Post by klep on Sept 9, 2019 6:30:27 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 9/2: A League Of Their Own
SPORTS WEEK!
Note: Today's essay is graciously provided by a guest contributor.
I've never really been much of a baseball fan. I have nothing against the sport itself, it's just not for me. The length of the seasons never really helped, given that a full season in the MLB is nearly twice the length of a regular season in the NHL or NBA.
But despite all that, baseball seems to be the most cinematic of sports. The love of the game and how it inspires people has led to a lot of excellent features, and one could probably create an entire semester's worth of programming and be able to fill it with quality films about baseball that everyone can enjoy and appreciate. And at the top of that list would be A League Of Their Own.
A good sports movie goes nowhere without strong characterization, and A League Of Their Own particularly excels in that. A great example is the first scene of (younger) Dottie and Kit; not only does the scene establish Kit's chip on her shoulder about her older sister, as well as Dottie's caring, almost motherly feelings towards Kit, it also establishes the source of Kit's inferiority complex and Dottie's superior skill in the sport, as well as the fact that she's recognized for it and doesn't let it get to her head. It also sows the seeds, with Dottie's tip to Kit, for Dottie's takeover as coach of the Rockford team down the line.
But it's not just Kit and Dottie who get this kind of treatment, as the movie gives its supporting characters distinct identities at each introduction. The affection Marla and her father show to each other, the fierce friendship Mae and Doris display to others and with each other, and even Shirley Baker's nervousness and fear as she tries to navigate the lists through her illiteracy, all of these immediately give the audience an idea of who these characters are, and that's before a game of the women's league is played.
Speaking of Shirley Baker, A League Of Their Own does an excellent job of subverting the natural competitiveness one would expect in a sports movie. Apart from Mae and Doris intimidating Kit and Dottie when they first arrive, the players all work together to elevate each other, knowing that they're all in this together. Kit and Dottie, in unison, refuse to continue on until Ernie drafts Marla. When Shirley's unable to read the roster, someone jumps up to help, rather than let her struggle. When Ellen Sue nails the heckler at the first game, the Rockford Peaches all exchange sly smiles with each other. When Dottie finds out Lowenstein is on his way to the Suds Bucket, she immediately makes her way there to warn the team. The entire movie is littered with such examples, from big ones like the team enthusiastically attending Marla's wedding, to small ones, like Mae helping Shirley learn how to read. Even the famous “there's no crying in baseball” scene is punctuated by Doris sticking up for Evelyn in the middle of Jimmy's rant.
And to go with that lack of competitiveness, the movie also manages to tell a compelling story without any real villains. The closest it comes to one is Garry Marshall's Walter Harvey, when he tells Lowenstein that he'll be shutting down the league. But Hanks' Jimmy Dugan, and Strathairn's Ira Lowenstein, both of whom could have been positioned as antagonistic figures, get sympathetic arcs instead. Despite his insistence on a lack of drinking and smoking, as well as charm school attendance, Lowenstein's belief in the league and its players is never posited as anything less than genuine, whether he's berating Dugan for not doing his job, making his case of the players' dedication to the sport to Harvey, or promoting the players to the press. Even Stilwell, the agent of chaos that he is, gets redeemed in the movie's final minutes, as a well-adjusted adult who has a genuine affection for his mother and wants to honor her legacy by recognizing her time in the league.
But the best example of this is Jimmy Dugan. Introduced as a washed-up player hoping to get back to his glory days who seen coaching women's baseball as beneath him, Dugan's portrayed as more of a hindrance than an antagonist, and the movie takes the time to understand his motivations, and show how his love of the game eventually brings him in line with the players. In a film full of heartwarming friendships, the bond that Jimmy and Dottie end up forming is a standout on its own. The conversation they have in the bus about the war, marriage, and Dottie's baseball career works wonderfully on its own, and Jimmy's anger at Dottie's sudden quitting of the league feels genuine because it doesn't come from a self-serving place, but rather Jimmy caring for Dottie as a friend and wanting to see her do something she enjoys and excels at.
At its core, the film is about baseball, but doesn't require you to know or like baseball. What it is is a film about a group of women who were able to choose what they wanted to do in life, and bond over their collective love of the game and its ability to allow them to believe in themselves and each other, and do something they wanted to do. In the process, they displayed the true power of sports; forging connections that last a lifetime.
SPORTS WEEK!
Note: Today's essay is graciously provided by a guest contributor.
I've never really been much of a baseball fan. I have nothing against the sport itself, it's just not for me. The length of the seasons never really helped, given that a full season in the MLB is nearly twice the length of a regular season in the NHL or NBA.
But despite all that, baseball seems to be the most cinematic of sports. The love of the game and how it inspires people has led to a lot of excellent features, and one could probably create an entire semester's worth of programming and be able to fill it with quality films about baseball that everyone can enjoy and appreciate. And at the top of that list would be A League Of Their Own.
A good sports movie goes nowhere without strong characterization, and A League Of Their Own particularly excels in that. A great example is the first scene of (younger) Dottie and Kit; not only does the scene establish Kit's chip on her shoulder about her older sister, as well as Dottie's caring, almost motherly feelings towards Kit, it also establishes the source of Kit's inferiority complex and Dottie's superior skill in the sport, as well as the fact that she's recognized for it and doesn't let it get to her head. It also sows the seeds, with Dottie's tip to Kit, for Dottie's takeover as coach of the Rockford team down the line.
But it's not just Kit and Dottie who get this kind of treatment, as the movie gives its supporting characters distinct identities at each introduction. The affection Marla and her father show to each other, the fierce friendship Mae and Doris display to others and with each other, and even Shirley Baker's nervousness and fear as she tries to navigate the lists through her illiteracy, all of these immediately give the audience an idea of who these characters are, and that's before a game of the women's league is played.
Speaking of Shirley Baker, A League Of Their Own does an excellent job of subverting the natural competitiveness one would expect in a sports movie. Apart from Mae and Doris intimidating Kit and Dottie when they first arrive, the players all work together to elevate each other, knowing that they're all in this together. Kit and Dottie, in unison, refuse to continue on until Ernie drafts Marla. When Shirley's unable to read the roster, someone jumps up to help, rather than let her struggle. When Ellen Sue nails the heckler at the first game, the Rockford Peaches all exchange sly smiles with each other. When Dottie finds out Lowenstein is on his way to the Suds Bucket, she immediately makes her way there to warn the team. The entire movie is littered with such examples, from big ones like the team enthusiastically attending Marla's wedding, to small ones, like Mae helping Shirley learn how to read. Even the famous “there's no crying in baseball” scene is punctuated by Doris sticking up for Evelyn in the middle of Jimmy's rant.
And to go with that lack of competitiveness, the movie also manages to tell a compelling story without any real villains. The closest it comes to one is Garry Marshall's Walter Harvey, when he tells Lowenstein that he'll be shutting down the league. But Hanks' Jimmy Dugan, and Strathairn's Ira Lowenstein, both of whom could have been positioned as antagonistic figures, get sympathetic arcs instead. Despite his insistence on a lack of drinking and smoking, as well as charm school attendance, Lowenstein's belief in the league and its players is never posited as anything less than genuine, whether he's berating Dugan for not doing his job, making his case of the players' dedication to the sport to Harvey, or promoting the players to the press. Even Stilwell, the agent of chaos that he is, gets redeemed in the movie's final minutes, as a well-adjusted adult who has a genuine affection for his mother and wants to honor her legacy by recognizing her time in the league.
But the best example of this is Jimmy Dugan. Introduced as a washed-up player hoping to get back to his glory days who seen coaching women's baseball as beneath him, Dugan's portrayed as more of a hindrance than an antagonist, and the movie takes the time to understand his motivations, and show how his love of the game eventually brings him in line with the players. In a film full of heartwarming friendships, the bond that Jimmy and Dottie end up forming is a standout on its own. The conversation they have in the bus about the war, marriage, and Dottie's baseball career works wonderfully on its own, and Jimmy's anger at Dottie's sudden quitting of the league feels genuine because it doesn't come from a self-serving place, but rather Jimmy caring for Dottie as a friend and wanting to see her do something she enjoys and excels at.
At its core, the film is about baseball, but doesn't require you to know or like baseball. What it is is a film about a group of women who were able to choose what they wanted to do in life, and bond over their collective love of the game and its ability to allow them to believe in themselves and each other, and do something they wanted to do. In the process, they displayed the true power of sports; forging connections that last a lifetime.