- Actors: Michael Moriarty, Robert De Niro, Vincent Gardenia, Phil Foster, Ann Wedgeworth
- Directors: John D. Hancock
- Writers: Mark Harris
- Producers: Maurice Rosenfield, Lois Rosenfield
- Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
- Language: English
- Subtitles: English
- Region: (US and Canada This DVD will probably NOT be viewable in other countries. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Number of discs: 1
- MPAA Rating:
- Studio: Paramount
- Release Date: Mar 9 2004
- Run Time: 96 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00007LP8K
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #25,503 in DVD (See Top 100 in DVD)
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Product Description
From Amazon.com
Only those with ice water in their veins won't get misty-eyed watching this moving film about the friendship of two professional baseball players, one of whom--in every sense--is playing his last season. A pre-stardom Robert De Niro portrays a rather simple-minded rookie catcher who comes under the wing of a veteran pitcher (Michael Moriarty). When De Niro's character is diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease, Moriarty tries to help him get through one more season. Directed by John Hancock and based on the novel by Mark Harris (who also wrote the screenplay), the film builds on baseball's ability to foster its own lore of courage, nobility, loyalty, and--sadly--tragedy. Watching the youthful De Niro and Moriarty, with all that promise in their bones, adds to the overall romance of the film today. Also appearing are Vincent Gardenia and Danny Aiello. A perennial favorite for many. --Tom Keogh
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Bittersweet Film that Delivers,
By
This review is from: Bang the Drum Slowly (Widescreen) (DVD)
Bang the Drum Slowly could have been a maudlin film designed to create tears, such as Love Story in 1970, but both director John Hancock and writer Mark Harris brilliantly avoid this trap by focusing on the courage and dignity of the dying catcher, Bruce Pearson (played by DeNiro), his friendship with the team's star pitcher, Henry Wiggen (played by Michael Moriarty), and the romance of the game of baseball. The film is bittersweet in that it is sad to see the death of a young man in his prime, but the film is also a celebration of the human spirit and how it deals with adversity, and in some ways, it is also a celebration of the beauty and magic of the game of baseball.
Robert DeNiro was an unknown actor when he did this film, and his performance in this film is magnificent. His character is so believable that he is able to convey to the audience aspects of Bruce Pearson and his life without words. The audience senses it knows more of the man than what is actually explained in the film simply by judging the personality presented by DeNiro's acting. As a result, this was a break out performance for DeNiro, and led to a marvelous film career. In fact, it could be argued that his performance in Bang the Drum Slowly may be his finest performance on film. It is that good. Michael Moriarty is also excellent in this film. He displays the charisma and talent of a major movie star, and one cannot help but be surprised that he did not have a greater film career than he did. His role was not as demanding as DeNiro's in this film, and thus naturally did not get the same kind of notice, but nevertheless Moriarty manages to show a nice balance between the humanity and the strength/sensitivity of his character, and avoiding the temptation to have the character come off like an ethereal saint. Even though Moriarty was to have some later success in television, I wish we could have seen more of him in film. He is an exceptional actor. This film is a classic. The acting, directing, writing, and honesty of this film make it a highly recommended movie experience.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unforgettable Movie!,
By
This review is from: Bang the Drum Slowly (VHS Tape)
This is the film that you will not forget.This is a story of two roommates attempting to get through one final season. Michael plays the role of a pitcher who is the roommate of Robert DeNiro who plays the role of the catcher.DeNiro isdiagnosed with Hodgkins disease. Michael as his roommate and intimate friend helps DeNiro cope with Hodgkins as well as make the season to the end. This is one of the more touching films that I have watched.It would compare to "Brian's Song" as far as being emotional.DeNiro,in this movie definitely showed signs of great things to come for him.And,who could ever forget the haunting song that accompanied the movie.A definite must see.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Superb movie but needs extras,
By Joe Cool "thedancingcrab" (Bronx, NY United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Bang the Drum Slowly (Widescreen) (DVD)
"Bang the Drum Slowly" is a line taken from the cowboy dirge "The Steets of Laredo" which is about a cowboy dying young."Bang the Drum Slowly" which is based on a novel by the same name, is about a dying dim-witted, country boy catcher and a sophisticated, star pitcher. The catcher (Pearson), played by Robert DeNiro, is dying from Hogkin's disease and the only one who knows about it is the Michael Moriarty character (Arthur). The story goes on how Arthur is suddenly nice to Pearson. No one knows why and everyone becomes more resentful of Pearson. Slowly everyone learns that Pearson is dying and starts to treat Pearson nicer. In addition, the team, a talented but bickering group of ballplayers, are finally united because of Pearson's condition and go on to win the series. The continued subtle references to the business side of baseball pulls us back to the harsh reality of life and prevents the movie from being too corny. The movie is superb, but the DVD would have been better if some extras were included especially if there were something about history of free agency in baseball. $124,000 is not even the the base pay of today's rookie major leaguer, but in 1974 (when the movie was made) this was a huge amount of money. 1974 was also significant because this was the year that Andy Messersmith of the Dodger's challenged the reserve clause and became the first free agent.
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