citrin@ucbvax.UUCP (Wayne Citrin) (04/23/84)
I just saw "The Natural" last night. It's a beautiful baseball fable with mythological overtones. You can look at it as just a sappy baseball story, or as a story of a struggle between good and evil, but I found that I enjoyed it most as a depiction of baseball as a quasi-religious festival. (See the film and you'll see what I mean.) Don't expect realism in the characterizations or the situations. (That's not what legends are about.) The film is about an immensely talented baseball player in the 1920's and '30's who gets and loses his chance to make it big and then gets another chance many years later. They've changed some things from the Malamud novel, but that's all I'm saying about that. Redford gives a very reserved performance as the ballplayer, only letting us know what we need to know about the character and letting us fill in the rest. Also in the solid cast are Robert Duvall as a sportswriter, Barbara Hershey, Kim Basinger, and Glenn Close as the women in Redford's life, Richard Farnsworth (of The Grey Fox) as a coach, and Darren McGavin (in an uncredited role) as a bookie. The photography is excellent, and the baseball scenes are the best I've ever seen. The film is somewhat manipulative, but I don't mind that if I enjoy the feeling. I give this one ***1/2 (out of ****) but I think you have to be a baseball fan to really enjoy it. Wayne Citrin (ucbvax!citrin)
gmf@uvacs.UUCP (05/15/84)
I found "The Natural" embarrassingly corny. Presumably the
idea was to use baseball to present an allegory of good over evil,
and middle-age over lack of youth. But the evils were so evil, and
the goods so good, and the plot so stereotyped and predictable, the
result was a melodrama of the kind where one hisses out loud at the
villains and cheers for the hero. Come to think of it, maybe this
is what was intended. Too bad they don't serve beer in our movie
houses, and let us make noises. Actually, I said "bloated capitalist"
and "My God, what evil" when the "Judge" was on screen, drawing an evil
look from the enchanted customer in front of me. I expected him to
report me for communism. I also whispered to my wife, "It's a steal
from Beckett -- Godot of Sunnybrook Farm", and said, "It had to be!"
when they produced a short fat guy named "Pop Fisher". But this last
may have been because I am a short fat guy named Fisher of an age when
I might be called Pop (though I never have been, to my knowledge),
and my daughter was with us at the movie.
Still, the photography was outstanding, as someone has said already,
and Redford and some of the others do great acting.
Gordon Fisherlipp@mariah.DEC (Nicki Lipp - DTN 522-2320) (07/02/84)
<Take some popcorn!> I haven't seen very many reviews about "The Natural", so I thought I'd put in my opinion. I thought it was a great movie!! It had a definite plot with a lot of twists and surprises. I have to admit that it was difficult at first to believe Robert Redford (closing in on 50) playing the part of a baseball player in his twenties and later in his thirties. The acting was good and the music was great, along with the cinemantography (sp) I highly recommend this movie, especially for those who admire baseball. It was well worth the $4.00! Enjoy, Nicki Lipp dec-mariah Colorado Springs
CIThomas.PA@XEROX.ARPA (07/07/84)
Yes, I also saw The Natural. It was Okay. It's very corny, but the plot is kindof interesting and not at all what you would expect. This is not one of Redford's better role's, but there are some moments when he's everything you expect him to be. Overall, I liked the movie. The photography was great and there are times when a corny movie is exactly what I am in the mood for. I guess this one caught me at the right time. ~Carol I. Thomas