The Natural (1984)

Director:

Barry Levinson

Writers:

Bernard Malamud (novel)
Roger Towne ...
(more)

Release Date:

11 May 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sport

Tagline:

The best there was!

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Baseball | Lightning | 1930s | Baseball Player | Team

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

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
Jon Van Ness	...	John Olsen
Mickey Treanor	...	Doc Dizzy
George Wilkosz	...	Bobby Savoy
Anthony J. Ferrara	...	Coach Wilson
Philip Mankowski	...	Hank Benz
Danny Aiello III	...	Emil LaJong
Joe Castellano	...	Allie Stubbs
Eddie Cipot	...	Gabby Laslow
Ken Grassano	...	Al Fowler
Robert Kalaf	...	Cal Baker
Barry Kivel	...	Pat McGee
Steven Kronovet	...	Tommy Hinkle
James Meyer	...	Dutch Schultz
Mike Starr	...	Boone (as Michael Starr)
Sam Green	...	Murphy
Martin Grey	...	Additional Knight
Joseph Mosso	...	Additional Knight
Richard Oliveri	...	Additional Knight
Lawrence Couzens	...	Additional Knight
Duke McGuire	...	Additional Knight
Stephen Poliachik	...	Additional Knight
Kevin Lester	...	Additional Knight
Joseph Charboneau	...	Additional Knight
Robert Rudnick	...	Additional Knight
Ken Kamholz	...	Additional Knight
Sibby Sisti	...	Pirates Manager
Phillip D. Rosenberg	...	Pitcher Youngberry
Christopher B. Rehbaum	...	Pitcher John Rhoades
Nicholas Koleff	...	Umpire Augie
Jerry Stockman	...	Umpire Babe
James Quamo	...	Memorial Game Umpire
Joe Strnad	...	Final Game Home Plate Umpire (as Joseph Strnad)
James Mohr	...	Al
Ralph Tabakin	...	Al's Customer
Dennis Gould	...	Carnival Boy
Joshua Abbey	...	Home Plate Photographer
Gayle Vance	...	Maid at Party
George Scheitinger	...	League Official
Peter Poth	...	Dr. Knobb
Bernie McInerney	...	Hospital Doctor
Elizabeth Ann Klein	...	Stern Nurse
Charles Sergis	...	Newsreel Narrator (voice)
Edward Walsh	...	Newsreel Presenter
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mark Atienza	...	Young Roy Hobbs (uncredited)
Sean Collins	...	Additional Knight (uncredited)
Darren McGavin	...	Gus Sands (uncredited)
Brian Reingold	...	Baseball Fan (uncredited)

Directed by
Barry Levinson

Writing credits
Bernard Malamud		(novel)
Roger Towne		and
Phil Dusenberry

Produced by
Philip M. Breen	....	executive producer
Robert F. Colesberry	....	associate producer
Mark Johnson	....	producer
Roger Towne	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Randy Newman

Cinematography by
Caleb Deschanel

Film Editing by
Christopher Holmes		(final cut)
Stu Linder

Casting by
Ellen Chenoweth

Production Design by
Mel Bourne
Angelo P. Graham		(as Angelo Graham)

Set Decoration by
John Sweeney
Bruce Weintraub

Costume Design by
Gloria Gresham
Bernie Pollack

Makeup Department
Tom Hoerber	....	makeup artist
Gary Liddiard	....	makeup artist
Bunny Parker	....	hair stylist (as Bernadette Parker)

Production Management
Peter Burrell	....	additional unit production manager (as Peter J. Burrell)
Robert F. Colesberry	....	unit production manager
Tom Razzano	....	assistant production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Patrick Crowley	....	first assistant director
Tom Davies	....	second assistant director
Thompson O'Sullivan	....	dga trainee
Carol Smetana	....	second assistant director
Chris Soldo	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Joe Acord	....	construction coordinator: New York
Barry Bedig	....	property master
Stan Cockerell	....	assistant property master
Joe Garlington	....	propmaker
Speed Hopkins	....	art director: New York
James J. Murakami	....	art director: Los Angeles
Robert Müller	....	construction coordinator: Los Angeles
Gregory Puchalski	....	sign painter
Mike Villarino	....	propmaker

Sound Department
Gary Alexander	....	sound re-recording mixer
Tod Scott Brody	....	sound effects editor
Chris Jenkins	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Christopher Jenkins)
John Keating	....	sound transfer
Jimmy Ling	....	sound effects editor
Chris McLaughlin	....	production sound
Andrew Patterson	....	sound editor
Andrew Patterson	....	sound effects editor
Bill Phillips	....	supervising sound editor
Hal Sanders	....	sound effects editor
Larry Stensvold	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jim Stuebe	....	production sound (as James Stuebe)
Jeff Wexler	....	production sound
Paul Pavelka	....	re-recording engineer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Gregg Bond	....	special effects prop artist
Linda Bond	....	special effects artist
Roger Hansen	....	special effects
Eric Roberts	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Roger Dorney	....	visual effects
Michael Douglas Middleton	....	visual effects still photographer (uncredited)

Stunts
Conrad E. Palmisano	....	stunt coordinator
Conrad E. Palmisano	....	stunt double: Michael Madson

Camera and Electrical Department
Bobby Brown	....	assistant camera (as Bob Brown)
Craig Denault	....	camera operator
Alan R. Disler	....	assistant camera
Brian Hamill	....	still photographer
Clyde Hart	....	key grip
Gary Holt	....	gaffer
Bob E. Krattiger	....	lamp operator
Gábor Kövér	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Scott Rathner	....	additional second assistant camera
Stephen Vaughan	....	still photographer
Jürgen Vollmer	....	still photographer

Casting Department
Lisa Clarkson	....	additional casting
Louis DiGiaimo	....	additional casting
Pamela Guest	....	casting assistant
Mary Jo Markey	....	extras casting
Una McClure	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jules Melillo	....	costume supervisor
Sue Moore	....	key costumer
James W. Tyson	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter
Andy Blumenthal	....	additional editor
Battle Davis	....	additional editor
Jere Huggins	....	additional editor
Neil Kirk	....	apprentice film editor
Liza Randol	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Tom Boyd	....	musician: oboe soloist
Tom Boyd	....	musician: oboe soloist
David Foster	....	song producer
Jack Hayes	....	orchestrator
James Thatcher	....	musician: french horn
Joe Tuley	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Rick Mercier	....	transportation coordinator (as Richard Mercier)

Other crew
Ted Bafaloukos	....	creative consultant
Robert Bean	....	production consultant
Sherrie Bradshaw	....	assistant production accountant
Casey Brown	....	production assistant
Rick Cerrone	....	baseball consultant
Joe D'Alessandro	....	production assistant
Kevin Duncan	....	production assistant
Anthony J. Ferrara	....	baseball trainer
Lynn Goldman	....	location manager
Ann Guerin	....	publicist
Ken Hendler	....	baseball trainer
Shelley Houis	....	production coordinator
Ricky Jay	....	technical consultant
Malcolm Kahn	....	production consultant
Gene Kirby	....	baseball consultant
Timothy Klein	....	stand-in
Kathy Kristich	....	production assistant
Ann Luly	....	misc crew
Patrick Markey	....	production executive
Tom Paolucci	....	craft service
Ana Maria Quintana	....	script supervisor
Stratton Rawson	....	location manager
Frank 'Spec' Shea	....	baseball throwing instructor
Gary Stanek	....	location manager
Kathy Porter	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Stephen R. Powell	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Bob Richthammer	....	set production assistant (uncredited)
David Lee Walton	....	stand-in (uncredited)
Lynnanne Zager	....	adr voice (uncredited)

Production Companies

• TriStar Pictures (presents)
• Delphi II Productions

Distributors

• TriStar Pictures (1984) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Film (1984) (France) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Films (1984) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Film (1984) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Abril Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• CBS / Fox Video (1985) (Greece) (VHS)
• CBS/Fox Video (1985) (Belgium) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (200?) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1995) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• LK-TEL (198?) (Argentina) (VHS)
• LK-TEL (2000) (Argentina) (DVD)
• LK-TEL (2000) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Pioneer Entertainment (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2007) (Canada) (DVD) (director's cut)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2010) (Sweden) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD) (director's cut)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2010) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Universal Pictures Nordic (2001) (Sweden) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Alixandre Furs  furs
• Hollywood Rental Company  lighting
• Market Street Studios  post-production facilities
• Sportsrobe  costumes
• Warner Bros. Records  soundtrack

Also Known As:

Runtime:

134 min | USA:144 min (Director's Cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Sweden:7 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:6 | Australia:PG | Singapore:PG | Norway:12 | Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | Peru:PT | Brazil:14 | Portugal:M/12

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

TriStar Pictures

Trivia:

Frank Giroux, not Buffalo mayor Jimmy Griffin, briefly appears as an opposing team coach in the scene where Roy knocks the cover off the ball.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Bump's funeral (and after the lightning patch has been added to the uniforms) there is a batting practice scene where Bump (#7) is seen wandering around behind the backstop. The lightning patches are also missing. The scene is combined with the managers trying to guess the names of songs.

Quotes:

Al:You guys. You know, people are always running down amazing things. This guy Hobbs, you ain't seen nothing yet. I got a feeling...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "George Lopez: The Unnatural (#2.5)" (2003)

Soundtrack:

STAR SPANGLED BANNER

A Film for the Ages

I can't ever forget the first time(s) I saw The Natural. I was a member of the Directors Guild of America and there was a screening at the DGA. I love screenings of films about which I know nothing! And at the time I hadn't read the novel, really didn't know anything about it. I knew Barry Levinson and liked his work, and Randy Newman was, of course, a god. I just wasn't ready for it! Tears were streaming down my face from the beginning. The music would play and the waterworks would commence! It felt organic, not intellectual. It just "was". The only other film where I had that experience was, you guessed it, "Field of Dreams", another screening. When he asked his Dad if they could play a little catch, I lost it. The people I was with got up and slowly moved to other seats. But back to the Natch. I love it when a film subsumes reality, and every time I hear the theme at a "real" ball game, I smile. From time to time I'll put on the DVD to watch a scene, and I invariably end up watching the whole thing! If you haven't seen this film, you simply must!