Intro
In this world of political correctness it’s a breath of fresh air to revisit this classic film from 1976. Sadly, it’s been given a completely lackluster DVD release.
Synopsis
A washed up former minor league baseball player (Walter Matthau) is given the task of taking a hapless group of kids and turning them into a team. With the help of his secret pitching weapon (Tatum O’Neal) they take a run at the pennant.
Audio
Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and Mono. Gi…en its release date I wasn’t expecting perfection but this disc actually seems to have a manufacturing flaw in it. At regular intervals, a very noticeable buzz occurs, sometimes lasting for well over a minute. Beyond this, there is some distortion during cheering and yelling scenes that may have existed during its original release but should be able to be cleaned up with today’s technology.
Video
This Widescreen transfer is enhanced for 16:9 televisions. The picture is half decent…but there are still a number of scratches and other glitches on the print. Easily fixed up if they really had wanted to.
Features
No special features at all…nothing, zip, zero, nada, zilch, the big goose egg!!! Walter Matthau died just last year. If Paramount had given any thought at all to this classic film they could have easily gotten commentary from him and/or Tatum O’Neal. Instead, we get nothing. Not even a trailer or commercial. A where are they now feature on the players would have been very interesting. The disc includes English subtitles, scene selection, and completely basic menus. WOW, they went all out!!!
Closing Thoughts
This picture could never be made in today’s world. From kids drinking beer to throwing racial epithets like the most accurate curveball, I like this movie so much, but it’s a shame to see this brutal release.
Special Features List
- None
