The Natural (1984)
6.899 /10
645 Reviews
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An unknown middle-aged batter named Roy Hobbs with a mysterious past appears out of nowhere to take a losing 1930s baseball team to the top of the league.
Videos & Photos
cast
... Roy Hobbs
... Max Mercy
... Iris Gaines
... Memo Paris
... Pop Fisher
User reviews
The Wonder of Wonderboy.
The Natural is directed by Barry Levinson and adapted to screenplay by Roger Towne & Phil Dusenberry from the novel written by Bernard Malamud. It stars Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger, Wilford Brimley, Barbara Hershey, Robert Prosky and Richard Farnsworth. Music is by Randy Newman and cinematography by Caleb Deschanel.
The Natural is a wistful sports movie, one that asks every person who views it to buy into the whimsy and mythologising on show. If able to do that then it's a film of beguiling beauty, awash with strength of the human spirit and of luscious technical credits. The Arthurian core to Roy Hobbs' (Redford a superb presence yet calmness personified) second chance ensures we always know this is fanciful stuff, but that's just fine, we are in Field of Dreams territory here and fans of such fare are rewarded royally. Period art design, photography and musical score are grade "A", snuggling up nicely with a support cast to Redford that is of high end proportions. If it's in you and you know what sort of film to expect, you may well, come the end, be punching the air whilst having a tear in your eye. Lovely film making. 8.5/10
Director:
Genres:
Release Date:
1984-05-11
Run Time:
137 min
MMPA Rating:
PG
Reviews of
The Natural
The Wonder of Wonderboy.
The Natural is directed by Barry Levinson and adapted to screenplay by Roger Towne & Phil Dusenberry from the novel written by Bernard Malamud. It stars Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger, Wilford Brimley, Barbara Hershey, Robert Prosky and Richard Farnsworth. Music is by Randy Newman and cinematography by Caleb Deschanel.
The Natural is a wistful sports movie, one that asks every person who views it to buy into the whimsy and mythologising on show. If able to do that then it's a film of beguiling beauty, awash with strength of the human spirit and of luscious technical credits. The Arthurian core to Roy Hobbs' (Redford a superb presence yet calmness personified) second chance ensures we always know this is fanciful stuff, but that's just fine, we are in Field of Dreams territory here and fans of such fare are rewarded royally. Period art design, photography and musical score are grade "A", snuggling up nicely with a support cast to Redford that is of high end proportions. If it's in you and you know what sort of film to expect, you may well, come the end, be punching the air whilst having a tear in your eye. Lovely film making. 8.5/10
Many, many years ago when I was a bit of a sports fan, I remember reading stories about scouts who had seen athletes in the olden days like Roy Hobbs. Players who could hit a ball a mile or throw a hundred mile per hour fastball, but who never made it to the big league for some reason. But of course, this movie is based on a novel by Bernard Malamud, though there are hints of actual events here and there.
It is an entertaining movie, presenting baseball as America’s game and therefore, ultimately, above corruption. It has an old timey feel, perhaps even older than the 1939 setting that is presented. The movie is less gloomy than the book, and I guess the purists don’t like that, but for me, life is gloomy enough and the mood and ending were just fine with me. (And I did read the book.) Since actual events and people from bygone days are cleaned up and mythologized for our history books, why get upset when fictional stories are purified with a rose colored lens?
Cast & Crew of
The Natural
Cast
... Roy Hobbs
... Max Mercy
... Iris Gaines
... Memo Paris
... Pop Fisher
... Harriet Bird
... The Judge
... Red Blow
... The Whammer
... Bump Bailey
... Sam Simpson
... Ed Hobbs
... Al Fowler
... Boone
... Doc Dizzy
... John Olsen
... Coach Wilson
... Bobby Savoy
... Young Roy
... Young Iris
... Pirates Manager
... Ali's Customer
... Newsreel Presenter
... Ted Hobbs
... Hank Benz
... Emil LaJong
... Allie Stubbs
... Gabby Laslow
... Cal Baker
... Pat McGee
... Tommy Hinkle
... Dutch Schultz
... Murphy
... Additional Knight
... Additional Knight
... Additional Knight
... Additional Knight
... Additional Knight
... Additional Knight
... Additional Knight
... Additional Knight
... Additional Knight
... Additional Knight
... Pitcher Youngberry
... Pitcher John Rhoades
... Umpire Augie
... Umpire Babe
... Memorial Game Umpire
... Final Game Home Plate Umpire
... Al
... Al's Customer
... Carnival Boy
... Home Plate Photographer
... Maid at Party
... League Official
... Dr. Knobb
... Hospital Doctor
... Stern Nurse
... Newsreel Narrator (voice)
... Extra (uncredited)
... Wrigley Field Spectator (uncredited)
... Young Roy Hobbs (uncredited)
... Ballroom Dancer (uncredited)
... Additional Knight (uncredited)
... Teen on Railroad Track at Carnival (uncredited)
... Baseball Fan (uncredited)
... Baseball Crowd (uncredited)
... Fan in stands at War Memorial & All-High Stadium (uncredited)
... One of Gus' Girls (uncredited)
... Gus Sands (uncredited)
... Young Fan in Driving Cap (uncredited)
... Baseball Fan (uncredited)
... Cubs Pitcher (uncredited)
Crew
... Makeup Artist
... Novel
... Executive Producer
... Original Music Composer
... Director of Photography
... Director
... Executive Producer
... Screenplay
... Producer
... Editor
... Screenplay
... Prop Designer
... Special Effects
... Stunt Coordinator
... Set Decoration
... Costume Design
... Costume Design
... Production Design
... Production Design
... Associate Producer
... Art Direction
... Art Direction
... Production Executive
... Creative Consultant
... Unit Production Manager
... First Assistant Director
... First Assistant Director
... Second Assistant Director
... Second Assistant Director
... Casting
... Camera Operator
... Assistant Camera
... Assistant Camera
... Additional Casting
... Additional Casting
... Production Sound Mixer
... Production Sound Mixer
... Production Sound Mixer
... Sound Re-Recording Mixer
... Sound Re-Recording Mixer
... Sound Re-Recording Mixer
... Additional Editor
... Additional Editor
... Additional Editor
... Assistant Editor
... Orchestrator
... Music Editor
... Supervising Sound Editor
... Sound Effects Editor
... Sound Effects Editor
... Sound Effects Editor
... Property Master
... Gaffer
... Key Grip
... Script Supervisor
... Makeup Artist
... Hairstylist
... Costume Supervisor
... Set Dresser
... Set Dresser
... Special Effects
... Editor
... Special Effects
... Visual Effects
... Stunt Double
... First Assistant Camera
... Title Designer
Videos & Photos of
The Natural
Videos (2)
Photos 17
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