61 *
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | 61 * |
| Original title | 61 * |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 2001 |
| length | 129 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Billy Crystal |
| script | Hank Steinberg |
| production |
Robert F. Colesberry , Billy Crystal , Ross Greenburg |
| music | Marc Shaiman |
| camera | Haskell Wexler |
| cut | Michael Jablow |
| occupation | |
| |
61 * is an Emmy Award- nominated American baseball film from 2001 that was produced direct for television. It tells the authentic story of baseball player Roger Maris , who hit sixty-one home runs in 1961 and beat Babe Ruth's record by one home run. Because the baseball world doesn't grant him the record, Maris won't be happy in his life.
action
In 1961, the New York Yankees had two talented batsmen, namely the fun-loving Mickey Mantle and the shy Roger Maris . After an inconspicuous start, Mantle and Maris hit one home run after another. When it becomes clear that they can beat Babe Ruth's (60) home run record, fans cheer for the popular mantle and boo the ascetic Maris.
Then Mantle injures himself and only Maris can crack 60. He becomes an object of hatred for all baseball fans, gets bad press and has to endure abuse letters and death threats. Major League Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick, a big Babe Ruth fan, makes his life even harder. For Maris to be the official record holder, he had to hit his 60th home run in the 154th game (in Ruth's time the season had 154 games, not 162 like today). Maris defied severe depression and hit 61 home runs. But he only manages the last two after the 154-game mark, so Frick refuses him official recognition of the record. Therefore, he did not hit “61” but only “61 *” home runs: the asterisk indicates the unrecognized record.
37 years later, Maris' family watch as Mark McGwire breaks his home run record. The voiceover reveals that after his death in 1985 the MLB decided in 1991 to officially recognize his 61 home runs.
production
Billy Crystal filmed the baseball scenes at the Detroit Tigers' Tiger Stadium .
Reviews
- “Crystal tries to rehabilitate Maris. This is thanks to an excellent Barry Pepper. ”- Entertainment Weekly
- "Crystal tells [Maris' drama] well." - salon.com
- "With his passion for baseball, [Billy Crystal] does a credible job portraying his Yankees heroes." - efilmcritic.com
Awards (selection)
- Emmy Award 2001: Nomination for "Best TV Production"
- Golden Globe 2002: Nomination for Barry Pepper for "Best Actor in a TV Production"
Footnotes
- ↑ Entertainment Weekly
- ↑ salon.com ( Memento of the original from March 7, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ efilmcritic.com
Web links
- 61 * in the Internet Movie Database (English)