Robert Redford

Robert Duvall

Glenn Close

Kim Basinger

Wilford Brimley

Barbara Hershey

Robert Prosky

Richard Farnsworth

Joe Don Baker

Darren McGavin

Michael Madsen

John Finnegan

Alan Fudge

Ken Grassano

Mike Starr

Mickey Treanor

Jon Van Ness

Anthony J. Ferrara

George Wilkosz

Paul Sullivan Jr

Rachel Hall

Sibby Sisti

Ralph Tabakin

Edward Walsh

Gary Liddiard

Bernard Malamud

Philip M. Breen

Randy Newman

Caleb Deschanel

Barry Levinson

Roger Towne

Phil Dusenberry

Mark Johnson

Stu Linder

Gregg Bond

Linda Bond

Conrad E. Palmisano

Bruce Weintraub

Gloria Gresham

Bernie Pollack

Angelo P. Graham

Mel Bourne

Robert F. Colesberry

James J. Murakami

Speed Hopkins

Patrick Markey

Ted Bafaloukos

Chris Soldo

Patrick Crowley

Tom Davies

Carol Smetana

Ellen Chenoweth

Craig Denault

Alan R. Disler

Bobby Brown

Lisa Clarkson

Louis Di Giamo

Jeff Wexler

Chris McLaughlin

Jim Stuebe

Chris Jenkins

Gary Alexander

Larry Stensvold

Battle Davis

Andy Blumenthal

Jere Huggins

Liz Randol

Jack Hayes

Joe Tuley

Bill Phillips

Hal Sanders

Andrew Patterson

Jimmy Ling

Barry Bedig

Gary Holt

Clyde Hart

Ana Maria Quintana

Tom Hoerber

Bunny Parker

Jules Melillo

John Sweeney

Casey Hallenbeck

Roger Hansen

Drama

The Natural

TriStar Pictures

United States of America

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

Peter McGinn

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?

English

The Natural ≣ 1984 ≣ Trailer

The Natural 1984 Trailer | Robert Redford