42 – Die wahre Geschichte einer Sportlegende (2013)

42 – Die wahre Geschichte einer Sportlegende: Directed by Brian Helgeland. With Chadwick Boseman, Harrison Ford, Nicole Beharie, Christopher Meloni. In 1947, Jackie Robinson becomes the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era when he was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers and faces considerable racism in the process.

“Greetings again from the darkness. After some soul searching, I have decided to turn off the critical side of my brain and concentrate on what is good about this movie. As a baseball and movie fanatic, a bit of trepidation creeps in when the two come together. However, this really isnu0026#39;t a baseball movie, though the story focuses on what may be the most critical turning point in baseball history. In fact, this turning point was much bigger than the American Pasttime … it was also key to the Civil Rights Movement. The movie is a reminder of how different things could have been with the wrong man rather than the right one … Jackie Robinson.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWriter/Director Brian Helgeland (s/p for L.A. Confidential and Mystic River) takes a look at what occurred in 1945-47, when Brooklyn Dodgers President and GM Branch Rickey (played by Harrison Ford) made the business decision to integrate baseball. We see his selection process … Roy Campanella u0026quot;too niceu0026quot;, Satchel Paige u0026quot;too oldu0026quot;. He settles on Jackie Robinson after their infamous 3 hour meetings where Rickey confronts Robinson with his need for a black player u0026quot;with the guts NOT to fight backu0026quot;.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eChadwick Boseman portrays Jackie Robinson as a man thoroughly in love with his wife Rachel (played by Nicole Beharie), and one who says he just wants to u0026quot;be a ballplayeru0026quot;, while at the same time taking pride in his world-changing role. We see his evolution from his stint as shortstop for the Kansas City Monarchs of Negro Leagues to his time with the Dodgersu0026#39; AAA minor league team in Montreal and finally to his introduction to the Major Leagues in 1947.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis is an earnest and sincere movie that removes the complexities of the times and the main characters. Much of it is portrayed as good guys versus bad guys. The good guys are really good and the bad guys are really bad. Alan Tudyk has the unenviable task of portraying Philadelphia Phillies manager Ben Chapman, who famously unleashed a verbal assault of vile racism on Robinson. Mr. Rickey credited Chapmanu0026#39;s small-mindedness as the single biggest factor in unifying the Dodger team around Robinson. The other famous moment given time in the movie is when beloved shortstop Pee Wee Reese (Lucas Black) put his arm around Robinson, shushing the Cincinnati fans. Of course as a baseball fan, I enjoyed the all too brief antics of Brooklyn manager Leo Durocher (Christopher Meloni) whose place in the Robinson story would have been much more profound had he not succumbed to the weakness of the flesh (so to speak).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFilmmaker Helgeland provides a tale of morality and social change, and provides a glimpse at the character and strength required by those involved. The story has much more to do with demonstrating how the times began to change than it does with how Jackie Robinson, an unpolished ballplayer but superior athlete, transformed himself into a perennial all-star and league MVP. And thatu0026#39;s as it should be. As Rickey stated, acceptance will only occur if the world is convinced Robinson is a fine gentleman and a great baseball player. That burden must have weighed heavily at times, but itu0026#39;s very clear that Robinson was the right man at the right time.”