The Jackie Robinson Story

It's sons favorite baseball player of all time, he might be 11, favorite team is the Brooklyn Dodgers! He might be watching the LA Dodgers, but you ask him it the Brooklyn Dodgers every time!

This film stars the one and only Jackie Robin himself in his own story, tidied up nicely for '50's audiences and co-starring the wonderful Ruby Dee as his faithful wife. Robinson was big news when he became the first black major league ball player, and I guess Warners decided they'd cash in on the controversy by starring Robinson as himself in his own "story, though bear in mind this is about as much of a "biography" as anything else so-called back then...i.e. lots of hogwash and fiction, with tiny bits of fact thrown in for respectability. It's just fun to see the real Robinson in a full-length film, but thank Heaven he was a better ballplayer than he was an actor 'cause he clearly had the chops for one and clearly NOT for the other. The colorized version is interesting to watch and thanks to digital improvements in that technology it doesn't have that muddy, artificial look it did back when they first started destroying classic films like "Casablanca" subjecting it to that process. But I'm a purist and feel that if a filmmaker meant for something to be in color he /she would've FILMED it that way, so I'm a bit biased against the process in general. But this makes a nice piece of history if nothing else, and certainly worth seeing whether you've already seen "42" or plan on it. Filmmakers can get away with considerably more these days when dealing with racism not than was possible...or acceptable to the movie-going public....back in the white-bread, suburb-choked fifties when "decent" people just didn't discuss it in spite of its prevalence. So see this if you just want to see Robinson himself take some actual turns at the plate and in the field, but don't plan on using it as source material for a seminar!

While the recent version of Jackie Robinson's life story, "42" is a great film, it's important to know about this first one, in which Jackie portrayed himself. This 1950 version, originally in black and white, was made so very shortly after the actual events. A great way to be introduced to the story. I first saw the movie when it was new, shown across America in the early 50's, well before the civil rights era of the 1960's, and it was, truly, a break-through experience. Little did I realize at the time, that Jackie Robinson's pioneering as the first black man to play in major league baseball was an essential element in what was to happen in the next decades. MLK Jr. would acknowledge to Jackie that his work was essential to later civil rights progress.

Saw this with my daughter when we couldn't get the new '42 movie about Jackie Robinson..We are different adult generations, but both of us found this movie informative (though we knew about his life already) and especially moving BECAUSE Jackie Robinson starred as himself in it, and did so shortly after he joined the league: so very historical!Also, the movie made clear the role of his and Rickie's faith, with the famous question/ response: would Jackie be able to turn the other cheek ? (Jesus, Matthew 5:39)--all bets were off, unless he could/ would be willing to do so, and would be courageous and strong enough...the rest is history. (But what a different history it would have been, had he not been able to do so!)Also showed the accurate situation of African-Americans after the war, with his college-educated brother taking a job as a sanitation dept. to feed his family; the importance of a supportive spouse, and the differing responses of people, based on their faith and values and not their race. It also showed the truth that individuals can make a difference, and impact society for the better. REALLY recommend to all ages/ ethnic groups... Romans 12:17-21 in action.

I watched the movie with my eight-year-old daughter after going to see 42 with her. Both movies lend strength to those who are minorities or discriminated against and help inspire them to persevere in the face of seemingly Goliath-like giants that are opposing their progress and effort. It is also an inspiration to human beings, like Branch Rickey, who choose to make an unpopular moral choice though they belong to the group that's discriminating, in Mr. Rickey's case, the white race. This is a good movie that's relevant today with all of the bullying we read about in the news against those who are non conforming and it's relevant because of the continuing efforts to try and include all members in our society and treat everyone with equality while respecting their rights and diversities. This movie made the history come alive for my little girl because here is the real Jackie Robinson playing himself...giving you a taste of some of what he had to endure in real life. Though we both wished that the movie were in color, it is still a great movie.

This is a beautifully directed film biography of the early life story of the incomparable Jackie Robinson, and offers the exquisite and priceless opportunity to see Jackie Robinson play himself. The film also serves as a historical commentary in its nuanced and extremely reserved handling of the racial prejudice that Jackie experienced, and that was still so prevalent at the time the film was made. The filmmakers were clearly passionate about telling Jackie's story, but in a way that would be "palatable" to the general public. It's restraint makes Jackie's experiences as a black man and athlete (and his Olympian brother's experience, dealt with in the film only briefly) only more heartbreaking, as the audience itself connects the dots.Thankfully, the film has been released in a color version, to make it accessible and watchable for the younger generation. No current - or potential - fan of Robinson's (or the recent movie "42") should miss this film. Or Jackie Robinson's remarkable autobiography, "I Never Had It Made."

For it's time this was a trail blazing movie however by today's standards it's pretty bland and by the numbers.What really makes it worth watching is Jackie Robinson, himself. His presence elevates it from being just a standard bio pic to a must see historical artifact.I only give the MGM release dvd 3 stars because the full screen has been modified to fit wide screen TVs.This cuts off the top and bottom of the original movie image.

I grew up in Montreal so I had heard a lot about Jackie Robinson before I became a baseball fan. I may have even been to one of his games as a very young boy sitting on my father's knee. That Jackie broke the colour barrier in baseball makes many Montrealers proud to have been a small part of the process. As with most forms of racial discrimination, it takes generations to overcome prejudice but it has to start somewhere. In his own way, Jackie proved that courage and goodwill will eventually overcome evil. I'm happy to now own a piece of history.

I am a huge baseball fan and to know the story of Jackie Robinson is so worth buying the DVD for. I would say to any baseball fanout there "You need to see this because it's how the ice was broken. Awesome movie!

Great story.Husband was very pleased .glad I purchased it for hubby...the new version is some differences....we got to see more of Jackie from his early years. Very quick delivery Thanks ......Looking for the eight series at a good price of the Waltons can you recommend where.