Opening day: The Catcher Was a Spy (2018) and The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg (1998)
It’s been a while since I’ve fallen out of love with baseball, but I still enjoy a good baseball movie. Here are a couple of films I’ve watched recently that I can highly recommend.
Berg gained a government position during the war and eventually applied and worked for the Office of Strategic Services. The movie focuses on this part of his life, especially the mission he was given to attend a lecture by Werner Heisenberg in Switzerland. He was to evaluate if Germany was close to achieving an atomic bomb or if he thought Heisenberg would help them build them. Berg was given the green light to assassinate Heisenberg if he thought it necessary to stop the German’s project. The irony in the mission plays with the Heisenberg uncertainty principle with regard to the status of the German atomic bomb project. Can Berg successfully measure/evaluate both the position (where they are at) and velocity or momentum (will Heisenberg help them succeed soon)? Paul Rudd captures the complexity of Berg and the remaining cast provides strong support. Fortunately the movie skips his later life, which isn’t a pretty picture in Dawidoff’s book.
This interview with director Ben Lewin at the Sloan Science & Film site gives some background on how he became involved in the film and how some of the actors prepared for their roles.
Kempner has become an accomplished documentarian, and in this, her first release, she pieces together interviews from sports figures, family members, celebrities, and fans to provide an engaging story arc of his life and career. Greenberg’s Jewishness is the central focus of the story, but his accomplishments transcend trying to pigeonhole him with any identity. From the film’s website:
“Hammering Hank” Greenberg’s career spanned the years when our country faced the enormous challenges of the Great Depression and World War II. He played first base and outfield for the Detroit Tigers from 1933 to 1946 and for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1947. Known as a self-made star and notorious for his hours of daily practice, Greenberg was recognized by sportswriters as “one of the greatest power hitters.”
In 1938, he achieved tremendous fame when he fell two homeruns short of matching Babe Ruth’s record of sixty home runs in a single season. He was chosen Most Valuable Player in 1935 as a first baseman and again in 1940 as a left fielder. He batted in more than one hundred runs per season seven times in his career. His lifetime batting average was .313 and his career home run total was 331. In 1956 he received baseball’s highest honor when he was voted into the Hall of Fame.
The highlights of his inspirational career constantly made the national headlines and captured the imagination not only of sportswriters but also of his loyal fans. His l938 attempt to beat Babe Ruth’s home run record was followed closely in the press and by baseball fans all over America. In May 1941, Greenberg again made headline news as the first star ballplayer to enlist in the Armed Services. In June 1945, he was the first ballplayer to attempt a comeback after so long an absence from the sport. He did so successfully by hitting a home run in the first game he played upon his return. In l947, Greenberg set another benchmark when he became the first major league baseball player to earn more than $100,000 per year.
It turns out there is a tie-in between the two movies: Aviva Kempner is making a documentary about Berg currently titled The Spy Behind Home Plate that is scheduled for release later this year. Have fun with these or other baseball movies as the season starts.