BASEBALL HAS BEEN VERY, VERY GOOD TO MOVIES

    Pitchers and catchers report! This clarion call from out of the depths of winter brings joy to the nation’s baseball fans. Last season the Dodgers won the World Series in a replay of memorable Series when I was a kid. Hated the Yankees. Loved Dem Bums. All in all, a memorable season with some new faces and some old familiar ones. 

There has never  been a movie that captures the speed and grace of baseball. Football, basketball and track all photograph better. Even soccer.  But Hollywood (and I) love baseball and there are lots of films that have a good feel for baseball's spirit.

These are my favorite baseball movies:

1. Field of Dreams  (1989). I absolutely love this wonderful film. It's the best thing Kevin Costner has ever done. James Earl Jones is splendid as the kidnaped writer and Ray Liotta's debut as Shoeless Joe is top notch. The magic of baseball and something of what it has meant to Americans is here, as well as the ridicule true believers in any magic must endure. When the players materialize out of the cornfield I always get goose bumps.

2. The Natural (1984). Larger than life and meant to be, this is the fable of the Great American Hero. Robert Redford has it down pat. OK, guys, maybe he is a little too pretty, but live with it. Glenn Close is the hero's dream of The Lady. The argument that Roy Hobbs' home runs are impossible is completely beside the point. 

3. Bull Durham (1988). The movie that made Durham Bulls memorabilia famous. As good as it gets in portraying the gritty, quirky world of minor league baseball. Susan Sarandon is just right (isn't she always?) as the ultimate fan, Kevin Costner is fine as Crash Davis, and a pleasantly awkward Tim Robbins is good as The Kid. Funny, touching, and lots of fun.

4. Pride of the Yankees (1942). Gary Cooper is more like Lou Gehrig than Gehrig was. The complete team player with the terminal disease that was named for him won't leave a dry eye in the house when the credits roll. “The luckiest man on the face of the earth”. Okay, he’s dying- but he got to play for the Yankees!

5. Bang the Drum Slowly (1973). Another doomed player; here a none-too-bright but engaging Robert DeNiro. He gets the puzzlement of "why me?" across really well.  The camaraderie of the players, and even their occasional meanness, seem right on the money. 

Close runners-up: Major League (1989) [inept but hilarious Cleveland wins pennant], The Stratton Story (1949) [one-armed Major League pitcher], and A League of Their Own (1992 ) girls playing professional baseball]. The last one gave us this memorable phrase from manager Tom Hanks: “There’s no crying in baseball”.

And a special Honorable Mention to Ken Burns' TV series Baseball, a nine-hour love story done as well as it could be.

All of the films in this column are available somewhere. Only Bull Durham is not suitable for all ages.

                                                                         Bridge Movies

                                                                        Part 2

     I couldn’t get all the good bridge movies into one column. So herewith another handful of movies about bridges. Are there any more? Probably, but these are all I could actually write about.     

    One of the best bridge movies connected to warfare is not about World War II. The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954) is set in the Korean war. A rare screen appearance by Princess (okay, later on) Grace Kelly helps a lot. William Holden, Mickey Rooney and Frederick March are also on board. American pilots are asked to undertake a perilous mission to knock out the bridges at Toko-Ri. They are stiffly defended by the communist forces as they connect North Korea and China. Their initial attack is a success but then they try a second target and disaster follows. 

Ice Bridge: The Impossible Journey (2018) is about an entirely different kind of bridge. In this made for TV documentary two archeologists set about to prove that Ice Age people crossed the frozen Atlantic from Europe to North America in a time before the Vikings or Columbus. Their discovery of an artifact on the Maryland Eastern Shore buttesses their somewhat novel claim. You can watch this and decide for yourself- I was sold!

The Bridges of Madison County (2015) provide the backdrop of a romantic encounter between Robert Kincaid (Clint Eastwood)  and Francesca Johnson (Meryl Streep) He is a photographer on assignment to photograph the covered bridges in Madison County, Iowa. His chance encounter with Francesca provide the sparks in a romantic film that was exremely popular. It also became a Broadway Musical. She is an Iowa housewife just okay in a marriage become almost platonic. Their brief affair almost bursts into flame and they nearly run away together, but she cannot abandon her teen-age children and faithful husband. Her kids discover her romantic story after her death. 

The Cassandra Crossing (1976) is a real nail biter with really big stars. Sophia Loren and Ava Gardner are the eye candy. Richard Harris, Martin Sheen and Burt Lancaster provide the testosterone level. Fearing the passengers on a train are infected with a deadly virus and should be quarantined, their train is changed to a perilous route that must cross the old and doubtful bridge to Poland. There are many conflicts among the scientists and soldiers and the ending is edge of your seat stuff. 

An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge (1962) is a French film of an American Civil War story. A southern Confederacy sympathizer and saboteur is captured by the Union forces and sentenced to be hanged from Owl Creek bridge. As he prepares himself for death, he has visions of his home, his wife and his children. When he is pushed off the bridge, the rope breaks, he falls into the river and swims to safety. I will not reveal the ending here. It astounded me!

All of the movies in this article are available for streaming somewhere. All are for grown-ups. 

                                                         Bridges

Bridges play a large part in lots of movies. Over 50 actually. Whew! That’s a lot. But Mr. Movie is here for fans of bridge movies (and movies in general). 

    Let’s start with the most famous and best bridge movie: 1957' Bridge on the River Kwai. This is as suspenseful as they get! And keep in mind that it was made before computers could make anything look real. The film won seven Oscars including Best Picture. It is considered a classic, one of the best movies ever made. Allied POWs are ordered by the Japanese to build a bridge across the River Kwai, linking Thailand and Burma. Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guiness), the ranking British officer, becomes obsessed with building the bridge, despite the fact that’s what the Japs want. Jack Warden, William Holden and James Donald are also in the cast and they very much don’t want the bridge to succeed. The movie’s last 15 minutes are slam-bang wonderful. And that’s all you’ll get from me!

In Bridge of Spies (2015) the bridge is important as the place where the Russians and Americans trade spies. Mark Rylance won his first Oscar as Rudolf Abel, the guy the Russians want back. Tom Hanks is on board as attorney James Donovan, taxed with the task of arranging the trade. American downed pilot Gary Powers is the other part of the swap. The film keeps you on pins and needles as it often seems the trade will never actually happen. 

    A Bridge Too Far (1977) was called by one reviewer A Movie Too Long. And it sure is long, weighting in at one minute short of three hours! But has an all-star cast and a story that is perhaps worth the time. It is the true story of Operation Market Garden, involving over 35,000 Allied troops being parachuted into the Netherlands. Their orders are to secure and hold various bridges. They are completely outnumbered but strive valiantly to fulfil their mission. 

The Bridge at Remagen (1969) is certainly shorter and another good story based on actual history.  Allied troops are assigned to secure the Remagen Bridge over the river Rhine to secure the march into Germany. Stiff resistance from the dug-in Germans make it an iffy situation. Geoge Segal, Robert Vaughn and Ben Gazzara are all quite good.

Brooklyn Bridge (1981) is a documentary by Ken Burns about the construction of the magnificent bridge across the East River, connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan  The construction began in 1890 and the bridge was opened in 1893. It was very controversial at the time .It was the first fixed bridge across the river and the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time. There were numerous deaths of workers on the project. As ever, Ken Burns knows how to make a documentary.

All of the movies in this article are available to stream somewhere. All are for adults. Next time even more bridge movies!

                                                        Joan Plowright

                                                         Part 2

Of course there are more good movies starring Dame Joan Plowright! And mosf of them are ensconced in this article.

I’m going to start with the last movie of hers of any note because a couple of readers have mentioned it. Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (2005) is just a wonderful film. Joan Plowright plays the title character, an elderly lady nearly forgotten by her own family and friends. She has an accidental fall outside the flat of Ludovic Meyer, a young writer. Their unlikely friendship ripens as the days go by and each discovers more things alike than not about the other. He leads her gently through her past and she inadvertently leads him to his future. 

The Dressmaker (1988) is one of those quiet little British dramas that seem to just get under your skin. Joan Plowright is Nellie and Billie Whitelaw is her sister Margo. The lead a somber existence in a small apartment, trying to guide their somewhat fragile niece who is having an affair with an American soldier. 

Avalon (1990) is one of Barry Levinson’s Baltimore films, and it is really good. The Kachinsky family are Polish Jewish immigrants who land in Baltimore and have various degrees of success. Joan Plowright is the matriarch, Eva, stuck with both feet in the past and refusing to acclimate herself to her new surroundings. When her daughter-in-law Ann (Elizabeth Perkins) learns to drive a car, Eva not only disdains the accomplishment but refuses to ride with her. She takes the streetcar instead. This is one of the best films about the immigrant experience in America. 

Joan got her only Oscar nomination for her acting in Enchanted April (1992). She lost to Marissa Tomei for My Cousin Vinny. Two English ladies, complete strangers to each other, decide to rent an Italian castle based on an ad they see in a travel magazine. They advertise for two more ladies to help share expenses and enjoy the castle and its surroundings. It would be hard to find four more mismatched women. Though some of their life stories intersect in interesting ways, most of them begin as total unknowns. As time goes by, their stories begin to meld in unforseen ways. By the end of the film, everyone has happily found her niche within the group and one senses they will be friends for life. 

There are many productions of Jane Eyre. The 1968 is as good as any, with William Hurt as Mr. Rochester, Anna Paquin as the young Jane, Charlotte Gainsbourg as the mature Jane, and Joan Plowright as Mrs. Fairfax. Jane is a poor orphan who escapes the dreadful orphanage to get a job as a governess. She is employed to take care of the unwanted daughter of Mr. Rochester. Mrs. Fairfax isn’t enchanted by Jane, but it turns out that Mr. Rochester has been paying attention. Jane sticks with him when he his luck turns really bad.

You can also see Joan to good advantage in the curious Tea With Mussolini (1999). All of the movies in this article are for grown-ups.  

                                                     Joan Plowright

    She was one of the Grand Dames of British entertainment, along with Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Eileen Atkins. Joan Plowright lived to the grand old age of 96 and we only recently lost her. Ms. Plowright famously married Lawrence Olivier but was never overshadowed by him. She was made a Dame in 2004 (that’s the same as Knighthood for us colonists). She won a Tony  for A Taste of Honey. Her movie resume’ is outstanding.

    Her first appearance of note came in The Entertainer (1960). It stars Lawrence Olivier as Archie Rice, a fading music hall entertainer trying to hang on. Joan Plowright is quite good- not as his wife, but as his daughter!. During this filming is probably when romance bloomed between the two. They married the next year. Olivier owns the thing, and was nominated for Oscar. It’s one (of many) of his best performances.

Uncle Vanya (1963) is one of Chekov’s biggest hits and is still performed quite often around the world. In this version, Olivier not only stars but directs. It is the filmed version of the stage play and critic Harold Hobson said it is “the admitted master achievement in British 20th century theater”. Wow, I guess he liked it! Joan Plowright is on board as Sonya and capably holds up her end. Unfortunately, this version appears almost impossible to find. 

As Masha, one of the Three Sisters (1970) in another Chekov masterpiece, Ms. Plowright is as good as it gets. She proves she could be good in a bad production. However, Olivier’s direction is simply not up to snuff and the movie suffers. The critics hated it and the audiences weren’t far behind.

Equus (1977) has always been a difficult play - and movie. A disillusioned psychiatrist tries to treat an adolescent boy who has terrible problems. The boy has blinded horses that were in his care as a stableboy. His bizzare explanation of the act doesn’t solve much. Peter Firth appears as the boy, Alan Strang, and Joan Plowright is cast as his mother, Dora. Richard Burton portrays the doctor. Burton was nominated for an Oscar as was Peter Firth. Both lost. Peter Shaffer was nominated for his screenplay but also lost. Audiences have wrestled with Equus through the years. Theories abound about its meaning. 

Drowning By Numbers (1988) is a grim (!) fairy tale about three women, all of whom drown their husbands. All are named Cissy Colpitts..Joan Plowright is the matriarch of the group. Juliet Stevenson plays her daughter and Joely Richardson portrays her niece. Numbers are central to the plot, with various numbers appearing at random intervals in random places. If this sounds like I don’t understand it, that’s because I don’t. I did think it was pretty good, though! 

All of the movies in this article are available for streaming somewhere, probably for a price. All are for grown-ups. Next time, more movies featuring the iconic Dame Joan. 

                                                                Hockey Movies

North Carolina is a hockey state! There- I’ve said it and I stand by it. I know, I know, this is the Sunny South. Well, Greensboro just got another minor league team- the Gargoyles! (Anyone else remember the Generals?) And we have our own NHL team, the Hurricanes, who actually won the Stanley Cup in 2006 . So- movies about hockey? Many are made, few are chosen. I have three really good ones and three for the penalty box.    

Let’s start with the very best. Miracle On Ice (1981) is not only the best hockey movie ever made, it’s one of the very best sports movies. In the 1980 Winter Olympics the USA team faced off against the Soviet Union. The Americans were college kids, being coached by the University of Minnesota chief. The kids from America tie favored Sweden, then defeat Czechoslovakia, Norway, Romania and West Germany, to get into the medal round. Then come the heavily favored Russians, who haven’t lost a game in four Olympics. The Russians were consummate pros, able to best most NHL teams. Somehow these kids knock of the Russkis and then go on to beat Finland for the gold medal. This version features Karl Malden as American coach Herb Brooks. Then we have Miracle (2004) with Kurt Russell as Brooks. Which version is better? I really can’t choose. I loved both!

The other really good hockey movie is Slap Shot (1977). It’s about a scrappy down-at-the heels minor league hockey team- the Chiefs- led by Reggie Dunlop (Paul Newman). The team is not a local favorite in the Rust Belt city, which is even more down than the team. But Reggie hires some really questionable players whose chief talent is brutalizing the other team. The town loves it! And the team begins to succeed on the ice and at the gate. The team lands in the league championship game against a Syracuse team with even meaner goons than the Chiefs. But nobody out fights the Chiefs and they force Syracuse into an act requiring their disqualification. Jennifer Warren portrays Reggie’s estranged wife Francine. Lindsay Crouse is quite good as Reggie’s other love interest, Lily Braden. There are at least two sequels. No Paul Newman, Lindsay Crouse or Jennifer Warren, and they are pretty awful. 

Mystery, Alaska (1999) does have Burt Reynolds and Russell Crowe. And not much else. Somehow a local amateur hockey team convinces the New York Rangers to come to their town for a game. Local politics are the main plot thread, not hockey.

The Mighty Ducks (1992) is about a peewee hockey team being coached by a guy doing it as community service after a driving drunk conviction. And there are at least two sequels which are, okay, no worse. Incredibly, the Mighty Ducks name is adopted by a real NHL team based in Anaheim, California. You cannot make this stuff up!

The first two and the last film are fine for all ages. The rest are for grown-ups. All are probably available somewhere, and probably are not free. 

                                               Movies into Broadway Musicals

                                                               Part 2

Were a few movies later made into Broadway Musicals? Why, yes. It’s a very limited category and in this article we’ll exhaust the possibilities. Usually, of course, it’s the other way around- dozens of Broadway Musicals have been made into movies. The flip side not so much. This rounds up most of the rest of them.

Billie Elliott (2002) is a charming movie about an English lad who dreams of becoming a ballet dancer. He chances to see a ballet class and is smitten. His miner Dad and older brother are not exactly encouraging. But a teacher sees his talent and helps him to perform with the Royal Ballet. He appears as the swan in Swan Lake, wowing the audience and critics. By way of the West End Theater, Australia and finally Broadway musical in 2008, the play is a hit Asked what he feels like while dancing, Billy says it “feels like electricity:.

Waitress (2007) is about women who work hard at their trade and some of the customers they wait on.  Jenna (Kerri Russell) is a talented baker trapped in a loveless marriage. She is famous for her unique pies with unique names, like Bad Bay Pie. She longs to gather enough money to leave the dreadful Earl and hopes to win a pie contest to help that dream. Andy Griffith almost steals this movie as Joe, the curmudgeon owner of the diner where Jenna works. There’s an extremely unlikely but happy ending. While there’s no music in the movie, Waitress was made into a very successful Broadway Musical, running for over four years.

Legally Blonde (2001) stars Reese Witherspoon as Elle, Big Woman On Campus. When her boyfriend gets into Harvard Law School, she decides to follow. It turns out that this seemingly ditzy blonde is smart as hell, knocks the admissions people on ther butt, and is obriously headed for an outstanding legal career. A Broadway Musical followed as spring follows winter. Opening to mixed reviews in 2007 it nevertheless was nominated for seven Tonys, but didn’t win any. There are sequels to avoid.

Moulin Rouge (1952) and (2001) is about the famous Paris night spot and the denizens who go there. The main focus is on Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, a monmentally talented painter whose hobbles around on legs that just don’t work. He was injured in a fall as a child and never healed. He paints the characters in the night club, mainly the dancing girls. On his death bed his father informs him that his paintings will be exhibited in the Louvre. No music here. This film was nominated for six Oscars, but won only for technical categories. Another version follows in 2001, with a completely different story and with lots of music. This one received eiight Oscar nominations, again winning only on the technical side. There followed a Broadway musical based on the newer movie in 2019. This version won ten Tonys, including Best Musical.

One final double: The Band’s Visit (2007), about an Egyptian band touring and getting lost in Israel. It was made into a very successful musical in 2017. 

All of the movies in this article are available somewhere for a price. Only Billy is fine for kids.