7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
In the summer of 1961, Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle took on Babe Ruth's record, the 1927 single-season 60 home run slam. It would be a summer that no one who knows baseball would forget. Mickey Mantle is a Yankee favorite, a hit with fans and sports writers alike and natural heir to his predecessors Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, and Babe Ruth. Also at bat is a yound midwesterner, Roger Maris, ahard-hitting right fielder. Maris is Mantle's opposite in almost every way. Quiet and soft-spoken, he doesn't add up to everything a sports legend should be, and finds himself losing the support of the fans. As the summer of 1961 unfolds, both find themselves approaching Babe Ruth's benchmark of 60 home runs. Facing mounting pressure from the media and the stands, they both know there's only room for one winner.
Starring: Barry Pepper, Thomas Jane, Anthony Michael Hall, Richard Masur, Bruce McGillSport | 100% |
History | 55% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: DTS 2.0
Spanish: DTS 2.0
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, C (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Spring, 1961. The American League had expanded its ranks by two teams (the Los Angeles Angels and the second incarnation of the Washington Senators), the 154-game baseball season had been extended by eight games, and Babe Ruth's 1927 single-season home run record -- a long-since-shattered sixty -- seemed more out of reach than ever. It was, by all accounts, untouchable. So much so that a young twenty-seven-year old Yankees slugger by the name of Roger Maris left little room for delusions of grandeur. "Nobody will touch it," Maris mused before his fateful '61 season began. "Look up the records and you’ll see that it’s a rare year when anybody hits fifty homers, let alone sixty.” But that was before he and teammate Mickey Mantle took to the plate in April and started swinging with all their might. Murmurings grew louder. Was Ruth's legacy under attack? New Yorkers, sports commentators, reporters and fans were suddenly enraged by the M&M Boys' race for Ruth's record, even if that race and Maris and Mantle's so-called rivalry were inventions of the press. Even when hearts softened as the season progressed, the public wrote off Maris, clinging to the belief that if anyone was going to best the Bambino's record, surely it was Mantle, the Yankees' resident power hitter and the highest paid player in baseball. Mantle, though, would fall short of Ruth's record by seven home runs after a hip infection yanked him out of the running. But Maris? Well, Maris would forge an entirely different story.
"Right now, whether you like it or not, you're bigger than the game."
HBO's striking 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer swings big and connects, making the most of its Blu-ray debut and shattering meager expectations with every passing scene. Haskell Wexler's Summer of '61 period palette is bolstered by rich amber tones, brilliant blue skies, rich baseball-diamond greens, and absorbing blacks. Moreover, fleshtones are natural, full of life and beautifully saturated, and contrast is sunny, strong and perfectly balanced. Detail never falters either, celebrating the film's cinematography as much as it celebrates the game. Fine textures are exceedingly well refined, grain is intact and unobtrusive, and edge definition is crisp and clean, with nary a halo to be found. No matter the shot or scene, it's all utterly faithful to Crystal's intentions and rarely, if ever, strays off course. The encode itself is just as precise and proficient. Significant artifacting, banding, aliasing, smearing, crush, aberrant noise... rest assured it all strikes out. As it stands, I was completely taken aback by the film's high definition presentation. It doesn't show a single day of its ten years.
61* also serves up an able-bodied DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. From the sharp crack of Mantle's power swing to the earthy growl of Maris' cleats burrowing into the dirt, from the roar of an anxious Yankees Stadium crowd to the hushed silence that hangs heavy during a fly ball, Warner's lossless mix impresses. The LFE channel may not hit as hard as others, but it certainly gets the job done, lending weight wherever it's needed, heft when called upon and support throughout. Rear speaker activity isn't indistinguishable from reality, but it is rather convincing, opening the soundfield and dropping listeners into a suitably immersive approximation of every venue. Better still, dialogue is perfectly intelligible and neatly prioritized, dynamics are solid, directional effects are fairly convincing and pans are slick and smooth. In the end, the whole of the experience is greater than the sum of its individual attributes, and pairs nicely with Warner's top-notch video transfer.
The Blu-ray edition of 61* isn't bristling with special features, nor does it offer anything fans of the film haven't seen before. But that doesn't mean anyone should assume the disc's two extras are anything less than extensive, fully realized and absorbing. Crystal steps up to the plate for an audio commentary and documentary, and knocks both of them out of the park. Kick back and enjoy.
61* brings one of the Yankees' most memorable seasons and two of the team's most indispensable players to life, all with the affection and fervor of one of Mantle and Maris' greatest fans. Crystal indulges in the fairy tale of the Yankees' 1961 season a bit, sure. But not at the expense of the film or the truth, nor to the detriment of the story. HBO's AV presentation is even better and boasts an outstanding video transfer and a fully capable DTS-HD MA mix. Add to that an engaging director's commentary, a notable hour-long documentary and a low, low pricepoint and the Blu-ray release of 61* is nothing less than a steal.
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