Other Titles • Soul of the Game • Baseball in Black and White (1996) • Field of Honour (1996)
Synopses for Soul of the Game (1996)
1.
An aging Satchel Paige wanted to be the first African American baseball player to integrate the major leagues after World War II. Of course, things didn't work out that way: the visibly dignified and younger Jackie Robinson got the nod, while the Negro Leagues he left behind carried on with such brilliant talents as Josh Gibson segregated from deserving opportunities. This HBO movie concerns the period just before Robinson was pressed into a difficult role breaking the color barrier, and the rich script by David Himmelstein and Gary Hoffman concerns his aspirations as well as those of the frustrated Paige and the deteriorating Gibson. Blair Underwood plays Robinson with an expected nobility, while Delroy Lindo is superb as Paige as is Mykelti Williamson as Gibson. Directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan, the film really does fill a gap in a viewer's imagination about what these three legendary men must have been going through--and much of it is painful to witness. With Edward Herrmann as Branch Rickey. --Tom Keogh
2.
"Soul of the Game" chronicles the professional and personal lives of three baseball players -- Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and Jackie Robinson -- who vied to become the first Black man to enter the major leagues.
All three were stars in the Negro Leagues. Of the trio, best friends and teammates Paige and Gibson were clearly the top players; however the former's age and the latter's emotional problems hindered their chances.
That left only the physically and emotionally sound Jackie Robinson. Soon Brooklyn Dodger owner Branch Rickey signed Robinson to his club, making baseball history and breaking the racial barrier.
For both Paige and Gibson it was a severe disappointment -- and the latter never recovered from the slight.
3.
They came to play ball. They stayed to make history. In 1945, the world of baseball is divided between the Majors and the Negro Leagues-but the time has come for change. One Major team will be the first to sign a black player. Only one player will be the first to take the field. The Brooklyn Dodgers want to make the deal that will make history. But the man they choose will have to be more than a great player--he has to have the charisma of a star. It soon comes down to three powerful and extraordinary players: legendary pitcher Satchel Paige; the greatest hitter in baseball, Josh Gibson or rookie player Jackie Robinson. Together they are unbeatable-but only one will cross the home plate into history.
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