42 Is About More Than Baseball – It’s A Story Of Black Athlete’s Struggle To Bridge The Cultural Gap In America Through Sport!
by ALAN SAMUEL
You know the name,you know the number. That was the tag line for the first James Bond film starring Pierce Brosnan in 1995. Well, 42 has nothing to do with agent 007 but everything to do with baseball and bigotry in America. Made by Warner Brothers 42 looks at the phenomenal life of Jackie Robinson and is winning over converts at the Empire Esplanda North Vancouver, Empire Studio 12, Colossus and Cineplex Odeon Theatres around B.C
Right after World War 2 segregation was still in vogue across American. While whites had their own baseball leagues so did blacks. Through the foresight of a top official of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 history was about to change. Branch Rickey, a key executive with the whites only ball team wanted to sign a black player to the team and Jackie Robinson’s name came up. Superstar Harrison Ford (Star Wars) returns to form, not as the fabled ball player but as the equally fabled baseball owner who went out of his way to sign Robinson. Along the way he was constantly put down, ridiculed and made uneasy. Ford is superb and worthy of an oscar as is the miraculous approach shown by the man who played Jackie.
Star in the making Chadwick Boseman is nothing short of phenomenal in his portrayal of this cultural icon. Strong as an ox with a bat to kill Robinson had to stare down countless opponents and racists from all quarters. It was not easy for him to turn the other cheek but this is shown superbly in this two hour movie. Secondary players who are key to this story include Jackie’s stand by your man girl Rachel, wonderfully displayed by Nicole Beharie and a reporter Wendell Smith as exemplified by Andre Holland.
On screen encounters are superbly choreographed as Robinson does whatever it takes to win. Meanwhile he must endure countless opposition from ignorant fans, players, opponents and the like. Director/writer Brian Helgeland delivers to us a superb look at a monumental figure and 42 shows just how difficult those times were for folks of colour throughout the United States.
