Since I am disdainful of worshipful biopics to begin with, my expectations for “42” were even lower than they were for “Philomena”. I was also annoyed with the oversaturated commercials for the movie that left you with the impression that it would be shallow entertainment at best. Once again, I was pleasantly surprised.
Although the film has flaws (how could it be otherwise given its Hollywood origins?), it was a serious attempt to dramatize Jackie Robinson’s epic struggle to integrate professional baseball with solid performances all-round, especially from Chadwick Boseman as Robinson and Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey, the Brooklyn Dodger general manager who decided to break the color barrier. As I will get into later, Dave Zirin is quite right in pointing out how the film left out the broader civil rights movement within the post-WWII historical context. But if you are a leftist parent with young kids, the film is great family entertainment and an opportunity to refer them to books or films about the civil rights movement. That’s what commie parents are for, after all. Just don’t overdo it! full: http://louisproyect.org/2013/12/25/42-the-jackie-robinson-story/ _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
