things that most people don't really know about.

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