Bang the Drum Slowly
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Movie Reviews of Bang the Drum Slowly
Movie Review: One of my husband's all time favorites
Summary: 5 Stars
Though I haven't seen it yet, my husband considers it a must-have classic.Movie Review: Superb movie but needs extras
Summary: 4 Stars
"Bang the Drum Slowly" is a line taken from the cowboy dirge "The Steets of Laredo" which is about a cowboy dying young."Bang the Drum Slowly" which is based on a novel by the same name, is about a dying dim-witted, country boy catcher and a sophisticated, star pitcher. The catcher (Pearson), played by Robert DeNiro, is dying from Hogkin's disease and the only one who knows about it is the Michael Moriarty character (Arthur). The story goes on how Arthur is suddenly nice to Pearson. No one knows why and everyone becomes more resentful of Pearson. Slowly everyone learns that Pearson is dying and starts to treat Pearson nicer. In addition, the team, a talented but bickering group of ballplayers, are finally united because of Pearson's condition and go on to win the series. The continued subtle references to the business side of baseball pulls us back to the harsh reality of life and prevents the movie from being too corny. The movie is superb, but the DVD would have been better if some extras were included especially if there were something about history of free agency in baseball. $124,000 is not even the the base pay of today's rookie major leaguer, but in 1974 (when the movie was made) this was a huge amount of money. 1974 was also significant because this was the year that Andy Messersmith of the Dodger's challenged the reserve clause and became the first free agent.Movie Review: More About Real Friendship Than Baseball
Summary: 4 Stars
There was nothing hokey overly melodramatic about this story, and usually you get that with a sports story or about a good person dying. In this case, we have a combination of the two.
This is simply a mellow, sweet-natured human interest story well-acted by the two main stars: Michael Moriarity and Robert De Niro. Both are nice to watch, playing very easy-going non-offensive characters.
Moriarty plays a pitcher on a pennant-contending team who lovingly looks after his not-so-smart-but-dying teammate and friend (De Niro). By today's standards, it's slow-moving but I never got bored with it in several viewings. As nice a film as it is, there is one warning: a lot profanity by the manager (Vincent Gardenia) but it's not a kids' movie anyway.
I watched it years ago and then again recently when it came out on DVD. It's hard to get excited about it, yet it's a memorable story that I could never get out of my head. We all wish we had friends like the one Moriarty portrays here.
Movie Review: Bittersweet Baseball
Summary: 4 Stars
To say the book and this movie is not really about baseball is not quite right. Yes, it is about more than just baseball, but baseball provides the rhythms, the spring, summer and ultimately the winter for us all. Baseball is the only major sport where time is not a factor, it can be played into infinity. That said, the cut aways from the actors to the real ballplayers was pretty well done. I did think it was strange for the Yankees to be playing the Reds and the Pirates. I wish DeNiro had spent as much time on baseball as he did on the accent. Also, Harris wrote four books with Henry Wiggins as the main character, from rookie to veteran on his way out. I highly recommend his books. "From now on I rag nobody." Good words to live by.Movie Review: Bang the Drum Slowly
Summary: 4 Stars
Very strong movie, with some nice emotional moments. Perhaps a tad overdone and the baseball scenes could have been a bit more realistic. But its characters made you care, and it had some really funny parts as well. Overall, I would recommend as a good watch, but don't expect the best sports movie you'll ever see or you will be disappointed.