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Robert Redford heads up a superb cast in this baseball as myth story, based on a novel by Bernard Malamud, which in turn is based on an Arthutian legend. Featured are Glenn Close, Robert Duvall, Barbara Hershey, Willard Brimley, and Richard Fanbsworth, among others. Redford is a natural talent who is injured and off the scene for 16 years, when he returns to the big leaguesand tries to make a comvback. The last part of the film was shot in the old War Memorial Stadium iin Buffalo, affectionately kinown there as "The Rockpile". The cinematography is purposely soft, to effect a nostalgic look at the game in the early part of the 20th century. Worth a look see.
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Do a google search. The Natural (the movie and the novel) is generally regarded to be a retelling of Arthurian legend. It's been years since I've seen it, so I'm not sure whether Redford's character is supposed to be an Arthur- or Lancelot- or Galahad-type figure. I should see it again.
The legend is the Fisher King, about a knight whose wounds would not heal.
According to this syllabus. I'm in no position to disagree with Dr. Chance. She'd probably sue me if I did:
in its treatment. It tries to tell a story patently which is absurd with a straight face. This works, occasionally, with children's fables, but not adult fare.
Redford looks like he's someone's grandad and Wilford turns in his usual gruff, irritating, cutesy old man. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrgh.
I love baseball, so let me acknowledge my predjudice up front. To me, Redford is a very mediocre actor saved only by having had the good fortune to appear in a number of very fine films. Although he was really too old to play the role of Roy Hobbs, he actually does a fairly credible job. Kim Basinger is just awful as femme fatale Memo Paris, so maybe Redford just looks good in comparison. This isn't the best work done by Close and Hershey, either-all of the female roles come up poorly, IMO.What do I enjoy about it? Let's start with Brimley and Farnsworth as Pop Fischer and Red, the Sunshine Boys of the dugout. Uncredited Darrin McGavin is superb as the shady gambling shark Gus Sands, Robert Duvall does his usual terrific work as sleazy sportswriter Max Mercy, and Robert Prosky is wonderfully sinister as the corrupt Judge. You mentioned the wonderful setting of War Memorial stadium and the beautiful cinematography. I love Randy Newman's score, too-one of his very best.
The screenwriters completely changed the original dark ending of Bernard Malamud's novel for the film.
I forgot Kim Bassinger and Joe Don Baker.
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