| | | Director's Cut.
Features: Director's Cut, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 1.85:1, Dolby Digital (5.1), English, French, Spanish, Subtitled, Dubbed
Nothing was going to stop Roy Hobbs from fulfilling his boyhood dream of baseball superstardom. Robert Redford stars in this inspiring fable that begins when 14-year-old Hobbs (Redford) fashions a powerful bat from a fallen oak tree. He soon impresses major league scouts with his ability, fixing his extraordinary talent in the mind of sportswriter Max Mercy (Robert Duvall), who eventually becomes instrumental in Hobb's career. But a meeting with a mysterious woman shatters his dream. Years passand an older Hobbs reappears as a rookie from The New York Knights. Overcoming physical pain and defying those who have a stake in seeing the Knights lose, Hobbs, with his boyhood bat, has his chance to lead the Knights to the pennant and to finally fulfill his dream.
"...a fine cast..." Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide
"This is a film filled with magic, wonder and awe." Los Angeles Times
"A nearly perfect combination of superb acting, brilliantly sweet screenwriting and a director at the top of his game." Scott Weinberg, Apollo Movie Guide
"...one of the few sports films which projects with understanding the mythical qualities that Americans associate with baseball..." The Motion Picture Guide
"Beautifully filmed..." VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever
Editor's Note
Farm boy Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) is the best baseball player anyone has ever seen. His bat, handmade from the wood of a tree felled by lightning following the death of his father, is magic in his hands. But before his career can start, the mysterious Harriet Bird (Barbara Hershey) inexplicably shoots him, sidelining him for more than a decade. Fifteen years later, Hobbs returns to play for the New York Knights, whose coach, Pop Fisher (Wilfred Brimley), begrudgingly accepts the aging rookie as a member of the team. Pop is as surprised as the rest of the team when Hobbs knocks the ball out of the park time and again and can still play a mean outfield as well. However, when the politics of the business side of the game get in the way, Hobbs has to make some life-changing decisions. Meanwhile, he becomes involved with Memo Paris (Kim Basinger), a sultry siren with her own agenda. Glenn Close plays Iris, the hometown girl whom Hobbs left behind but never forgot. Director Barry Levinson (DINER, RAIN MAN) manages to re-create the excitement of old-time baseball while telling an all-American tale of success and failure, based on the novel by Bernard Malamud.
Plot Summary
This allegorical tale of success and failure in America tells the story of a natural born baseball player who should have been a star but gets a last chance to shine. Randy Newman's memorable score complements an excellent directorial effort by Barry Levinson.
| Features | All-New High-Definition Digital Transfer | | Audio: English, Japanese, Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Dubbed: Japanese, Portuguese | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Access | | Subtitles: English, French, Japanese, Portuguese | | This Is A Blu-Ray DVD Made For Blue-Laser Format Players Which Produce Higher Quality Picture And Sound |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Sony Pictures |
| Release Date: 1/1/2037 |
| Running Time: 144 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1984 | | Catalog ID: 18454 | | UPC: 00043396184541 | | Number of Discs: 2 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English, French Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, French, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, Mandarin | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Nominee (1985) | | | Golden Globe, Kim Basinger, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture | | | Oscar, Glenn Close, Best Actress in a Supporting Role | | | Oscar, Mel Bourne, et. al., Best Art Direction-Set Decoration | | | Oscar, Caleb Deschanel, Best Cinematography | | | Oscar, Randy Newman, Best Music, Original Score |
| Memorable Quotes| "'There goes Roy Hobbs...the best there ever was....'"----Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) | | "Some mistakes you never stop paying for."----Hobbs |
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| | Professional Reviews | Variety
"...Impeccably made....Redford is perfectly cast....[The] supporting roles have been wonderfully filled by topflight character actors..." 05/09/1984Total Film
"Shining up the golden age of baseball, Barry Levinson conjures another sporting fairytale..." 11/01/2003 p.129 Uncut
"Redford's charisma is at full wattage and the finale is truly magical." 08/01/2001 p.141 Ultimate DVD
4 stars out of 5 -- "One of the best movies with a sports backdrop....An '80s who's who of acting talent..." 05/01/2007 p.99 DVD Verdict 10 of 10
Over the years, the subject of sports has always been one that fascinates filmmakers to no end, and it is really not that hard to understand why. Taking whatever sport available and using it as a metaphor for life almost always provides an interesting framework from which to build a movie and to tell a compelling story...It is the epic and the small that are on parade here in The Natural, and the film is sure-handed in presenting both aspects of the tale...Performances are strong across the board and Randy Newman's excellent score has never sounded better in my home...The kind of movie that Hollywood seems to no longer make, The Natural features top drawer stars, excellent direction and a moving storyline. One of this judge's favorite sports movies, The Natural is required viewing for anyone who loves the game of baseball and the myth behind the sport. - Harold Gervais
ReelViews 9 of 10
Sometimes, pure technical accuracy isn't enough. Sometimes, artistry has to be taken into account. One such case in point is Barry Levision's The Natural, arguably the best baseball movie ever made. The film works not because it is flawless in its depiction of what transpires on the diamond (more on a significant mistake later), but because it captures the spirit of the game at a time when baseball truly was the National Pastime. Watching The Natural, it's possible to see all that is great about baseball - the chess match between managers, the poetry of a ball in flight, the exhilaration of a comeback...Technical quibbles aside, The Natural is pure magic - the most satisfying baseball film yet to be committed to celluloid...The heroic score, by perennial Oscar nominee Randy Newman, is one of his best. And the cinematography, by Caleb Deschanel, contains moments of visual poetry. - James Berardinelli
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