Soul of the Game (1996)

Black baseball greats, Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson, vie to be the first afro-American major leaguer, only to see the outspoken rookie, Jackie Robinson, be chosen.

Director:

Kevin Rodney Sullivan

Writers:

Gary Hoffman (story), David Himmelstein (teleplay)

Stars:

Delroy Lindo, Mykelti Williamson, Edward Herrmann

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Delroy Lindo	...	Satchel Paige
Mykelti Williamson	...	Josh Gibson
Edward Herrmann	...	Branch Rickey
Blair Underwood	...	Jackie Robinson
R. Lee Ermey	...	Wilkie
Salli Richardson-Whitfield	...	Lahoma (as Salli Richardson)
Gina Ravera	...	Grace
Obba Babatundé	...	Cum Posey
Cylk Cozart	...	Zo Perry
J.D. Hall	...	Gus Greenlee
Jerry Hardin	...	Happy Chandler
Brent Jennings	...	Frank Duncan
Richard Riehle	...	Pete Harmon
Armand Asselin	...	Rip
Joey Banks	...	Link Rudolph

Storyline

Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson are the greatest players in the Colored leagues, and everyone expects that one of them will make the leap to the Major Leagues, now that there is talk of integration. But, unexpectedly, it's the rookie with the army record, Jackie Robinson, that gets tapped to be the first.

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Plot Keywords:

male objectification | male nudity | male rear nudity | naked in public | public nudity | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language and brief sensuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 April 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Baseball in Black and White

Filming Locations:

Birmingham, Alabama, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gary Hoffman Productions, Home Box Office (HBO), Mike Medavoy Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

In distant shots of Satchel Paige on the pitching mound, it is obviously a much younger (and bald) stand-in for Delroy Lindo.

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Connections

Referenced in IMDb's 20th Anniversary Star of the Day: Blair Underwood (2010)

User Reviews

I watched it...Then I bought it.

Very good Baseball movie that wasnt advertised much at all. If Any. I just happened to come across it on HBO and was caught. Everyone knows Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball, but not many know the events that led up to it. This movie actually brought a tear to my eye for Josh Gibson and Sachel Paige, I really felt sorry for those two. Also it was a very nice touch how Willie Mays was wrote into the movie as a whole, if you see it you will understand. Again this is a very good baseball history movie. If you are a fan of the National Pastime, then watch this film.