Chicago Cubs: The Heart & Soul of Chicago Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.5

Chicago Cubs: The Heart & Soul of Chicago Blu-ray Movie Review

Hope springs eternal.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 23, 2011

It's probably no mere coincidence that writer-director John Scheinfeld's love letter to his hometown and favorite baseball team, Chicago Cubs: The Heart and Soul of Chicago, begins with a quick montage featuring a Chicago church steeple and then the iconic arena of Wrigley Field. For most assuredly baseball is a religion to many (if not most) Chicagoans, an exercise in faith that even Chicago's own Cardinal compares to the long awaited Second Coming of Christ, something which you feel is going to happen at some distant future point, but which keeps disappointing you on a daily basis. The "Cubs Curse" is a legend in baseball circles, a wicked spell which has supposedly kept Chicago from seeing a World Series victory for its iconic team since 1908, a losing streak longer than any other Major League franchise. And yet for those raised in the shadow of Wrigley Field, that's little reason to stop believing in a team that seems to epitomize the very can-do spirit of Chicago, albeit a spirit that hasn't been able to "do" even a post-season victory lap (let alone a final victory) in well over a generation. Chicago Cubs: The Heart and Soul of Chicago is a fascinating and often surprisingly heartfelt piece of documentary filmmaking, filled with many well known celebrities who grew up rooting for the Cubs and still are nostalgic about what the team has meant for them throughout their lives. There is also a glut of "everyday" people whose fandom for the Cubs has shaped both their childhoods and their adult lives. Filled with a lot of wonderful humor, as well as a certain bittersweetness, Chicago Cubs: The Heart and Soul of Chicago proves that sometimes even "losers" end up winning in a very real sense.

Chicago Cubs: The Heart and Soul of Chicago is a sterling piece that more than ably shows how deeply this team has touched people, both well known and otherwise. What is also so remarkable about the many “confessionals” on display here is just how funny a lot of fans are, especially after decades of disappointment. Conservator commentator George Will reminisces about having to decide at any early age whether to be a Cubs or a Cardinals fan. He laments that all of his friends became Cardinals fans and grew up to be happy liberals. He, on the other hand, chose the Cubs and is now a "gloomy conservative." Will goes on to humorously claim that all Cubs fans are “99 and 44/100ths scar tissue,” due to so many dashed hopes through the years.

While some of the talking heads provide relatively straightforward valentines to the team, as in the case of Dennis Franz, who claims they “represent hope and wholesomeness,” the best sequences in terms of interviews here are the rapid fire punchlines that come from a variety of Cubs fanatics. Comedian Jeff Garlin warns that the Cubs are “not for results oriented people,” an Joe Montegna is hopeful that the 21st century will be “our century,” as “in the 20th century, we had our ups and downs.” That, my friends, is the hallmark of someone taking the long view of baseball fandom.

But Chicago Cubs: The Heart and Soul of Chicago isn’t Just abot the long drought between national titles, as much humor as that drought has created. This is a really loving and well constructed piece that gives us not just an overview of the history of the team, but of the Windy City itself. Several wonderful archival images and even films are utilized here, including the first known example of a filmed Cubs game, from 1909 no less, the year after their last World Series title. There’s also some 1938 color footage of Wrigley Field and a lot of never before seen photos of early Chicago and early Cubs.

Along the way we get acquainted with a huge variety of characters, both those interviewed on screen as well as a number of colorful folk who have helped to contribute to the Cubs’ iconic history. One of the funnier sequences is a segment which takes place at a bar called Merkle’s, as Scheinfeld and his crew ask a bunch of people who exactly the man the bar was named after was, and he gets a rather interest array of (incorrect) responses. I won’t spoil the actual identity of Fred Merkle in case you don’t already know, but suffice it to say Merkle’s contribution to Cubs lore may be the last recorded time a curse actually worked in the Cubs’ favor.

A nice history of Wrigley Field itself is given, and Chicago Cubs: The Heart and Soul of Chicago puts the lie to the oft-told tale that Mr. Wrigley himself put the kibosh on lighting the field, supposedly claiming that baseball was meant to be played in the daytime. The actual story is quite interesting, especially considering the fact that Wrigley Field didn’t actually get lights for night games until the late 1980’s. But beyond any single historical element, the whole love affair between the team and the immigrant classes which populated Chicago in the early to mid-20th century is really beautifully depicted here, and it makes Chicago Cubs: The Heart and Soul of Chicago a very winning piece of documentary filmmaking.

I had never really spent any time in Chicago other than layovers at O’Hare through the years. My wife lived there for several years and was a news anchor on two big Chicago radio stations, WXRT and WMAQ. When we had the chance to spend part of our summer vacation there several years ago, we jumped at the chance and we had a wonderful time in the heart of downtown Chicago with our then very young sons. My initial impression of the city, which I shared with my wife, was, “It’s like New York, only with wider streets and friendlier people,” and Chicago Cubs: The Heart and Sould of Chicago proves that that really wasn’t that snap of a judgement. Misery loves company, as they say, but what is so amazing about Chicagoans is how downright cheerful they are about a team that is now in its second century of failing to win a World Series.

Chicago Cubs: The Heart & Soul of Chicago Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Videophiles have gotten pretty accustomed to most of their Blu-rays being released in 1080p or 1080i, but Chicago Cubs: The Heart and Soul of Chicago proves that a 720p transfer shouldn't be a deal killer. Encoded via AVC and presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio, this documentary looks really spectacular a lot of the time, with some gorgeous shots of Chicago and an overall crisp image that has abundant fine detail. Contrast is occasionally just a bit blown out in some scenes, but otherwise this is a really solid looking transfer with excellent and accurate color and some wonderful depth of field in the outdoor footage. The documentary does feature some archival footage and stills which vary greatly in quality.

Chicago Cubs: The Heart & Soul of Chicago Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Chicago Cubs: The Heart and Soul of Chicago features a nice lossless LPCM 5.1 mix which offers the sonorous narration of Gary Sinise as well as a wealth of music cues from such stars as Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Frank Sinatra and Earth, Wind & Fire, all of which sound fantastic. The music offers the most obvious use of surround channels, but the sequences inside Wrigley give a really lifelike approximation of what the soundscape is there, as do some of the downtown sequences. Onscreen interviews are all crisp and clear, and fidelity is excellent throughout this enterprise.

Chicago Cubs: The Heart & Soul of Chicago Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• John Scheinfeld Director's Commentary (720p; 11:01) is not a traditional commentary per se, but a short featurette offering an interview with the director. He had actually been asked to simply put together an ESPN-esque piece on the 100th anniversary of the Cubs' last World Series championship, but he felt a more in-depth look at the team and its host city was warranted.
• The 1908 Championship Cubs (720p; 6:53) is a brief overview of the championship season which still haunts Cubs fans, with some commentary from author Cait Murphy.
• Ernie Banks Statue Dedication (720p; 1:55) is a touching couple of minutes from the opening day ceremonies in 2008.
• Profile of Cubs Great Kerry Wood (720p; 3:05) gives us a brief look at the Cubs' incredible starting pitcher who helped helm the team's 2008 resurrection.
• The Lights Turn on at Wrigley (720p; 4:08) gives us the real story (covered briefly in the main documentary) about why Wrigley Field didn't get lights in 1941.
• Father's Day at Wrigley's Field (720p; 2:15) is a sweet little piece showing Dads and their kids down on the field of Wrigley on Father's Day.
• DVD and Digital Copy of the Film

Chicago Cubs: The Heart & Soul of Chicago Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Chicago Cubs: The Heart and Soul of Chicago is a wonderful piece of documentary filmmaking and should be enjoyed by even those with no particular interest in baseball in general or the Cubs in particular. A loving tribute to both a city and its team, this is filled to the brim with both humor and deep emotion, and it may have you rooting for the Cubs to finally bring home a World Series Championship even if you're a devoted fan of another team. Highly recommended.