In the spring of 1961, major league baseball was changing. The American League had expanded its ranks by two teams (the Los Angeles Angels and the second incarnation of the Washington Senators), and the 154-game baseball season had been extended by eight games. As a result, Babe Ruth’s 1927 single-season home run record–a since-shattered sixty–seemed more out of reach than ever. Before the ’61 season began, twenty-seven-year old Yankees slugger mused, nobody will touch it, look up the records and you’ll see that it’s a rare year when anybody hits fifty homers, let alone sixty.” But as the saying goes, records are made to be broken.
As it turned out, that summer of 1961 would find Yankees teammates Roger Maris (Barry Pepper) and Mickey Mantle (Thomas Jane) both challenging Babe Ruth’s homerun record. Mantle, outspoken and careless, starts the season red-hot. Maris, quiet and focused, is struggling at the plate. Despite his status as the reigning American League MVP, Maris feared he would be traded. Eventually, Maris stops pressing and hitting balls out of the park.
Mantle, hobbled by injuries and by his attraction to life in the fast lane, eventually falters and watches from the sidelines as Maris endures an unrelenting, often unfriendly media assault as he makes his way toward the record. Smartly, director Billy Crystal and screenwriter Hank Steinberg stick with the facts as much as possible, and keep the focus on Maris, Mantle, the pursuit and the two men’s relationship.
Pepper and Jane are spectacular, putting their all into every scene. They not only resemble Maris and Mantle, they inhabit the sluggers’ personas, both public and private. Jane exhibits the cocky grin and tired swagger of a celebrity in decline. When Mantle’s health goes into serious decline, Jane is able to express Mantle’s pain on his face without a word. For all intents and purposes, the actor disappears into the role. Pepper, with a fixed gaze and clenched jaw, retreats from the cameras and allows Maris’ home runs to say everything necessary. In private, his frustration is palpable is magic; with control of every expression, he captures the spirit of a man who wants respect but can’t seem to earn it, no matter how tirelessly he works or how deserving he might be. Together, Pepper and Jane are a perfectly cast duo; instinctively playing off of their differences and battling personal and private issues, while refusing to steal the spotlight from one another.
Billy Crystal doesn’t have to do much here except tell the story well, which he does. Aided by Haskell Wexler’s video-tinged cinematography, which evokes the look of ’61 (so I’m told), gives *61 an undeniable sense of realism. A must-have for baseball fans.
HBO’s transfer is stunning. Haskell Wexler’s period palette is bolstered by rich amber tones, radiant blue skies, rich baseball-diamond greens, and absorbing blacks. Fleshtones are natural, and beautifully saturated, and contrast strong and perfectly balanced. Detail never is top-notch. Fine textures are well refined, grain is intact and unobtrusive, and edge definition is clean, with no digital anomalies.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track does a great job. From the sharp crack of Mantle’s power swing to the earthy growl of Maris’ cleats burrowing into the dirt, the lossless mix impresses. Rear speaker activity isn’t indistinguishable from reality, but it’s convincing nonetheless. Generally things are very immersive, and dialogue is clear throughout.
The Blu-ray edition of 61* isn’t overflowing with special features, but what is available adds to the overall enjoyment of the film.
- Audio Commentary: Executive producer/director Billy Crystal delivers a thoughtful commentary in which he discusses everything from the project’s development to its script, casting, performances, costuming, storylines and authentic glimpses into baseball and its history. Along the way, Crystal looks into the driving forces behind Mantle and Maris’ 1961 season, their personalities, the challenges he faced while shooting the film, dealing with a short production schedule, and the similarities between comedy and filmmaking. He loosens up as he goes, of course, sharing on-set anecdotes and personal memories that only serve to enhance what is already a terrific commentary.
- The Greatest Summer of My Life: Billy Crystal and the Making of 61* (SD, 52 minutes): Crystal walks fans, film and sports alike, through the story of Mantle, Maris and the unforgettable summer of 1961, as well as the production of the film itself. While his documentary tends to strike a slightly more personal tone than his commentary, there’s quite a bit of unavoidable overlap in the director’s talking points. Not that it matters. Crystal’s passion is contagious, the behind-the-scenes footage is revealing, and the comedian leaves little doubt as to how seriously he takes baseball, the Yankees, the history of the era and filmmaking.
- Bios and Hitting/Fielding Stats: A list of Roger Maris’ 1961 home runs, two much-too-short Mantle and Maris biographies, and season-to-season stats for both Mantle and Maris.
