The Natural (Director's Cut) DVD Review
Posted by Tony Farinella on 04.10.2007
The greatest baseball movie of all time is now available on a two-disc director's cut!
I was told by a number of people that I was rather harsh in my review of Man of the Year. While I don't disagree, I did have my reasons. I don't mind if an Indy director makes a bad film. That is clearly understandable. A new director is trying out new things and hoping to make a worthwhile film. While they might not succeed, you have to applaud their effort. They really don't know any better. You can best describe them as a young pup you bring into your house for the first time. They will tear apart the house, poop on the carpet, and cause a mess. Following this, they will look up at you with a big smile as if they did nothing wrong. You really can't stay mad at this dog or director. Barry Levinson is not some young pup. He knows better. That is why there was no excuse for him to make a film as bad as Man of the Year. The film was completely unnecessary for everyone involved in the project. It was a waste of time, money, and effort by everyone that attached their name to the project. On the same token, we all know what Barry Levinson is capable of in terms of his career.
We don't need to look any further than The Natural. It's a magical story that is told with warmth, heart, and joy. The most amazing aspect of The Natural is the fact the film is simplistic, predictable, and basic. Nevertheless, we care about the film. It's told in a way that allows us to ignore that aspect of the story. It's also carried by a fantastic performance by Robert Redford. If you look up the word understated in the dictionary, you will probably find a picture of Mr. Redford. He's living proof of the fact that less is more. I've always had a certain fondness and appreciation for any film with Robert Redford. I thought he was wonderful in An Unfinished Life. He makes films that are observant, subtle, and human. I've always found myself very thoughtful after a Robert Redford film. While The Natural is loved by baseball fans, I don't think you need to be a baseball fan to appreciate it. It's a film for anyone who has ever had a dream and dared to live it. The film is also about the personal obstacles that we all must go through in order to do what makes us happy. While I don't believe in magic, The Natural makes a strong case for the notion that magic exists all around us.
The Natural opens up following a young Roy Hobbs, who is later played in the film as an adult by Robert Redford. He's currently playing baseball with his father. His father tells him that he needs confidence and concentration in order to be successful in baseball. Roy later creates his own baseball bat and calls it Wonderboy. It's made out of a tree that was struck in half by lightning. We move forward a few years and follow Roy on his way to a tryout with the Cubs. He meets a sportswriter played by Robert Duvall and a Babe Ruth-type player named The Whammer, who is played by Joe Don Baker. The Whammer challenges Roy to a competitive bet. Roy is only given three pitches to strike out The Whammer. He ends up striking out the Whammer with three pitches and makes him look silly. It appears that Roy is on his way to becoming a successful baseball player. Unfortunately, his dreams are cut short after being shot with a silver bullet by a mysterious woman he meets on the train. This puts a brief stop on his dreams of becoming a baseball player. Following this, we fast-forward years later and follow Roy and his return to the sport of baseball.
Roy is not exactly in the prime of his career when he is sent to the Knights. He is thirty-five years old when he is sent to the play for the New York Knights. Hobbs is only sent to play for the Knights as an insult to Pop. Pop is the old, bitter, and angry coach of the New York Knights. He dreams of one day winning the pennant. Pop coaches a team that is just plain dreadful. They rarely win any games and don't appear to really care about baseball. The star player of the team is named Bump Bailey, who is played by Michael Madsen. He's a cocky punk who only wants to pick up women after the games. Pop tells Bump he has one game to prove that he deserves to be on the team. If not, he will find himself a welcome seat on the bench. Bailey ends up playing harder than ever during a game, which ends up leading to his death when he crashes through a wall. Because of this, Roy is finally given a chance to play baseball. He's been waiting patiently to play while Pop has refused to give him any game time. Roy ends up being an amazing ball player who can do amazing things with Wonderboy. Everything appears to finally be on track for Roy Hobbs. That is until he meets the sexy and seductive Kim Basinger. She looks to be straight out of a film noir. Also, Roy meets a blast from the past when his old girlfriend (Glenn Close) shows up at one of his games. Will Roy stay on the straight and narrow? Will Roy fall back into trouble with women?
The Natural is a film that reminds me of everything that is pure about old-fashioned Hollywood craftsmanship. People talk a lot about Hollywood style. I think this is a film that fully utilizes what is great about that Hollywood style. When you watch this film, you almost feel as if you are transported to another world. Barry Levinson takes his time in building up this story. Roger Ebert has often said that a great movie is never too long, which means you never notice the running time of a great movie. You are so absorbed in their world. It's almost as if you never want this movie to end. You enjoy your time spent in this world so much that you are a bit sad when the credits roll. How many movies can you say that about? It seems like most movies need at least thirty minutes of trimming. The Natural is a film that stays with you long after it's over. You just can't forget the journey you have gone on with this character. The Natural makes you completely forget that you are even watching a movie. You stop telling yourself that you are watching a movie unfold before your eyes. You start to care about everything so much that you accept it as reality. With that said, this story is a neat fable. Nevertheless, The Natural makes you believe every second of it.
The Natural features a solid cast of engaging and entertaining actors. With that said, this is truly Robert Redford's film. He carries the film with a low key confidence. Redford portrays Hobbs as likable, charming, and easy-going. I truly believe that Redford is perhaps the most underrated actor of all time. Can you believe Redford has never won an Oscar for his acting? It's truly a crime. He wasn't even nominated for this role! Who else has done more for Hollywood than Robert Redford? First, you have to consider all of the legendary films he's been apart of in his career. Also, he's helped so many filmmakers with his Sundance film festival. We also can't ignore all the fantastic films that Robert Redford has directed. Redford was at least given an Oscar for Ordinary People. I don't count the honorary Oscar they gave Redford back in 2002. Redford is criminally overlooked for his acting. He's not loud, over-the-top, or cocky. He's like that grandpa who tells you fantastic stories that you want to hear. Redford has one of the most amazing voices in Hollywood. It embodies wisdom, honor, and respect. The Natural gives Redford a platform for his voice to be heard. I could hear Robert Redford tell stories all day. He's perhaps the best storyteller in Hollywood history.
DVD Info:The Natural is released on a two-disc Director's Cut. The new cut features over fifteen minutes of never-before-seen footage. The packaging is very nice and almost resembles a baseball bat with its covering. We are treated to subtitles in English, Japanese, Portuguese, and French. The film is also mastered in high definition. It's presented in 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen. Sony appears to have gone all out with this DVD release.
Special Features
"A Natural Gunned Down" The stalking of Eddie Waitkus featurette: This feature discusses how The Natural was inspired by the bizarre shooting of former Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ed Waitkus. The feature uses newspaper clippings to help tell its story. We also hear from other baseball historians. This neat feature runs at seventeen minutes.
"Clubhouse Conversations" featurette: This is a fantastic feature that sits down with many baseball greats. Cal Ripken Jr. sits down on this feature to discuss baseball along with The Natural. This feature runs at fifteen minutes. I highly recommend you check out this feature. It's fantastic for baseball fans.
Extra Innings: This is a four-part feature that discusses a variety of topics. If you are a Chicago Cubs fan, you'll enjoy the feature about the Ryan Sandberg game. It's closely tied to The Natural. We also get an interesting feature about the president. Also, we get a fantastic feature about the use of slow motion in The Natural. You can choose to view all of this at once. You can also choose to select one feature at a time. This is a great companion piece.
The mythology of The Natural featurette: This feature discusses a lot of the magic that I talked about in my review. It also might answer some of your questions about the film. This feature runs at nine minutes. If you are a hardcore fan of the film, you'll enjoy this feature.
"The Heart of The Natural" featurette: This is a forty-four minute feature that is best described as a soup-to-nuts piece. To be truthful, I was growing a little tired of the special features after watching this. While they are great features and I recommend them, you can only hear so many stories before they all start to sound the same. I felt this feature was repeating a lot of stuff that was discussed in other features.
Three "Creating The Natural" featurettes: This three-part feature runs at forty-seven minutes! I don't think I've ever seen a film get this kind of treatment on DVD. I've seen fewer special features on major three-disc releases. This feature sits down with Barry and the cast to describe the film from start-to-finish. We hear all about the casting of Robert Redford in this film. This feature also discusses shooting a lot of the baseball scenes.
Video Introduction by Barry Levinson: This is shown right before the movie if you choose to view it. Barry discusses the extra footage that was put into this cut. As stated above, why couldn't he have just added a commentary track? He could have discussed the footage while showing it to us. This runs at only two minutes.
The 411: Wow! I'm truly blown away by the time and effort that was put on this DVD. You might need to spend an entire weekend going through every special feature on this DVD. Needless to say, this is the super edition of The Natural. The only thing missing is a commentary track from Barry Levinson. In the end, beggars can't be choosers. Outside of all this, you also get the film itself. This DVD comes highly recommended from yours truly. It's released just in time for baseball season. You need to add this film to your collection right away.
