Bang the Drum Slowly (1978)

An Exercise In Nonsense

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

From the eye-catching novel by Mark Harris, the narrator and protagonist Henry Wiggen (Michael Moriarty) often used that repeated quote, "Lay it on thin boys." He takes a great caring for his ailing teammate Bruce Pearson (Robert DeNiro)with the insecure belief that his teammates of the fictional team, the New York Mammoths might overdo their sympathy after mistreating the poor man for so many years. "Bang the Drum Slowly" truly defies the "Diamond in the Rough" film that was seen by so few, but respected by those honorable few. Though more of a drama than a baseball movie, we seldom view the chronicle pain of DeNiro's Pearson. Films centered around a dying protagonist often throw it high on the melancholy. Why should we go through such excruciating pain as to sit back and weep ourselves to death during this hour and forty minute film? There's no point to it at all. We don't have to watch our dying victim suffer for the film to carry on, this film is a breath of fresh air as Pearson, though dying, decides to keep his illness as low-key as possible. That could make this tear-jerker a little less tearful.The performances were overall above average. The young DeNiro gives poise and charisma as the simple, but kindred spirited farm boy. Moriarty so talented and so underrated throughout his career is wonderful in his role as a star pitcher, wheeler and dealer and acting brother to his dying friend and teammate. Vincent Gardenia is remarkable as the straight man manager of the Mammoths who are poised with talent, though their personalities are quirky and inner problems.Bruce's intention was to keep his illness secretive, but the secret unfortunately leaks out to the club an in the end, though a bit predictable, manages to pull the team together.The glue that held this movie together is the power of friendship between Wiggen and Pearson which also usurps the illness that's victimizing poor Bruce. It's not all serious though, so tissue papers are not a necessity. In fact, there's plenty of humor to go along on the ride. And the dramatic scenes compliment which makes this film all the more memorable. And when the narrator says the final lines in to finish the movie, you'll remember it for a long time to come.

***SPOILERS*** Very probably the best of the slew of a loved one dying of an unnamed and incurable disease movie of the early 1970's Bang the Drum Slowly predated the grand daddy of all those five handkerchief tearjerker-"Love Story"-by some 15 years. The 1973 movie was originally shown on TV's United States Steel Hour in September 1956 staring Paul Newman and Albert Saimi in the leading roles of Henry Wiggen & Bruce Pearson.It's when New York Mammoth star pitching ace Henry Wiggins, Michael Moriarty, held out sighing his yearly club contract during spring training that it was suspected that he wanted something far more then the money, 70,000 smackers, that his team offered him. Soon it became obvious that his relationship with his roommate and catcher Bruce Pearson, Robert De Niro, was behind Wiggens holding out! That, Wigens relationship with Pearson, was far more important then what he can get in cash from the Mammoth's owners. Wiggens insisted that if Pearson, who was having a rotten spring training, is ever traded to another team he's to be traded along with him!You could just imagine all the rumors and snickering Wiggens' demands conjured up among his fellow Mammoth teammates and the teams manager, the I've seen it all but in this case I'll have to pass, Dutch Schnell, Vincent Gardenia. What exactly is going on between these two guys anyway! Was it that mysterious hunting and fishing trip last winter to the wilds of Minnesota that somehow caused them, in being alone in the states dark and forbidden forests, to somehow change their outlook on life. Did that romp in the woods cause then to get off the straight and narrow road and become unnaturally friendly with each other?It's later in the baseball season with poor Bruce Pearson, playing the best baseball of his entire career, being on the verge of collapsing from sheer exhaustion that Wiggens finally reveals to Mommoth teammate Goose Williams, Tom Signorelli, the shocking truth behind his odd friendship with his ailing battery mate. It was that winter when a concerned Wiggens had his friend Pearson secretly checked into the Mayo Clinic, in Minnesota, that he found out that he was in fact dying from an incurable disease: Hodgkins lymphoma! All Pearson now wanted was to not only finish out the season as the club's first string catcher but be a part in helping the team win the league's pennant as well as the World Series.With the cat now out of the bag in what Pearson is going through, in him having a few months left to live, the Mommoth players stop their bickering with each other as well as picking on and needling the good natured and friendly Bruce Pearson and instead get down to business. It's then that he Mommoth players join together as a team and, with Pearson providing the glue, stick together and go all the way to the top of the baseball world as its World Champions.***SPOILERS*** In the end Pearson didn't live out the year dying just before Christmas but at least being part of the Championship New York Mammoth team. This had Pearson go out of this world as a winner not only in baseball but even over the dreaded and fatal disease that eventually took his life Hodgkins lymphoma. It was fitting that only Pearson's good friend and teammate Henry Wiggins was the only members of the Mammoth team to attend his funeral. Since it was Wiggens who was by Pearson's side right from the start until the end as he was dying from his incurable disease. And it was Wiggens more then anyone one else, with the exception of Persons family members, who should have been with him when he was laid to his final resting place.P.S it was nice to see that some of "Bang the Drum Slowly" scenes were filmed at the old old, before it was closed down and completely refurbished in 1974, New York's Yaknee Stadium known as "The House that Ruth Built". Unlike in the new and now even newer, opened last years, Yankee Stadium it was in that historic and majestic ballpark that the great Babe Ruth himself played most of his major league games and gave the fans who watched him play their greatest baseball memories.

There's no crying in baseball. That's not exactly etched in stone in Cooperstown. John Hancock directs this tear-jerker based on a novel by Mark Harris. Pro pitcher Henry Wiggen(Michael Moriarty)and catcher Bruce Pearson(Robert De Niro)are as different as night and day. No real chemistry between the two. To be exact, Pearson is a little slow in the brains department and is not much appreciated by any of his fellow teammates. But when Henry finds out that Bruce is suffering from the beginnings of Hodgkin's disease, the red-hot pitcher becomes more helpful and concerned enough to look after Bruce, not knowing how much time is left. As expected once the information is leaked, the whole team ends up knowing of Pearson's plight.I really wish there was more action on the field, but this is written as a drama focusing on a ballplayer. A young De Niro draws all the sympathy possible. Character actor Danny Aiello makes his movie debut as Horse. Tom Ligon plays the flamboyant Piney Woods; and Tom Signorelli plays Goose. Vincent Gardenia as Dutch Schnell is irritating as hell. Also in the cast: Phil Foster, Barbara Babcock, Ann Wedgeworth, Maurice Rosenfield and the chatty Selma Diamond. Nothing wrong with that occasional tear on your sleeve.

Being a baseball fan for 30+ years; i really enjoyed this movie, it's a good baseball story about a relationship between the ace pitcher and a catcher, the movie features various quirky players and such, but mainly focuses on these two. If you're not a baseball fan , then maybe the story about the friendship between the two will draw you in,, if on the other hand you are looking for lots of action, crashes , stuff like that,, look elsewhere, this is one of those movies that is very touching to the soul, makes you think about life in general; Robert Deniro gives an excellent performance as Pearson the catcher, maybe not his best performance but way better than average,, the rest of the cast features Michael Moriarity, a small bit from Danny Aiello, and a few others who i can't remember, but all in all it was a good touching story about a catcher trying to help his team with the World Series. A thumbs up from this baseball fan.