Contribution to Book
Returning to the America That Was Meant to Be: The Cinematic Re-Emergence of Baseball’s Vision of Community
Reel Baseball: Essays and Interviews on the National Pastime, Hollywood, and American Culture
(2003)
Abstract
In 1984, an aging slugger by the name of Roy Hobbs captured the imaginations of movie-goers across America. Today, over 25 years later, Barry Levinson's The Natural (1984) remains one of the most popular baseball films ever. As it turns out, however, Levinson's popular portrayal of the New York Knights' enigmatic superstar was only the beginning. The Natural marked the beginning resurgence in the baseball film genre that was to last through the end of the 20th century. It wasn't just Robert Redford as the quiet, troubled, mythic hero who was popular. The themes of baseball itself -- at least as represented in film -- were popular as well, resonating through an American culture struggling to make sense of itself as it neared the end of the century.
Disciplines
Publication Date
January 1, 2003
Editor
Stephen C. Wood and J. David Pincus
Publisher
McFarland & Co.
Citation Information
Robert Rudd and Marshall G. Most. "Returning to the America That Was Meant to Be: The Cinematic Re-Emergence of Baseball’s Vision of Community" Jefferson, N.C.Reel Baseball: Essays and Interviews on the National Pastime, Hollywood, and American Culture (2003) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/robert_rudd/8/