Thursday, September 12, 2013
42, review
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Harrison Ford, Nicole Beharie, Christopher Meloni
Jackie Robinson means as little to most British sports fans as, say, Stanley Matthews or Fred Trueman do in the States, but he was a hugely significant figure: in 1947 he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers and became the first black American to play major league baseball – which forced him to confront racist hostility from fans, rival players and even team-mates.
42, named after the number Robinson wore, recounts that first season after Robinson was signed by the Dodgers from the 'negro leagues' (that's what they used to call them). The man who made this happen was Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford). Intriguingly, he signed Robinson for pragmatic rather than idealistic reasons; he thought fast, athletic black players would bring the Dodgers success and broaden the team's audience base.
Handsomely shot in a perpetually honeyed light, 42 never once understates the mythic allure baseball holds in America: a metaphor for life and a constant opportunity for triumph or redemption.
This may not all resonate with British audiences, yet it's a tale competently told. The imposing newcomer Chadwick Boseman gives Robinson personal self-assurance to match his physical confidence; and it's enjoyable to watch Ford stretching into a character role as the stubborn, shrewd but good-hearted Rickey.
Source : http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/568414/s/31271256/sc/3/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Cculture0Cfilm0Cfilmreviews0C10A30A47910C420Ereview0Bhtml/story01.htm
