It seems that sickness is the most effective way to make Robert DeNiro vulnerable. His performance as second-string, slow-witted catcher Bruce Pearson who, with the help of his best friend ace pitcher Henry 'Author' Wiggon (Michael Moriarty), goes through lies and pains to keep his team's management from finding out he has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease in order to keep playing the game he loves so much, is genuinely poignant and emblematic of DeNiro's acting versatility, something that sometimes gets forgotten when constantly subjected to many of his tough-guy, persona-fitting roles. Released the year before his Oscar-winning portrayal of Vito Corleone in The Godfather, Part 2 (1974), Bang the Drum sets the trend for using disease or slow-wittedness in order to pull certain of his characters away from his usually authoritative and situation-controlling image. Like in Awekenings (1990) and Stanley & Iris (1989) years later, DeNiro's Pearson is heartwarming due to his inability to know any better, still able to appreciate the little joys he has even though his life is on the line. More importantly, it's another example of DeNiro needing to be somehow disabled in order to be believable as someone not being able to take charge of the reins.
Beyond that, Bang the Drum is also a great dramatic comedy which is made all the more enjoyable by taking place in the world of baseball, rightfully considered a classic in films dealing with the sport. The fraternal bond shared by Pearson and Wiggon is made even stronger by their being part of the same team, the familial aspect of baseball brought further home by the lively performance of Vincent Gardenia as the team's head coach, hilarious as he loses his temper trying to decipher the solid lies his boys feed him. Strong performances and ample baseball footage make this simple tale of friendship and loyalty one for the books, leading one to wonder if America's national pastime will ever be treated so innocently again.
Easily the best baseball movie. Partly it's the acting, but a lot of it has to do with the brilliant dialogue lifted from the classic original novel by Mark Harris. One of DeNiro's best performances, but matched all the way by Michael Moriarty. And how about Vincent Gardenia as Dutch?
ReplyDeleteThere's also a TV version from the 50s with a very young Paul Newman as Henry "Author" Wiggin. Not as good, but worth checking out.