Official Synopsis
Taking a nostalgic look at one of the greatest baseball teams and most memorable seasons in the game’s history, 61* spotlights the summer of 1961 when Maris and Mantle chased one of the most hallowed baseball records ever – Babe Ruth’s 1927 single-season mark of 60 home runs. In the spotlight of the press and at the mercy of public opinion, Maris and Mantle paid a high personal price for doing what they did best, when what should have been a season of triumph turned into a nightmare.
There are so many things about this film that I find alarming. The first and foremost brutal part of this film is how the press controlled people and abused that power. Crystal’s portrayal of the press was so alarming accurate that I know for a fact this movie is used at the University of Kentucky’s School of Journalism when showing how press can manipulate and distort a situation. The snide remarks and the twisted messages that the reporters used against Maris were disturbing to say the least. The way that Crystal built this small time harassing to an all out war creates such a pure and uncomfortable rollercoaster ride for the viewer as much as it does for Maris. As the media builds their battle against his character for not showing emotion or the same characteristics as a Mickey Mantle, you see how bad things can get for Maris in regards to his personal life and professional life.
As for the role of Roger Maris, Barry Pepper did a phenomenal job portraying a soft-spoken, down to earth individual that just wanted to do his job. Seeing Maris breakdown in the race and go from someone enjoying his time with the game to someone who just wants the home run race over with is sad. What’s worse is how Maris was treated by his own fans, as they believed that Mantle should be the one breaking the Babe’s record and not a newcomer. The performance from Barry Pepper as Maris magnified his character’s slow diminish for that year, as Pepper brings passion and toughness to this role.
With that said, history could not have written a perfect opposite better than Thomas Jane’s Mickey Mantle. Billy Crystal’s ability to show the womanizing, screwed-up, flawed lifestyle of Mantle helps to magnify the contrast between Jane’s Mantle and Pepper’s Maris. Most consider Jane’s performance eerily accurate to Mantle’s actual life, which makes this entire story even sadder. Jane doesn’t pull any punches in his performance and makes sure that the audience knows that he had no ill-will towards Maris. A perfect example is when Mantle and Maris find out that they hate each other through a television report. Mantle turns to Maris and says, “We hate each other?” Maris replies, “I guess so.” Mantle retorts, “Well, fuck you.” This moment helps to define who Mantle was and what he thought of Maris, and while it’s subtle it is certainly powerful.
61* is a very well put together film with fantastic writing matched with wonderful choices of actors. Crystal’s ability to bring comedy when it needs to be brought only matches his ability to create the proper amount of drama that the story deserved. While I can’t say much for his previous directorial gigs, I can safely say this is the best story he has put together. You can tell from this production that the man has passion for the game of baseball and doubly as much for the Yankees and their legends.
Take a chance and see how a simple game, and the media, can ruin two lives.
As for the Blu-ray portion of this film you get a beautiful 1080p HD transfer to Blu-ray. There is no grain, no artifacts and just pure full-screen HD action that brings the moment to you in the most gorgeous of fashions. For an HBO film you get some of the best looking visuals. For example, when you see the batting practice of the two men for the first time you will be in awe of their dialogue and quips as much as the visuals it has all been transferred into. The only caveat I have with the film is the crappy SD footage McGwire. While I think he certainly does deserve such a crappy looking picture (use to love him as a kid), it still does stick out. Of course, if you’re looking at the glass half-full then you’re going to appreciate the HD beauty around it in comparison. Only matching the visuals is the mastering job done with the 5.1 DTS-HD audio. The crowds and the sound effects sound unbelievably good.
A huge plus on this release is the SD features. While I know that you all won’t like they’re in SD, they’re still good. Here’s what you’re looking at:
– Audio Commentary by Billy Crystal
– The Greatest Summer of My Life: Billy Crystal and the Making of 61*
– Mickey Mantle Bio and Hitting/Fielding Stats
– Roger Maris Bio and Hitting/Fielding Stats
– Roger Maris’s 1961 Home Run List
The SD ‘making of’ featurette is long and informative. Led by the great personality of Billy Crystal, you get a full breakdown of how the picture was made, how the actors were chosen and what the families of the actual men demanded before creating the feature. It’s really quite interesting and it will have you glued to the set. As for the other features, the commentary is great (come on, it’s Billy Crystal) and the stats and home run list are interesting.
On top of this, the release is only $14.98 (MSRP) and $9.99 on Amazon. How could you pass this up?