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By
NICK ZEGARAC
Penny Marshall’s A League of
Their Own (1992) is a marvelous tribute to
America’s temporary fascination with starting a
professional ‘all-girl’ baseball league. Forced by
WWII to consider shutting down professional
baseball, league owner Walter Harvey (Garry
Marshall) decides to invest in the first
professional woman’s league instead. He sends his
talent scout, the cantankerous Ernie Capadino (Jon
Lovitz) on a cross country tour to find the best
of the best.
Capadino stumbles across sisters, Kitt Keller
(Lori Petty) and Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis).
Dottie has moved back with her family while
husband, Bob (Bill Pullman) is off fighting the
Germans. She’s the one Capadino wants to sign. But
Kitt is the one desperate to join.
So, a deal is struck. If Dottie plays, Kitt can
play too. Dottie’s apprehensions are soon quelled
by Kitt and the two join the Georgia Peaches; a
team consisting of butch third baseman, Doris
Murphy (Rosie O’Donnell), easy party gal, Mae
Mordabito (Madonna) and second base wallflower,
Marla Hooch (Megan Cavanagh).
The team is managed by former baseball hero, Jimmy
Dugan (Tom Hanks) who has fallen on hard times
since his knee injury. Content to drink his life
away and regard women as only a sexual commodity
to be toyed with after each game, Dugan has his
notions realigned by the headstrong Dottie.
Thereafter, the two strike a dedicated, though
platonic friendship.
The film is, in many ways, an idyllic – though at
times – bittersweet snapshot of a slice of
Americana readily overlooked in the history books.
Director, Marshall seems particularly engaged with
her material, delivering a rich and multi-layered
tapestry that allows for even the most minor
characters to have their moment to shine. This is
an outstanding, heartwarming film, sure to be
revived and appreciated for many years to come.
Sony Home Entertainment has several versions
currently available on DVD. The original 1997
release is out of print. The Special Edition that
followed two years later contains a very brief
featurette on the real life all-girl baseball
league. The third incarnation; ‘Collector’s
Edition’ sports a few more largely forgettable
extras. Otherwise, image quality on all three
editions is remarkably similar if, not in fact,
identical. Colors are rich, vibrant and fully
saturated. The anamorphic widescreen presentation
perfectly captures the stylized photography. Reds
are blood-red. Flesh tones are quite natural.
The image is razor sharp without appearing
digitally harsh. Fine details are fully realized.
Occasionally, a light amount of age related
artifacts intrude but do not distract. The audio
is an aggressive 5.1 Dolby Digital rendering that
captures all of the sonic vitality of the original
theatrical presentation. The original disc
contained an extensive chapter search. The SE and
Collector’s Edition have reduced that index number
by half. Highly recommended! |
