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:

baseball | friendship | civil rights movement | civil rights | race relations | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language and brief sensuality

Did You Know?

Goofs

At the end of the movie, in the Negro League vs. Major League All-Star Game, played in 1945, there is a 50-star flag on the flagpole (two close-up shots). In 1948 it should have been a 48-star flag.

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Connections

Referenced in The 18th Annual CableACE Awards (1996)

User Reviews

if you are into baseball......

This is a great movie. With accurate depictions of Satchel Paige, John Gibson, and Jackie Robinson, this is one of the unsung great baseball movies of the mid 90's

Great performance by Delroy Lindo as Satchel Paige and a good story line.. If you are a baseball fan you will love this movie, if you aren't you should watch it to become informed about some trials faced by african-american ballplayers

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