The Natural (1984)

Sports films often lend themselves to allegorical references to mythology and the divine. Perhaps it is in their inherent nature for they depict man’s striving against the odds and achieving something seemingly beyond him through a combination of hard work and luck. ‘The Natural’ is filled with angelic and demonic symbolisms as it traces the life of a gifted baseball player, who achieves glory in a second coming after his first was tragically nipped.

The story is of Roy Hobbs, a gifted baseball player who, as a young man, makes a baseball bat from the wood of a tree destroyed by lightning. While on his way to test out for the Chicago Cubs as a pitcher, he befriends a woman, to whom he reveals his dream of glory as a baseball player. She leads him to her hotel room and shoots him before killing herself.

16 years later, Hobbs tries out for the low ranked New York Knights and after initial push back, finds himself a star and a hero. His fate is in the balance again as the franchise’s owners want the coach to sell his share of the franchise to them, something that is he bound to do if the team fails to win the pennant. They do everything they can to destroy the star player, Hobbs and the team. And then an angel appears from his past to save him.

Barry Levinson’s direction leaves you with a sense of intrigue right through the film. The references to demons and angels who work against or for you in life are aplenty. To film is shot with a lot of sepia tinted lighting to give it an other-world feel.  The mystery surrounding Hobbs’ misfortune the first time around is never solved and the angelic help in his resurgence never explained. Another theme that is explored is the role of betting, match-fixing and commerce in sports and how the conscience of a player can be tempted. 

Apart from this, the story does not deviate much from the standard sports script structure and that is a bit disappointing. It is quite common for writers and directors to want to end sports movies in an anti-climax, but for that to change owing to losing the feel-good factor.

Robert Redford delivers a good performance as Hobbs. I’ve never viewed him as a great actor and in this film, as in his other films, he uses his good looks and impressive personality to pull through. Glenn Close as his former girlfriend from his past who re-enters his life is refreshing in a performance won her an Oscar nomination. Robert Duvall as the insidious sports writer who claims to make or break sporting careers delivers a good support performance.

‘The Natural’ is a good sports film with a slightly different flavor added to the formula.