APRIL 4, 2015
AMERICANMYTHOLOGIES
LEAVE A COMMENT
The movie 42, portrays a clear picture of baseball in the 1940s. Not knowing much about baseball today or in the 1940s, the visual representation of spring training and opening day definitely improves my knowledge of baseball. Though it portrays a clear picture, one thing the movie left me wondering was how much is exaggerated to draw the audience in. The reason I ask this question specifically about the picture it portrays is because of the way that movies can often be historically inaccurate in order to draw in the audience. Books also can exaggerate certain historical evidence, but books give the reader more freedom to create his or her own visual representation of the plot. Compared to the selection by Jules Tygiel,42 left little room for interpretation. The selection by Jules Tygiel gave me a good historical background of knowledge about what opening day in 1947 or Robinson’s days on the road might be like, but from this information I was able to draw my own picture. It was really helpful to have read the section from Baseball’s Great Experiment by Jules Tygiel because as someone who doesn’t know the story of Jackie Robinson well, it gave me a broad overview.
In addition to drawing a clear picture, 42 also drew on my patriotic feelings. It presented baseball as this great sport that all Americans play and it presented baseball as a way to a better life. In its portrayal of baseball as something better, I believe using music and various filmic strategies, 42 attempts to equate baseball and success in baseball with the American Dream. This is an interesting portrayal because one could argue that this portrayal limits success to someone like Jackie who was given the opportunity to succeed and integrate baseball. It leaves of out many of the other great Negro League players, not allowing them a chance to succeed in baseball or achieve the American Dream.
One element that I thought was interesting from the film was the way in which Wendell Smith is portrayed as Jackie’s only friend. We have been talking about how baseball is and was the national pastime and the way in which Robinson is excluded from the brotherhood shows the duality that existed within the sport. One thing that 42 emphasizes is the importance of the integration of baseball. The integration of major league baseball is represented as “essentially the tipping point” with regard to integration. The film portrays the idea that after the integration of Major League Baseball, essentially everything else was also integrated. The film also shows decreasing racism within the team, potentially symbolizing how integration becomes more accepted in society. We eventually begin to see Jackie accepted by many of his teammates, but he also states how he feels alone without Wendell. I would be curious to see if any white baseball players had similar relationships with white reporters.