Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

It's been a tradition in my house that every year as spring training begins, I break out the Ken Burns documentary, Baseball. I've had the VHS set for quite a few years now. This year, thanks to my VCR eating several of the tapes, I had the opportunity to take a look at the DVD set, and I can tell you that it's now #1 on my list of what I want for Christmas.

The DVD boxed set includes ten discs, covering baseball from it's origins all the way through the 1990's. Each disc covers a specific time period, although there are some ties to other time periods as well. There are quite a few narrators, both those involved in the sporting world and celebrities and writers who are just big fans of the game (like me!)

I love this series because of the way it brings everything together. Baseball is so intertwined with our history in this country. During the timeframes covered on each disc, the narrators give historical references as to what was occurring in the country at the time. It's fascinating to know that during the Civil War soldiers organized games where sometimes they were shot at (and killed) while playing the outfield.

Likewise, the differences in the fans over the years is also interesting. Fans used to be able to stand in the outfield and the foul lines. There weren't any walls to speak of, and by leaning in or pulling back when a ball was hit near them, they could affect the outcome of the games.

On thing that has always been consistent since the dawn of organized, professional baseball is the animosity between players and owners. I always find it remarkable to see that a hundred years ago the players and owners have almost the same issues that we read about now in the papers.

The series is put together beautifully. Most of the early material consists of black and white photos. These are put together nicely and the camera does a great job panning over them, making the still pictures come to life with the narration. Many of the photos and early films have been digitally restored and have an amazing clarity when viewed on the DVD. It's something to marvel at especially when I look at fading pictures in my mother's own albums.

The soundtrack chosen to accompany such pictures is pivotal, and I thought it added a great deal to the stories. Songs were chosen that are a part of baseball, and played with deliberate slowness at times of melancholy during the game's history. The general instrumentation also seems to set the tone for each piece.

Although these discs obviously convey a love affair with the game, Burns doesn't pull any punches either. He actively talks about how the African-American players were excluded from the game. Even the few that owners would sign because they did play so well were eventually excluded due to other players' attitudes, or the fact that trying to pass them off as an American Indian or Cuban didn't work. He also talks about the role of women in baseball and that for many years they weren't allowed to play simply for fear of getting hurt.

Burns also tells it like it is with the players. Although Ty Cobb is regarded as one of - if not the - greatest players of the game, Burns is not afraid to talk about what a nasty S.O.B. the guy was. To give him credit, he does go into Cobb's background a bit and talks about what might have made him this way.

It's fascinating to see the background behind such legends of the game such as Branch Rickey, Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, and more. Players who I'd never heard of (or only heard a little about) from the early years of the game suddenly come to life. The game itself seems to take on a whole new meaning as an integral part of our American fabric. It's well worth the time I spend each spring watching it, because I come away with a new-found excitement for the game after the long winter.

What's unique between the DVD boxed set over the VHS it the fact that it is interactive. When certain players are profiled, there is a PBS emblem in the bottom left of the screen. I simply press the ENTER button on my DVD player's remote, and this takes me to a "baseball card" of sorts on the player, giving various facts about his life and career statistics. When I'm done, I move the cursor down to PLAY BALL and I cut back to the part of the program I just left.

There is also interactive trivia on each disc. The questions are from the material covered on that disc. If the viewer answers the question right, it moves immediately to the next question. If the viewer answers the question wrong, it takes you to that part of the disc where the answer lies, then back to the next question.

More than any other sport, baseball is a part of American history. For finding out how it affected and was affected by that history, this series can't be beat. It's long, but one part doesn't hinge that much on another, so it can be spread out over several nights or weeks. I highly recommend the series to any fans of the game. Even non-fans will probably come away from it with a new found appreciation for the sport.


Other documentaries by Ken Burns:

Brooklyn Bridge ~ The Civil War ~ The Congress ~ Jazz ~ Lewis & Clark ~ Mark Twain ~ The Shakers ~ The Statue of Liberty ~ Thomas Jefferson ~ The War ~ The West: A Film by Stephen Ives

Documentaries by brother Ric Burns:

New York: The City and the County by Ric Burns ~ New York: The Center of the World by Ric Burns



Other baseball-related reviews:

The 10 Best Baseball Films

61* ~ 100 Years of the World Series ~ The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings ~ The Bronx is Burning ~ Bull Durham ~ Eight Men Out ~ Fear Strikes Out ~ Fever Pitch ~ For Love of the Game ~ The Jackie Robinson Story ~ A League of Their Own ~ Lucy Must Be Traded, Charlie Brown ~ Major League ~ Mantle ~ The Natural ~ Nine Innings from Ground Zero ~ Pastime ~ Pride of the Yankees ~ The Scout ~ Soul of the Game ~ When It Was A Game ~ When It Was A Game 2 ~ When It Was A Game 3 ~ 1986 World Series New York Mets Collector's Edition

Baseball Digest

The Bad Guys Won by Jeff Pearlman ~ Ball Four by Jim Bouton ~ Chicken Soup for the Baseball Fan‘s Soul ~ The Devil Wears Pinstripes by Jim Caple ~ A Dream Season by Gary Carter ~ If At First by Keith Hernandez and Mike Bryan ~ Iron Horse: Lou Gehrig in His Time by Ray Robinson ~ Jackie Robinson: A Biography by Arnold Rampersad ~ Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bronx is Burning by Jonathan Mahler ~ One Pitch Away by Mike Sowell ~ When You Can't Come Back by Dave & Jan Dravecky


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Thanks to everyone who participated in my baseball write-off. You all helped make it a success! The other participants and their entries are:

Debbie26
chad8246 Major League
kld718
sleeper54
Susie-34668 So Who Plays Baseball?
Donnie013 Play Ball!
jbduckling The Beginning of a Father and Son Tradition
Bryan_Carey Major League Mishaps
lisa_j
chaospump
quasar Babe Ruth Taught Me Everything I Know
And When The Senators Had Heart: Those Were the Good Old Days
pmills1210 The Old Ball Game In Words And Music
thegeniusx What is wrong with *professional* baseball...
marinermoose22 2003 Baseball Season Predictions
jay1051971 The Georgia Peach Brought to Life


© 2003 Patti Aliventi

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD