The Babe (DVD)

The Babe follows the life of George Herman Ruth (Babe Ruth), the legendary American baseball player who was renowned for his extraordinary ability to hit home runs. The film follows his life from the early years when he was abandoned at a strict catholic orphanage by his father as he was uncontrollable and labelled as a terror. We see the initial discovery of his ability to hit the ball harder and further than most kids which led to him being discovered, ...
...signs him up for the Boston Orioles, a minor league baseball team.

Following his brief spell at the Orioles, the film quickly moves on to his transfer to the Boston Red Sox, where his legendary status for eating, drinking and women is nearly as prominent as his ability to hit home runs. As his success brings him riches and fame beyond his wildest dreams, his wayward nature spirals out of control as he gets to big for his boots and ... more

The Babe follows the life of George Herman Ruth (Babe Ruth), the legendary American baseball player who was renowned for his extraordinary ability to hit home runs. The film follows his life from the early years when he was abandoned at a strict catholic orphanage by his father as he was uncontrollable and labelled as a terror. We see the initial discovery of his ability to hit the ball harder and further than most kids which led to him being discovered, at the age of 19, by a talent scout who signs him up for the Boston Orioles, a minor league baseball team.

Following his brief spell at the Orioles, the film quickly moves on to his transfer to the Boston Red Sox, where his legendary status for eating, drinking and women is nearly as prominent as his ability to hit home runs. As his success brings him riches and fame beyond his wildest dreams, his wayward nature spirals out of control as he gets to big for his boots and causes the collapse of his first marriage.

Without spoiling the film for anyone who does not know the Babe Ruth story, the rest of the film follows his career and the ups and downs on and off the field.

Although I am not a huge fan of baseball, The Babe is a thoroughly enjoyable movie, mainly down to John Goodman's portrayal of Babe Ruth. Unlike other baseball movies, such as "Field of Dreams" and "For Love of the Game", The Babe follows the real life story of legendary baseball player George Herman Ruth and in doing so is as much educational as entertaining. Where the film does seem to have problems is that it portrays Ruth as basically an out of control, overgrown child who gets to big for his boots and does not really dwell on any of the positive aspects of his career. Although this side of his life was as legendary as his ability on the field, there are many more aspects of his life that are not demonstrated in the film. One of these which was shown, and one which Ruth is most famous for, was his promise to a sick child in hospital to hit the ball twice clear out of the stadium.

Where some people criticise this film is in the fact that it dwells more on The Babe's life away from the field than his actual playing and so lacks the atmosphere of being at a baseball game. Personally I found that this made the film more enjoyable as you got to know more about the man than watching a few games. On top of this, with the film being set in the first half of the 20th century, the actual look and feel of the movie is brilliant and it really feels like you are being transported back to those days.

Probably the best thing about the movie is John Goodman as George Herman Ruth, and without him this film would by no means be as enjoyable as it is. Although the film is essentially a drama and not a comedy, Goodman's portrayal of Babe is at times laugh out loud funny as he behaves like a kid in a candy shop. Even though the film concentrates on the negative sides of his character, Goodman brings tenderness to many of the scenes, none more than in the scene where he dishes out new shoes to hundreds of orphaned and poor children. Alongside Goodman are Trini Alvarado as his first wife Helen and Kelly McGillis as his second wife Clare. Both of which are well played and substance to the movie, but are never really explored to their extent. The same can be said of Ruth's relationship to fellow baseball player Jumpin' Joe Dugan, played by Bruce Boxleitner, although critical to the film is never exploited to its full potential.

The Babe is directed by Arthur Hiller and although he has captured the feel of the era perfectly, his choice of portraying just the one side of Ruth's character really lets the overall appeal of the film down. Saying that, watching this film as purely a drama it is indeed very enjoyable and would appeal to anyone who is not over keen on sports movies. With this in mind, Hiller's approach to showing very little actual baseball is a refreshing change to most sports based movies.

The soundtrack to the film, although not very prominent is typical of the sounds of the era and the few pieces which are actually used really help to set the mood of the movie.

Although some people will shy away from this movie, purely because of its association with sport and one which is not as prominent in the UK as say football, it is still a very enjoyable and engrossing drama, as well as being educational at the same time. It is with out any doubt that it is John Goodman's portrayal which makes this film as enjoyable and I doubt another actor would have been able to play this legendary character so effectively. Although I feel that the film does seem a bit one sided in its viewpoint it is still thoroughly entertaining and perfect for anyone who wants a reasonable film for a Sunday Afternoon, even if it is just short of being 2 hours long.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cast and Crew
============

Director: Arthur Hiller
Producer(s): John Fusco
Writer(s): John Fusco

John Goodman ---- George Herman 'Babe' Ruth
Kelly McGillis ---- Clare Hodgson Ruth
Trini Alvarado ---- Helen Woodford Ruth
Bruce Boxleitner ---- Jumpin' Joe Dugan
Peter Donat ---- Harry Frazee
James Cromwell ---- Brother Mathias
J.C. Quinn ---- Jack Dunn
Joe Ragno ---- Miller Huggins
Richard Tyson ---- Guy Bush
Ralph Marrero ---- Ping
Robert Swan ---- George Ruth Sr.
Bernard Kates ---- Colonel Jack Ruppert

Technical Details
============

Year of Release: 1992
Duration: 115 mins
Certificate: PG
Genre: Biographical, Sport, Drama

Price & Availability
===============

The Babe is available on DVD at the following websites:

Amazon.co.uk ---- £7.97
Play.com ---- £6.99

© ChristianFilmCritic June 2006
 

...less