Une ligue en jupons

Like most Englishmen, I know about as much about baseball as the average American knows about cricket. I am also not a great fan of sporting films in general, although there are a number of exceptions. Despite this, however, I generally love baseball films, of which there were a number of good examples in the late eighties and early nineties. ('Eight Men Out', 'Field of Dreams' and 'The Natural' all spring to mind). There is something about the sport that seems to lend itself to the cinema; perhaps British filmmakers should consider making a film about cricket, as the two sports have a lot in common.

During the Second World War many of America's male baseball stars were drafted into the forces, and it appeared that the nation might be deprived of its favourite sport. An entrepreneur therefore had the idea of creating an all-female baseball league. 'A League of their Own' tells the story of some of the women who played in that league.

At the centre of the drama is the rivalry between two sisters, Dottie and Kit, who sign for the same team, the Rockford Peaches. The sisters have contrasting characters. Dottie is the more talented player, but Kit is more aggressive and determined to succeed. Kit's aggression and the sibling rivalry between her and Dottie lead to dissension in the team's dressing room, and Kit is traded to a rival team, the Racine Belles. The climax of the film comes when Rockford and Racine meet in the finals of the league championship, with Kit and Dottie on opposite teams.

The film has some interesting observations about the social values of the era in which it is set. During this period there was a conflict between traditional views of femininity and the need, caused by wartime conditions, for women to take on what had historically been masculine roles. Before the war, there had been only very limited opportunities for women in professional sport; most sports, such as tennis and athletics, in which women were permitted to compete were strictly amateur. During the war, they were allowed to take part, but were still expected to conform to the ideal of being 'ladylike'. In the film, players are selected as much for their sex appeal as for their talent (Ernie Capadino, the cynical, sexist talent scout, wants to leave one player out of the team because he considers her insufficiently glamorous) and they are required to attend a 'charm school' and to conform to a strict code of sexual morality. Dottie and Kit can be seen as representing the two sides of this conflict. For all her talent, Dottie's heart is not really in professional baseball, and her real wish is to return to her old life as a housewife as soon as her husband returns from the war. Kit, on the other hand, is single, and sees the game as a way of escaping from her previously dull existence.

Although Geena Davis was quite good as Dottie, the two best performances came from two actors I had not previously heard of, Jon Lovitz in the cameo role of Ernie Capadino, and Lori Petty as Kit, who brought out the fierce determination and will to win of her character. I am surprised that she has not gone on to become a bigger star than she has. It was interesting to see Madonna (normally found in starring roles) in a supporting role as Mae, one of the Peaches who rebels against the strict moral code.

Tom Hanks stars as Jimmy Dugan, the coach of the Rockford Peaches, in a role created largely because the filmmakers felt that they needed a big male star. Dugan was himself a famous baseball player in his time, but his career was wrecked by his heavy drinking. At the beginning of the film, Dugan is played as a figure of fun, making blunders such as urinating in front of the women, but being too drunk to notice or to care. Later on, Dugan sobers up and develops into a mixture of inspirational coach and dispenser of homespun philosophy along the lines of 'There's no crying in baseball'. At neither stage, however, does the film bring out the genuinely tragic aspects of Dugan's fall from grace as a great, or potentially great, athlete ruined by alcoholism. (One can think of modern parallels such as George Best or Diego Maradona). The actor may be at fault here; during the early part of his career Hanks always seemed a limited actor, convincing in 'Mr Nice Guy' roles but unable to portray more unsympathetic characters. ('Bonfire of the Vanities' being another example).

There were one or two other things about the film that I did not like. I felt we should have seen more of Kit between her transfer to Racine and her reappearance in the finals. The opening and closing scenes, showing a reunion of the surviving players more than forty years later, did not add much to the story. (They did, however, correct the misleading impression given in the rest of the film that women's professional baseball came to an end with the war; in fact, it survived until 1954). Overall, however, this was an entertaining film, well worth watching. 7/10.

Like many others, I didn't know anything about a wartime female baseball league so the story was fascinating to me. The film is beautifully told and is very touching and funny. The plot follows the women who made up a professional girls' baseball league during the second world war when the guys went fightin'. And then of course the war is over, and the guys come back - then what happens to the women with their glimpse of independence and a life outside the kitchen?

There are lots of good character arcs, particularly the two sisters, Dottie (Geena Davis) and Kit (Lori Petty), and the washed up has-been, Jimmy Dugan, played by Tom Hanks with about 2 stone extra on him for the role.

The flashback structure works so well you can't imagine doing it any other way. All the actors do a great job, but for me, Lori Petty as Kit, Dottie's kid sister, steals the show. She is brilliant.

Watch out for occasional glimpses of Tea Leoni as a Racine hitter.

Apparently all the injuries seen were sustained by the actors themselves. You can believe it too - they really look like ball players. First-rate editing makes it genuinely exciting sport.

The film could have been a stinker - there are many cliches and it's pretty predictable, but it's handled with great sympathy and sentiment without treacle by Penny Marshall. Twists and subplots would have been out of place - this is a classic feelgood and entertains without dragging on.

I give this 7 out of 10. On a rainy afternoon it's great entertainment.

Set at the start of World War 2, Geena Davis and Lori Petty are recruited to the first professional baseball league for women. The sisters struggle to keep the league going against the odds, while their own personal rivalry begins to escalate.

I don't pretend to know much about baseball, so if this element is poor i wouldn't really notice, but i did feel that it was a good setting for the story.

Quite touching and well directed, i was surprised how compelling this movie was. All in all the strong cast and pleasant script makes this a good movie, with a little for everyone.

8/10

Little did I know as a child that a professional women's baseball league even existed.That just goes to prove what little recognition these ladies have gotten over the years.This film finally pushes them over the top in terms of getting that recognition.Excellent perception and direction by Penny Marshall here in recreating this long ago time;a time of war when the nation needed the simple pleasures of life more than ever,to help them escape,at least temporarily,the horrors of the goings on overseas.With most of the male professional ball players overseas,our beloved women were called upon to fill the void,and boy did they ever fill it!It makes me wish, in some ways,that I could have been there to see it all.A fine comic performance here by Tom Hanks,as Jimmy Dugan, the somewhat reluctant and ignorant(at least,at first) manager of the Rockford Peaches. Outstanding performances as well from Madonna,Rosie O'Donnell,Geena Davis,and Lori Petty.A finer tribute could not have been made.Well done.

"A League of Their Own" tells a story that is rarely discussed in historical circles. The country is immersed in World War II and it is up to the women to keep professional baseball going. The film follows the sometimes rocky relationship between two sisters (Geena Davis and Lori Petty) who go from a small town in the midwest to the major leagues. Tom Hanks does outstanding work as the former player who now manages their team. Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell are among the other girls on the team who keep Hanks on his toes. Penny Marshall's direction is very solid here and she tells the story with a dignified style and grace that works well on the silver screen. A very good comedy-drama from the early-1990s. 4 stars out of 5.