Something to watch tonight: Monday 4 March

The Natural (Levinson, 1984)

It probably should go without saying that when I identify where a film or show is streaming (sometimes only for paid subscribers, see below) no warranty is offered beyond the day that the email actually goes out.

Titles come and go from streaming providers all the time.

But last Wednesday, when I recommended Dune: Part One, I was surprised to discover that it was disappearing from Netflix in New Zealand that very night. Apologies, if you were saving that one up for the weekend.

One way in which I, personally, avoid those disappointments is to collect physical media and it is to those shelves that we turned on Saturday night to watch Barry Levinson’s 1984 classic baseball drama, The Natural.

Back in 2016, Madman NZ and their partners ViaVision put out a two-disc Blu-ray containing the original theatrical cut (nominated for four Oscars) and Levinson’s preferred director’s cut which (apparently) considerably reworked the first act. It had been sitting in the to-be-watched pile for far too long …

Adapted from a beloved novel by Bernard Malamud – and completely reversing his original bleak ending – The Natural is the story of a baseball-obsessed kid whose shot at national league glory is derailed by deranged fan, but who gets a second chance 16 years later.

There’s still a lot to like about the film. Caleb Deschanel’s cinematography is full of lush magic hour moments. The Stadtler & Waldorf-style double-act of Richard Farnsworth and Wilford Brimley as the coaches of the New York Knights, frustrated and philosophical by turns. Redford turns out to be a better than decent ball player – he did all his own hitting. And then there’s the political premise that America’s national pastime might not be baseball at all but grift and greed.

You don’t have to eBay/TradeMe hunt for a Blu-ray of The Natural. It is rentable from Alice in Videoland in Christchurch and they still have an excellent monthly disc-by-mail offering. Other countries presumably have equivalent services.

And, yes, the film is also available on some streamers (at least at time of writing).

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Where to watch The Natural