"I believe in the church of Baseball... For instance, there are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary and there are 108 stitches in a baseball. When I learned that, I gave Jesus a chance"
- Susan Sarandon, as Annie Savoy, in Bull Durham
Field of Dreams (1989, Dir. Phil Alden Robinson)
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1989’s Field of Dreams is the whimsical tale of Ray Kinsella as he goes with the advice and instruction of a voice he hears in the middle of a cornfield, which leads to the building of a baseball diamond smack back in the middle of one of his fields. After doing so, a truly incredible thing happens; the 1919 Chicago White Sox appear and start playing. “If you build it, they will come” indeed. The film was a very personal passion project for its writer and director Phil Alden Robinson, adapting W.P Kinsella’s novel into the feature film that many thought would become a modern day It’s a Wonderful Life and in many ways it has. Primarily I feel the love for these films lies on the other side of the pond in the U.S, which makes sense, after all Baseball is the American pastime. The crux of the film is the mythos of the game, the immense power that it can wield over people and leads people to do absolutely maddening things, but also the great hope it gives people. The religious allegories lie more so in our second film, but they can still be seen in abundance here. The film’s plot actually is entirely based around mythology, spirits and ultimately second chances. For it is the power of the game that leads to the incredibly touching final scene which for those of you who haven’t seen the film I won’t spoil, but for those who have I am referring to a certain reunion. I do feel however that despite that scene getting the usual accolades as the tear-jerking sequence, the most heart-breaking (yet simultaneously life-affirming and deeply effecting) scene lies with our final moments with Dr. Archibald ‘moonlight’ Graham, which is in actuality our final moments on screen with the person playing the role, the incomparable talent that was (and in so many ways still is) Burt Lancaster. There are other supporting standouts; such as Ray Liotta on top-‘pre-Goodfellas’ –form as Shoeless Joe Jackson and a sensational turn for James Earl Jones as Terence Mann. Mann being the long-hidden away reclusive author that Kinsella tracks down in the film’s second act, who in the novel was actually J.D Salinger. The film is quite literally the stuff of dreams and will never fail to break your heart, before filling it again with a tremendous and overwhelming feeling of great hope and love. It really is a powerful film indeed, I ain’t blowing smoke.
Bull Durham (1988, Dir. Ron Shelton)
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Durham is on the surface the polar opposite of its pseudo follow up. This film deals with sex over family. Deals in crude and vulgar remarks and plenty of profanity rather than ‘god damns’. Deals with a far more bitter and angry and possibly alcoholic Costner than the rosy Ray of Field. But god is it one hell of an entertaining film and in my books, just that touch better. Ron Shelton (the almost undisputed king of the sport film with this, White Men Can’t Jump, Tin cup and Blue Chips) directs his own script telling the story of a kind of love triangle between hot-shot new kid Tim Robbins as Ebby Calvin, a very doted fan in Susan Saradon as Annie Savoy and the older gentleman being brought in to sort Robbins out, Kevin Costner as Crash Davis. Annie is so devoted to the team that every season she embarks on an affair with one of the players on the team. The film is just so sexy and so funny that it flies by every time. There isn’t really a standout amongst the lead trio as all three are just superb, knocking it out of the park every time they’re on screen (pardon the pun). An actually very unshameful and progressive sexual look at the world accompanies the feel and makes it very refreshing that we don’t have the film grind to a stop for a slut-shaming scene. Instead Annie gives us some more wisdom; “Everybody deserves to wear white”. God, Sarandon is just perfect in this film and the film is boosted up many levels by her involvement. Then add the funniest Robbins has ever been and the most charismatic Costner’s ever been and you’ve got a film oozing so much sex and style that it’s hot just talking about it. The film is a sexy, hilarious and ultimately romantic tale where the characters love each other almost as much as they love the great game that they’re playing. Plus, who doesn’t love Sarandon and Robbins, especially together in this film.
It is in the similarities and the differences that make this double bill the winner that it is. I’m sure that a love of the game will make this double bill even more enjoyable, but if a British laymen who hasn’t had the opportunity to view a game of Baseball loves these films, than any sucker can. Do yourself a favour and treat yourself to an ever-enjoyable double bill of two late 80’s classics. For their heart, for their humour, for their hope and ultimately... for their love of the game.
There is of course the possibility to make it a triple bill with our cooler on the bench, 1999's For the Love of the Game.
For the Love of the Game (1999, Dir. Sam Raimi)
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The film follows the romance between Kevin Costner as an all-time great baseball player and Kelly Preston as a 'civilian' magazine writer, and it is in this romance between their characters of Billy Chapel and Jane Aubrey where the film finds it's best moments. But overall it doesn't throw the perfect game that the film portrays. Dana Steven's script has flourishes of a rom-com with a twist, but all in all the film doesn't quite hit an even stride. The conceit of going back and forth between the main game and the important moments of Chapel's life is like a proto-Slumdog Millionaire, but is never as consistent as that film. The film is directed by Sam Raimi and the typical visual mastery of his work seems lost here, with many borderline annoying and seemingly intrusive moments where special effects are used. Preston is good here and has a nice chemistry with Costner, but Costner's the main attraction with a stark believability that allows the film to not have any awkward moments - which is actually the secret ingredient which makes all three of these films work. However nobody can bring up the film without bringing up the urban myth that Costner was very disappointed with Universal Pictures after they cut the full-frontal shower scene that was originally in the film. Costner told "Newsweek" that the studio was lacking "real courage" in this choice. But a leaked report from a studio executive commented that to a New York magazine that an Arizona test audience marked the film down cause of Costner's endowment. Stating that "the audience giggled at Kevin's penis... Then, in focus groups they said 'Do we really need to see Kevin Costner's penis?'" In many ways this fact is a lot more enjoyable than the film, rather unfortunately so. Mind you, that's an overly enjoyable fact, so maybe the film had a problem from the start.
But ultimately, despite the conceit of the article, and although I do whole-heartedly recommend the other two films; Bull Durham is the ultimate winner here. A home-run for the ages.
- - Thomas Carruthers
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