42
2013 · Directed by Brian Helgeland
Original language: English
- drama
The story
In 1947, Jackie Robinson becomes the first Black man to play in Major League Baseball facing unabashed racism from the public, the press and other players.
What it’s like
Warm, sun-washed period color: bright ballpark greens, chalk-white base paths and the dusty brown of Ebbets Field under afternoon sky, with a classic studio sheen that makes 1940s Brooklyn and the Jim Crow South feel lived-in rather than staged. Camera work is largely steady and conventional, with wide establishing shots of crowds and stadiums, close two-shots in dugouts and hotel rooms, and a fair amount of watchful framing on faces as slurs and jeers land. The score is orchestral and swelling, leaning on brass and strings in the big moments, and the crowd noise and crack of the bat do a lot of the work between them. Vibe: earnest, hopeful, heavy in patches, a sports film built around dignity under pressure. Pacing is brisk and linear, with its arc following one man steadily holding his nerve while a team and a city slowly come around. Intensity is moderate: racist language is frequent and ugly, there are threats and a few tense confrontations, and one or two scenes of hostile violence, but nothing gory or sexual. It suits a Sunday afternoon with the baseball on, or anyone who wants an uplifting, inspirational story of courage and change, and it is best for viewers ready for period racism to be shown directly.
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