THE NATURAL (1984)

Barry Levinson has given his fabulist baseball yarn a Director’s Cut that significantly improves on a problematic film.  (At least, I think it does.  It’s been a while.)  Not that the film has lost its tone of mythic self-regard and sentimental claptrap, just that it’s now better mythic self-regard and claptrap.  Per Levinson, an expanded/rearranged first act has led him to tighten the rest of the film so it only runs a few minutes longer than before while feeling shorter since we’re more quickly involved.  (Fans of the Bernard Malamud novel shouldn’t get their hopes up.)  Robert Redford, all but perfectly cast*, stars as the young phenom, cut down before he can begin his pro career, returning as a mystery man without a past 16 years later.  But will he be cut down again?  The simple story arc embroidered behind the camera with layered atmosphere in Robert Towne’s script, 1940s period detail, sun-kissed cinematography by Caleb Deschanel and composer Randy Newman’s stirring ‘Fanfare for the Common Ballplayer’ score.  Even better in front of the camera, where a veritable pile-up of outstanding character actors in their late prime (Wilford Brimley, Richard Farnsworth, Darren McGavin, et al.) and a like sum of standout younger ones all get turns at the plate.  Alas, the women get the short end of the bat, two devil’s helpers/one lesser angel (Barbara Hershey, Kim Basinger, Glenn Close playing accordingly) lending a misanthropic or condescending note.

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID:  *That’s almost perfectly cast since Redford’s throws & swings are so slow they make Levinson’s frequent use of slo-mo camera tricks largely unnecessary.  On the other hand, what a missed opportunity not casting the 21-yr-old Brad Pitt as Redford’s secret son.  Pitt debuting three years later.

DOUBLE-BILL/LINK:  Similar ideas, without the mystical mumbo-jumbo, but with even more mush, found in Dennis Quaid’s THE ROOKIE/’02    https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2017/06/the-rookie-2002.html