Product Details

• Actors: Mickey Mantle, Maury Allen, Mel Allen, Marty Appel, Joe Barker
• Directors: George Roy
• Writers: Steven Stern
• Producers: George Roy, Adam Der Aris, Erik Kesten, Rick Bernstein, Ross Greenburg
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Hbo Home Video
• DVD Release Date: June 13, 2006
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000EULSRK
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #15,643 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  #14 in	Movies & TV > Sports > Baseball > Teams > New York Yankees
  #21 in	Movies & TV > Documentary > Series & Studios > HBO Documentary

• For more information about "Mantle - The Definitive Story of Mickey Mantle" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

"Babe Ruth did it on hot dogs and beer," read a sign in the bleachers taunting Barry Bonds as he renewed his allegedly tainted pursuit of the Babe's (and then Henry Aaron's) home run record in 2006. And the Mick? Well, as detailed in Mantle - The Definitive Story of Mickey Mantle, this New York Yankee immortal's rise to fame and glory was fueled by sheer talent; the drinking and carousing that were part of the package could hardly be called "performance enhancing." Indeed, as great as Mantle was--and at his peak in the 1950s and early '60s, only Willie Mays could rival him--he spent his retirement years haunted by the notion that he could have been better. That would have been something, considering that Mantle, the handsome, charming Oklahoma hayseed who was not yet 20 when he joined the Yankees in 1951, played on 12 World Series teams (seven of them winners), made the All-Star team 16 times, won three MVP trophies and one Triple Crown, hit over 500 homers, and made the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Still, he was plagued by serious injuries, not to mention a variety of self-inflicted problems, principally alcoholism; he was also a poor father to his four sons, who were raised mainly by their mother and came to love the bottle as much as their dad did. Retirement (in 1969) only made things worse, as his alcoholism eventually led to the need for a controversial liver transplant (some claimed that his celebrity status pushed Mantle higher up the organ recipient list than he deserved to be) and, finally, the cancer that killed him in 1995. But as this hour-long HBO documentary (narrated by Liev Schreiber and featuring interviews with Bob Costas, Billy Crystal, former teammates, and many others) tells it, Mantle's finest hours came near the end, when he admitted that he'd been a terrible role model who "was given so much… (but) I blew it." Somewhat sentimental but not mawkish, Mantle will transport you back to a simpler, more innocent time. And in an era when so many sports heroes are merely super-rich, arrogant criminals, that can't be bad. --Sam Graham

Product Description

The almost mythic career of Yankee slugger Mickey Mantle is the subject of this acclaimed HBO Sports documentary special. Over 18 seasons with the Bronx Bombers, despite constant nagging injuries, Mantle managed to hit 536 home runs, twice hitting more than 50 in a season. He finished ten seasons with a batting average of .300 or more and suited up for seven World Series. To this day, ?The Mick? remains the greatest switch-hitter in baseball history; however, behind his country charm and good looks there was his wayward lifestyle that harmed his marriage, his relationship with his four sons and ultimately his health.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mick's story told in great detail, August 5, 2006

By	Phil S. (USA) - See all my reviews

An absolute treasure for fans and historians; for the fans who might expect alot of the same clips and stills and are thrilled to see something "new"; for the historians who can enjoy the high quality of the previously seen and (believed to be) first time viewing of the content.
It's always great to watch a non-overdubbed kinescope and here we have one from '52 with the Voice of The Yankees calling a MM base hit. (I could watch these undoctored clips for days on end...HBO, what do you think?...).
Besides the rare clips we have a chance to enjoy rarely seen Mantle relatives, and famous co-workers such as Bill "Moose" Skowron, Joe Pepitone, and Phil Linz, who are not as visible as some other teammates in similiar packages, in well-produced interview segments.
I was particularly touched by a 1968 (his final year) press conference including a young fan; and what was possibly his very last public statement in 1995.
The viewer/fan might find this documentary remarkably "frank", in comparison with other works which glorify the Mick without mention of his long, sad personal decline, although some of the stills of the dissipated Mantle are somewhat disturbing. I think this necessary, though mildly depressing theme could have actually been balanced with some *on-field* shortcomings - I refer to the 1959 to 1960 fall from grace when he was roundly booed - his batting average dropping 61, then 80 points in two years; an insightful segment could have been wrought in regard to the infamous "bonehead" of August, '60 when Mickey, thinking it was two outs, not one, did not run hard to first base, and caused Roger Maris to get into a double-play break up resulting in an injury which left him with 39 homers and Mantle 40. My idea is that Mick wanted Roger to break Ruth's record the next year because of this situation. There is no mention of the Mantle late '60 to '64 "Comeback".
Another lesser-discussed chapter (not explored here) is his serious shoulder injury in the '57 Series, which permanently affected his uppercut from the left side.
Yes, and it looks like the author also missed a chance to expound on that "lost" season. Not talkin' about '53 or '63, which left a huge gap statistically. It was that 1966 season, that summer, ten years after, when the Mick, coming up to age 35, had a June-July explosion of power, which really has remained unrivaled to this day. Hitting monsterous home-runs in bunches, it only stopped when another miserable injury sidelined him. The round-trippers slowed, but enough energy was sustained for him to end the season at .288 (the previous season was .255). To me, this a very important element of the Legend. Although, I gotta believe, that Mick didn't realy notice. The Yankees finished 10th that year.
I've been a Mantle fan since the '50s and have read many books, essays, and articles on this legend, and I can say that this DVD, despite a few missing pieces which could really have put it in orbit, belongs on the same shelf as *any* exceptional treatment.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mantle Fans Prepare For Tears, February 22, 2007

By	Kenneth D. Common (Auburn, Washington) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I grew up in Northern N.J. in the '50's & '60's. Mickey Mantle was my hero, as well as that of hundreds of thousands of other kids. I saw this tonight as a rental. I'll be buying it tomorrow. Was he perfect?
( Definitely not). Was he an alcoholic? ( Yes) Was he a womanizer? (Yes). But there was something about him that made him larger than life. He was like a god. All it took was a wave toward me from Mick at Yankee Stadium, that I caught on an 8mm movie film. I floated on a cloud for a week. This 1 hour documentary captures almost everything I felt about him when I was a kid. If you love baseball, and if you loved the Mick, you'll love this film. Two of my life's highlights were getting to meet Mick, and getting a picture of my then 10 year old son shaking Mick's hand when he was near the end. I treasure those memories & that picture.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The boy with a man's back!, May 12, 2007

By	J. Sims (Denver) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is as good a video on Mick as you will find ... every true fan of The Mick should own it. But ... due to its time limitations for obvious reasons (made for TV), there was much left out that I would like to have seen.

Surely there is more video footage somewhere showing him hitting a few of his trademark/monstrous home runs ... or least the ball parks where he hit them and the places where the ball landed, or how about letting us listen to several radio broadcast clips by Mel Allen when The Mick "came to bat"? That would let us again enjoy the true excitement of those times.

Also, I would like to hear someone's thoughts on why Mick, not a huge guy at 5'11 1/2" and 195 lbs, had so much power "for distance", which was his distinction, heck, anyone can plink balls out there that just clear the fence ...

I personally think his power was a combination of two things, a) his quick twitch muscles (they had to be "quick twitch" because he also was the fastest guy around) combined with his b) early and extensive practice at swinging a bat ... nothing technical, he just put everything into every swing ... he just had that little something extra ... even today, no home run hitters can hit for distance like The Mick, certainly not consistently or even once in a while. I'd take The Mick over Bonds any day! Mick could hit the ball "over buildings"!

Otherwise, it's a fairly comprehensive look at Mick's life from his early days right up through the very sobering and sad ending ... it covers Mick's start in baseball beginning with the everyday practices by the barn with his Dad from his early youth, which Mick apparently enjoyed (though his younger brothers became "burned out" on baseball from it, who according to Mick, could have been pretty good ball players), thru the wonder years of when his god given superstar talents blossomed fully (MVP years and between), and his injuries and slowly declining skills leading to his retirement, then his "aimless years" of middle age when he was "on-display" through countless golf tournaments and corporate events, and ultimately to the end, a life cut short by cancer, caused by who knows what, a lifetime of abusing his body????

"The Mick", what a guy! I loved him and still do ... I watched him play often on TV when I was in Junior High & High School, but what a person of extremes ... a heroic & charming super athlete (who comes along once every 100 years), as well as a tragic & pathetic drunk ... self-admitedly he wondered what he could have accomplished as a player had he skipped the booze, carousing late at night, and avioded those crippling/career limiting injuries ... we miss him.

Because of The Mick, I taught my son to switch hit ... down in the barn!

Jim