Customer Reviews

The Jackie Robinson Story

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A riveting, inspiring piece of American history, seeing the legendary Jackie Robinson play himself is a rare experience; a man who did so much to change the face of segregation, with enormous courage and extraordinary talent.
This is a film everyone, young and old, black and white, should see. Buy it, keep it, give it as a gift. This film is a treasure, even for those of us who are not baseball fans, and like me, don't really understand the game...this film is about so much more...it is the portrait of an era, and the man who was able to make a difference.

Jackie Robinson has a beauty in his face, and is a charismatic screen presence. He is backed by some excellent actors, like Ruby Dee, who plays Rae, his wife, and Minor Watson, terrific as Branch Rickey, who was president of The Brooklyn Dodgers, and also an interesting character. Rickey made a judgement call to hire Jackie, and was proved right, despite much opposition. Humor is provided by the very funny Ben Lessy as Shorty.

The film starts with Robinson as a young boy, through his college years at UCLA, and his time with the Panthers, an all-black team, then a stint in the military during WWII, and later trying to get a job as a coach, with no results.
Robinson of course suffered endless slurs and hatred in the early years with the Dodgers. Mr. Rickey made Robinson promise that he would never fight back when insulted, and even hit, and Robinson replied, "Mr. Rickey, I have two cheeks".

The first game he played with "organized baseball" was in 1946, and changed sports history, and a hero was born. God bless Jackie Robinson, for all he did for sports, and all he achieved for humanity.
With well paced direction by Alfred E. Green, a nice somewhat corny but appropriate score by Herschel Burke Gilbert, and the great Ernest Laszlo did the cinematography, which captures the enthusiasm of the game.
Total running time is 77 minutes.

This is a very heartwarming story of perseverance by one of the best ball players of the era. A model citizen in a difficult position, Jackie shows all of us how to respond to adversity and prejudice. I bought this DVD for my son.
In case you didn't notice this is the only DVD of this movie with close-captioning AND a color option.

What an inspirational movie! Jackie Robinson stars as himself in this entertaining sports and family classic. It chronicles his life, from youth, through his college career at UCLA, to his rise to legend with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Jackie triumphs over racial injustices and emerges as nothing less than one of America's true heroes. If you have a child playing baseball, or any sport, The Jackie Robinson Story is an important film for them to watch.

Presented in color for the first time and beautifully restored, this is the definitive DVD edition of The Jackie Robinson Story. Released in conjunction with The Jackie Robinson Foundation which benefits education for gifted students.

How do you rate Americana on a scale of 1 to 5 stars? It ain't easy, especially when the subject is one of the most special films in history, with Jackie Robinson starring as himself, the first African-American to have a successful major league baseball career since the major leagues themselves were in their early days. Complicating that is the fact that the film itself would be really quite poor if not for this subject matter, as several athletes and sports people are seen playing characters in the film. With more professional actors the story would have been portrayed more vividly.

Regardless, this is a gripping history piece that records several very important things for posterity. The horrifying level of racism undergone by the gallant Robinson and other black ballplayers in the 1940s was the same racism undergone by other African-Americans across the US, but when Branch Rickey, owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, decided it was time to give a black man a shot in the majors, it seemed that all of the baseball fans, management, and players were against the two of them. This the story of what Robinson went through, and how Rickey championed his cause, giving him the correct advice of "Don't fight back." This MLK/Gandhi approach worked because Robinson had the character to make it work, was a likeable man, a great ballplayer, and, as one of the characters in the film points out, "He's a gentleman too."

This story screams for a modern remake, one that would be done with a passion for historical accuracy and first-rate motion picture style. As it is, this now ancient "B" movie is in the public domain, with several different companies offering the title in DVD or VHS. The quality of the picture is therefore grainy and choppy, being cheaply copied from old celluloid. Actually the public domain status has probably saved this precious history from a horrible fate, as the quality of the production is quite low and demand for the film apparently not high, so that anyone who owned a copyright on it might not find it financially feasible to put out on DVD. In the public domain nobody has to paid for the rights to issue a video or DVD, so it's more readily available.

Minor Watson steals the show as Rickey, showing fire and passion in regard to giving Robinson a fair chance when the rest of the baseball world wanted to shut out a black man. As for Robinson himself, well, as an actor he's a great athlete, but it's pure joy to watch him show what a fine talent he was, and Ruby Dee is more than adequate as his wife. Some of the supporting cast, especially ballplayers who are supposed to be furious and threatened at Robinson's presence, have no more acting ability than a third-grader in a Christmas pageant.

The story is watered down for a 1950 audience, but much of what Robinson went through was surely R-rated. A modern retelling would be wonderful to see, but will never replace this important piece of sports history, African-American history, and World War II era history. Must see.

This vintage film biography of Jackie Robinson traces his career from the Negro Leagues to the major league, and of cource, he was the first to break the "color line" in malor league baseball. An intriguing aspect of this docudrama, was that Jackie Robinson played himself. Also, the fantastic Ruby Dee was excellent in the role of Rachel Robinson, Jackie's wife. Wonderful portrayals, along with deep heart-felt emotions make this an excellent film, that is as timely today, as when it took place.

Although several of the famous incidents Robinson encountered are left out of the movie, this film was still very daring for the time, openly dealing with the racial problems of the day in a way few films of the time did.

While Robinson was not the greatest actor in the world, he did an adequate job in the film.

Probably a better film to see on the time period would be Soul of the Game

What's Amazing is the fact that this DVD is sold in the bargain basement grocery bins. I guess that shows that it really pays to at least take a peek at those bargain bins, sometimes you can find a real treasure--and this certainly fits the bill. I had never seen it on TV so I took it home and popped it into the DVD player so that I could at least get a chance to see Jackie Robinson play himself. It was interesting to view the events of Jackie's historical accomplishment on film in black in white during the era in which it actually happened. I am sure the directors had to brave some obstacles of their own in order to get the film released. This is a good story that was done well for it's time and it serves as an incredible piece of history.

Of note are some of the comments made by members of the Negro League as they try to "school" a curious Jackie on the bus en route to another game. Their conversations tell of the hardships for African American baseball players during the Jim Crow era, including the fact that there were no contract for Negro League players and they were not allowed to use public facilities or sit at lunch counters.

I especially enjoyed seeing a young Ruby Dee playing Jackie's wife. Jackie is fine playing himself. He's no actor but it certainly was a smart move to capture him hitting his own homers and performing great outfield feats. One can only imagine what he must have felt on the inside as hostile crowds jeered and called out obscenities. Robinson had to brave the name calling and personal threats while while mustering up the courage not to give in to the inclination to fight back. For that strength he was well respected and rewarded. Some of those difficult crowds cheered him on when as he later won the pennant for the Dodgers.

Some say the film deserves a remake. I say they got it right the first time. This is one film that belongs in every DVD collection.

JACKIE ROBINSON "IS" THE RIGHT MAN TO GET THE JOB DONE!

OVERVIEW:

It has been said that the best 3 things about America are "The Constitution", "Jazz", and "Baseball". Well, in 1946 it was time for Major League Baseball to ante up and rise to join the big leagues. "The Jackie Robinson Story" is the tale of an important journey on that bumpy road that America, through Major League baseball, finally and convulsively faced.

WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT?

Things anyone should be able to take for granted were considered out of the reach for too many Americans who were victims of a system that had hung around far too long. Jackie Robinson, by virtue of his talent and to a larger measure his solid character, was the right man at the right time to get the job done.

The "color line", an invisible wall that never should have been constructed, was voluntarily destructed but it was not easy. This film tells us how this barrier was approached and the attitudes of those on all sides of the question. In many cases, it was not a pretty picture.

Branch Rickey, owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, has the unique distinction of taking the moral high road while acting in the best interests of his team, his sport, and his country.

Jackie Robinson, who plays himself in the movie (and does it very well), is clearly a human being that deserves the opportunities he gets and he earns everyone's respect in the process, fans and foes alike.

MUCH MORE THAN JUST A SPORT MOVIE BIOGRAPHY:

Yes, it is a taut and compelling film involving major league baseball and human rights. More than that, it illustrates the naked, blind cruelty that seemed to grip people from all walks of life over the color issue as well as the sterling characters of a few mavericks. This is a film that shows more than it tells and that is always the best way to present a story.

THE CAST:

Jackie Robinson plays himself and of course needs no introduction. Ruby Dee plays the young woman he marries and who demonstrates the same brand of courage as her husband. Ruby Dee later starred along side Sidney Poitier in "A Raisin In The Sun" and as Jackie Robinson's mother in the 1990 TV movie "The Court Martial of Jackie Robinson. Minor Watson plays Dodgers owner Branch Richey and portrays him as a rough-but-fair businessman who is obviously disgusted over the "color line" in baseball and is the man who finally facilitates its overdue termination.

ABOUT THE DVD: This DVD is a Digiview Production and is "Digitally Remastered" in Black and White.

Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play major league baseball back in 1947.He does a superb articulate acting job playing himself and the adversity and struggles that he triumphed over.It's a must see moving film against bigotry and hatred!!

THE JACKIE ROBINSON STORY stars Jackie Robinson himself. Ruby Dee plays his wife Rachel. This 1950 film is a very bowdlerized account of Robinson's life and the struggles he faced integrating Major League Baseball. Jackie played for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1947 to 1956 (their halcyon years), and was one of the most creative players on the field.

The baseball diamond, however, was simply the stage where Jackie played out, in complete isolation at first, one of the most dramatic social transformations in American history. By stepping onto the grass at Ebbets Field on April 15, 1947, Jackie singlehandedly thrust the issue of civil rights into the forefront of the American consciousness. He paid a terrible price in verbal and psychological abuse, injuries inflicted by other players, death threats, and more. He prevailed, and America is a better place because of it, but Jackie's life was undoubtedly shortened by the ordeal. He died in 1972, blind and halt from diabetes, white haired and aged far beyond his 52 years.

This film is crucially important because it is a document of Robinson's struggle, no matter how gentrified for a film audience. It is unique, because Robinson portrays himself. It is timely, as Robinson's field debut occurred only three years before the film's release, and virtually everyone represented in the film was still directly involved with Robinson. This is Hollywood's sincere attempt to come to grips with the impending Civil Rights Movement, a Movement spearheaded by Robinson.

Robinson is an unpolished actor whose great talent is his intensity. Even though this is a film, and even though this illuminates past events, Robinson is living through every minute of every experience, not acting at all. The film has an air of having been hastily thrown together, but despite the roughnesses of its 8mm home movie feel, this film is compelling to watch.

No one can really understand what Jackie Robinson, "the loneliest man in baseball" felt in his gut, but we can honor him, and have. He was a trailblazer. His talent was legendary. His number, 42, has been retired throughout the Major Leagues. He was the first Rookie of the Year, a Most Valuable Player, a Hall of Famer, and posted impressive statistics even in his rookie year when the possibility of his being shot from the stands was an ugly, very real, possibility. He may have been the loneliest man in baseball, but he was also the bravest man in America for the longest stretch of time.