Reel 18: It’s How You Play the Game

This episode nearly didn’t make it to you, several times. The universe may have been conspiring against us. And that’s a shame because this is one over-stuffed show.

In this episode we take on 1988’s Bull Durham, written and directed by Ron Shelton. Shelton’s experience as a ballplayer shows in the minute details he presents to the viewer.

After that, we move on to Without Limits, directed by Robert Towne. It relates the story of Stever Prefontaine, a phenomenal track star of the early 1970s. In both of these films, there’s a philosophy of sports that informs the way the character/subjects behave, and we explore both of them pretty deeply.

COMING ATTRACTIONS:

Next time around, we look at a couple of films that play up the more absurd side of war via comedy and satire. So if you enjoy seeing the films before we chat, you’re looking for Duck Soup, the 1933 film starring the Marx Brothers, and Catch-22, the 1970 film starring Alan Arkin which is designed to confuse as much as amuse you.