This is a look at the Negro Leagues of Baseball out of which came many of the greatest players of all time.
This is a glorious celebration of the men who played the game better than anyone ever, it's also a record of a piece of history that most people have never heard. Sure every baseball fan has heard of the Negro League but most don't really know the details, nor have they seen any of the film that was shot of the games.
All hail director Sam Pollard who has made a film that is going to open the eyes of many people who only know the subject as a few cold sentences. This is a film that brings it all to life. This is a film that explains simply and easily why the men who played in here were the best that ever was.
I don't say that lightly. While I am a white guy, I grew up hearing stories of the Negro Leagues. While I know my dad never saw a Negro League game he was a fan, the result of the stories his friends would tell him of the games that they went to. As the greats like Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron and Satchell Page moved over to MLB he was regaled with tales of what these giants did before.
Luckily Pollard tells us and amazingly occasionally shows us. What a joy it is to see the found footage on the big screen where it can truly impress us.
I loved this film.
Talking to someone connected to the film's PR between screenings I mentioned how much I loved the film and I inquired if there was any plans to expand the film into a mini-series. They looked at me quizzically until I explained how much more there was to tell. There were so many great players and so many great stories that a film of 103 minutes can't contain them all. I wanted to see more.
What a great film. It's so good that I'm planning on seeing it on the big screen again when it its theaters in July.
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