The Natural (1984)

An average baseball player comes out of seemingly nowhere to become a legendary player with almost divine talent.

Director:

Barry Levinson

Writers:

Bernard Malamud (novel), Roger Towne,

Stars:

Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Redford	...	Roy Hobbs
Robert Duvall	...	Max Mercy
Glenn Close	...	Iris Gaines
Kim Basinger	...	Memo Paris
Wilford Brimley	...	Pop Fisher
Barbara Hershey	...	Harriet Bird
Robert Prosky	...	The Judge
Richard Farnsworth	...	Red Blow
Joe Don Baker	...	The Whammer
John Finnegan	...	Sam Simpson
Alan Fudge	...	Ed Hobbs
Paul Sullivan Jr.	...	Young Roy
Rachel Hall	...	Young Iris
Robert Rich III	...	Ted Hobbs
Michael Madsen	...	Bartholomew 'Bump' Bailey

Storyline

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 in this magical sports fantasy. With the aid of a bat cut from a lightning struck tree, Hobbs lives the fame he should have had earlier when, as a rising pitcher, he is inexplicably shot by a young woman.

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Plot Keywords:

baseball | lightning | 1930s | baseball player | team | 

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Taglines:

Boyhood dreams, a bat made from a tree struck by lightning and most importantly, a never-ending passion for the game.

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Genres:

Drama | Sport

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 May 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

El mejor

Filming Locations:

All-High Stadium - 50 Mercer Avenue, Buffalo, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$28,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$48,000,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

TriStar Pictures, Delphi II Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min 144 min (Director's Cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Loosely based on the story of Sir Percival from the Arthurian myths:

• The broken bat = the broken sword
• Pop Fisher = The Fisher King
• The team called "The Knights"

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Goofs

In the at-bat when Roy Hobbs breaks the clock, before he sees the woman from his past, strike two is a swing and a miss in the audio, but visually, Roy Hobbs connects with the ball. The hit ball can be seen streaking across the top of the picture.

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Quotes

Roy Hobbs: Red, it took me sixteen years to get here. You play me, and I'll give ya the best I got.
Red Blow: I believe ya.

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: The Best of Music in the Movies (2010)

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Soundtracks

"STAR SPANGLED BANNER"
Performed by Kate Smith
Courtesy of RCA Records

User Reviews

A 20th Century Fairy Tale

That's how I personally summed up this movie when I first saw it. And what better place to couch a fairy tale than in a milieu with real legends like Ruth and DiMaggio and Mantle ... or fabulous ones like "The Whammer" and Roy Hobbs. The story of a man playing the game they way it SHOULD be played, wishing while injured that his father could have seen him, and coming through in the clutch for his father, his lady, and his son. Beautifully shot by Caleb Deschanel, this isn't just a movie, this is ARTWORK.

And who could forget the soundtrack written by Randy Newman, which has found its way into virtually every sports show on the tube at one time or another. Without a doubt, his best handiwork.