Blu-Ray Review: ‘When It Was a Game,’ ‘61*’ Make Great Dad’s Day Gifts

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CHICAGO – Baseball is a game made for the romantic hyperbole of otherwise stoic men. The appreciation of the game is often passed from Dad to son, so just in time for Father’s Day along comes two great baseball films, the Billy Crystal directed “61*” and the “When it Was a Game” collection.

Both films are excellent examples of the romantic notion of the game and both are magnificently rendered by sincere HBO productions. Billy Crystal, who produced and directed 61*, literally had prepared to make the film since he was a 13 year old Yankee fan, and the When it Was a Game series (Parts One, Two and Three) is so full of wonder about Major League Baseball’s past it almost seems filtered through a child’s storybook.

Star”61*”

The reason there is an star or “asterisk” in the title of 61* is due to a quirk in a revered baseball record. In the synchronic year of 1961, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris (both of the New York Yankees) were on a home run hitting pace that was on par to break the single season record establish by fellow Yankee Babe Ruth, who hit the record 60 home runs in 1927.

HollywoodChicago.com Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0

Spotlighting Mantle (Thomas Jane) and Maris (Barry Pepper), 61* chronicles that magical season, as both men struggle with different demons. They are virtually neck-in-neck in the home run race the whole way, with New York City rooting for the charismatic Mantle over the duller journeyman Maris. To make matters worse, the American League was playing an expanded 162 games in a season for the first time (Ruth hit his 60 in 154 games).

The Commissioner of Baseball, Ford Frick, decides to create separate records, one for the 154 game schedule (Ruth) and one for the 162 games (whoever hit 61 between Mantle and Maris). This eventually became known as the asterisk on the 61 homers, until it was adjusted in the 1990s, when Roger Maris finally emerged as the sole owner of the record.

Yes, it was Maris who broke the record, and director Billy Crystal, writer Hank Steinberg and HBO Films tell a compelling story about the pressure of competing both against the past and Mantle’s popularity. There are the heroes (Mantle, Maris, the Yankee team that year) and villains (the Commissioner of Baseball, Babe Ruth’s widow, the press), and the once-in-a-lifetime event, told with grace and full-on passion.

’61*’ on Blu-Ray and DVD, released June 7
’61*’ on Blu-Ray and DVD, released June 7
Photo credit: HBO Entertainment

Jane and Pepper are excellent as Mantle and Maris (the so-called M&M boys), picked more for their resemblance to the stars than anything, but also possessing the chops to play the late ballplayers with sympathy and vulnerability. Crystal pulls no punches with his childhood heroes, and gratefully shows the human side to athletes under a lot of pressure. It was Mantle’s family who insisted that Crystal showcase the legend’s struggle with alcohol abuse, and Jane artfully plays Mick as rather boorish in those scenes. Pepper plays Maris in full freak out mode by the end of the chase, but still manages to let the hope shine through by the end.

The minor flaws involve the villainous Ford Frick (does anybody remember driving a Ford Frick?), who didn’t exactly have it in for Maris when he created the records – he just thought baseball would revert back to an 154 game schedule. Also the inclusion of the tainted Mark McGwire (although Crystal would not have known when he made the film in 2001) is like the turd in the punch bowl, but in retrospect it makes Maris’ record all the more special.

Where were you in ‘61? Whether you were there or not born, the pursuit of glory by the M&M boys is a fascinating story, and ardent fan Billy Crystal lets every ounce of his love for the game, season and team come through.

Star”When It Was a Game: The Complete Collection”

Now this is a great idea. The producers of this documentary series – George Roy, David P. Harmon, Eric Paulen, Ross Greenberg and Steven Stern – gathered the color home movie footage (mostly taken by fans) of the 1930s-1960s, when the major leaguers of that era were mostly remembered from black and white photos or grainy newsreels. The result is vivid color and close-up realism of pro baseball’s storied past, lovingly restored and incredible on Blu-ray DVD.

HollywoodChicago.com Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0
Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0

All three parts, shown separately on HBO from 1991 to 2000, are gathered on one disk and is perfect for historians of baseball or those who went through the actual eras. Part One deals with the 1930s through 1961, Part Two expands on the first part and Part Three delves into the 1960s, right before free agency, mega-stadiums and expansion changed pro baseball forever.

Part One was probably intended to be a one off, and the popularity of the documentary no doubt resulted in two and three. Dealing mostly with pre-and-post War World II baseball men, it is truly astounding to see the old fashion game in full bloom. The old uniforms are authentic in the their colors, including teams that no longer exist, like the St. Louis Browns. Fans of the Chicago Cubs will see rare footage of the Cub’s 1938 World Series appearance, said to be the first color look at the fall classic. This is a feast for nostalgia buffs and romantics, as the music and narrated baseball poetry swells beneath the footage.

’When It Was a Game: The Complete Collection’ on Blu-Ray and DVD, released June 7’
’When It Was a Game: The Complete Collection’ on Blu-Ray and DVD, released June 7’
Photo credit: HBO Entertainment

Part Two is the weakest of the three, merely expanding on the first part by offering minor league footage and the story of Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play the game. All the parts do justice to the negative aspects of those eras, as prejudice and money compromised the game and influenced it to a fault. Also in all three parts sound effects are added, so the crack of bat and the smack of the glove (and bands, crowd noises, etc.) add to the excitement of the footage.

Part Three is the transition, elegantly highlighted by noting that in the beginning of the 1960s there were 16 pro teams, by the end there were 24. The new breed of major leaguer, now fairly populated by African Americans and Latinos, changed the game even further, making it more exciting and vivid. On the negative side of that era, tight-fisted owners still had the reserve clause, binding star players to one team at low salaries. That would come to an end a couple years after the 1970s began, and baseball would never be the same.

It is about the personalities and legends close up and in their prime that make these documentaries true masterworks, and the in-color faces of Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Mantle, Maris and all the rest of the heroes live forever in the essential collection.

”61*” and the “When It Was a Game: The Complete Collection” was released by on Blu-ray and DVD June 7th. 61* features Thomas Jane and Barry Pepper, screenplay by Hank Steinberg and directed by Billy Crystal. When it Was a Game features interviews and narration by Bob Costas, James Earl Jones, Joe Mantegna, Jack Palance and Kevin Costner. Both produced by HBO Entertainment.

HollywoodChicago.com senior staff writer Patrick McDonald

By PATRICK McDONALD
Senior Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

© 2011 Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

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