{"id":92611,"date":"2023-10-20T13:43:54","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T20:43:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=92611"},"modified":"2023-10-20T22:21:43","modified_gmt":"2023-10-21T05:21:43","slug":"natural-the-1984","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=92611","title":{"rendered":"Natural, The (1984)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;You&#8217;ve got a gift, Roy &#8212; but it&#8217;s not enough; you&#8217;ve got to develop yourself.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Poster-197x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"197\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-92612\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Poster-197x300.png 197w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Poster-84x128.png 84w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Poster-177x270.png 177w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Poster.png 618w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nAfter being shot as a young man by a mysterious woman (Barbara Hershey) in a hotel, baseball rookie Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) &#8212; now in his 30s &#8212; joins a minor league team run by cantankerous Pop Fisher (Wilford Brimley) and the more even-tempered Red Blow (Richard Farnsworth), both of whom are concerned about ongoing corruption by the team&#8217;s majority owner (Robert Prosky). Meanwhile, Hobbs is seduced by Brimley&#8217;s sexy niece (Kim Basinger) and visited by his small-town sweetheart (Glenn Close).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Barbara Hershey Films<\/li>\n<li>Barry Levinson Films<\/li>\n<li>Baseball Films<\/li>\n<li>Corruption<\/li>\n<li>Femmes Fatales<\/li>\n<li>Glenn Close Films<\/li>\n<li>Historical Drama<\/li>\n<li>Robert Duvall Films<\/li>\n<li>Robert Redford Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary writes that &#8220;Robert Redford returned to screen acting after a four-year vacation for this pet project, an adaptation of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Natural\">Bernard Malamud&#8217;s superb baseball novel<\/a>&#8221; (which I haven&#8217;t read). He implies that &#8220;looking fit as an athlete, displaying a convincing left-handed swing, and sporting boyish good looks:&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Redford-At-Bat.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Redford-At-Bat-1024x547.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"342\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-92618\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Redford-At-Bat-1024x547.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Redford-At-Bat-300x160.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Redford-At-Bat-128x68.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Redford-At-Bat-768x410.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Redford-At-Bat-505x270.png 505w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Redford-At-Bat.png 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; Redford is well-suited to play &#8220;Roy Hobbs, an innocent country boy who has&#8230; pitching talent&#8221; but is seduced &#8220;into taking the wayward path&#8221; by a &#8220;mysterious woman in black (Barbara Hershey)&#8221; (based on the bizarre <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ruth_Ann_Steinhagen\">real-life star-stalking of Eddie Waitkus by Ruth Ann Steinhagen<\/a>). <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Train.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Train-1024x558.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"349\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-92615\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Train-1024x558.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Train-300x164.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Train-128x70.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Train-768x419.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Train-495x270.png 495w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Train.png 1168w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>[POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT]<\/p>\n<p>Peary argues that &#8220;in the early scenes this Barry Levinson-directed film brilliantly captures myth aspects of baseball prior to WWII, but then Levinson and Redford turn [the] picture into a schmaltzy fairytale.&#8221; He adds, &#8220;If you would have been happy if David O. Selznick decided to forget Margaret Mitchell and have Rhett stick it out with Scarlett, then you&#8217;ll accept these guys&#8217; changing Malamud&#8217;s pessimistic ending&#8221; into a cheer-worthy one. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Cheering2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Cheering2-1024x552.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"345\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-92621\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Cheering2-1024x552.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Cheering2-300x162.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Cheering2-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Cheering2-768x414.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Cheering2-501x270.png 501w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Cheering2.png 1168w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>He points out that &#8220;Redford had early screen success playing men who sold out their convictions (i.e., <em>The Candidate<\/em>, <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=88605\"><em>The Way We Were<\/em><\/a>) and it seemed Hobbs&#8217; character as Malamud wrote it was ready-made for him&#8221; &#8212; but apparently &#8220;everyone wants to be a hero, especially one who seems to be more than human.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Wonderboy.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Wonderboy-1024x560.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"350\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-92619\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Wonderboy-1024x560.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Wonderboy-300x164.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Wonderboy-128x70.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Wonderboy-768x420.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Wonderboy-494x270.png 494w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Wonderboy.png 1161w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Peary calls out the impressive atmosphere and &#8220;camera work by Caleb Deschanel&#8221; &#8212; and also notes the random distinction that Close&#8217;s character is viewed &#8220;as a symbol of purity even though she is an unwed mother.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Close2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Close2-1024x618.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"386\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-92616\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Close2-1024x618.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Close2-300x181.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Close2-128x77.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Close2-768x464.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Close2-447x270.png 447w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Close2.png 1395w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>While I&#8217;m not a diehard baseball fan like Peary &#8212; and also not invested in how closely this film hews to its source material &#8212; I can see how viewers at the time may have been disappointed by the significant shift in the ending. Personally, I was more puzzled by the ultimate intent of the storyline, which mixes random elements of mysticism and nostalgia like nobody&#8217;s business. The shooting early on is indeed confusing (it&#8217;s apparently not explained in the book, either); what&#8217;s most clear is that we&#8217;re meant to see what happens when an older-than-typical athlete with star potential decides to finally pursue some version of his original dream. Other than that, corruption is a massive theme throughout (villainous Prosky is literally filmed in the dark): <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Protsky.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Protsky-1024x562.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"351\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-92624\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Protsky-1024x562.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Protsky-300x165.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Protsky-128x70.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Protsky-768x421.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Protsky-492x270.png 492w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Protsky.png 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; and the women in Hobbs&#8217;s life are either <em>femme fatales<\/em> (Hershey, Basinger) or earthly saints (Close). The biggest star of all, however, is Caleb Deschanel&#8217;s cinematography, which illuminates the period sets and actors with a gorgeous glow at all times.  <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Basinger.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Basinger-1024x560.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"350\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-92622\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Basinger-1024x560.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Basinger-300x164.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Basinger-128x70.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Basinger-768x420.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Basinger-494x270.png 494w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Basinger.png 1168w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> Robert Duvall is essentially wasted in a bit role as a sports journalist who first watches Hobbs strike out &#8220;The Whammer&#8221; (Joe Don Baker, playing a Babe Ruth-like star), then pursues him for his story throughout the rest of the film. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Duvall.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Duvall-1024x549.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"343\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-92630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Duvall-1024x549.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Duvall-300x161.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Duvall-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Duvall-768x412.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Duvall-504x270.png 504w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Duvall.png 1172w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Joe Don Baker as &#8220;The Whammer&#8221;<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Whammer.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Whammer-1024x555.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"347\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-92628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Whammer-1024x555.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Whammer-300x163.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Whammer-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Whammer-768x416.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Whammer-498x270.png 498w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Whammer.png 1162w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine period sets<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Tussle.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Tussle-1024x553.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"346\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-92627\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Tussle-1024x553.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Tussle-300x162.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Tussle-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Tussle-768x415.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Tussle-500x270.png 500w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Tussle.png 1161w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Caleb Deschanel&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Hershey.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Hershey-1024x554.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"346\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-92626\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Hershey-1024x554.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Hershey-300x162.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Hershey-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Hershey-768x416.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Hershey-499x270.png 499w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Hershey.png 1290w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Silhouettes.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Silhouettes-1024x611.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"382\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-92617\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Silhouettes-1024x611.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Silhouettes-300x179.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Silhouettes-128x76.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Silhouettes-768x458.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Silhouettes-453x270.png 453w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Silhouettes.png 1390w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, but it&#8217;s certainly worth a one-time look as a well-crafted piece of nostalgia. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0087781\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/84605\/the-natural\/#articles-reviews?articleId=184942\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.qnetwork.com\/review\/2362\">Q Network Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/the-natural\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1984\/05\/11\/movies\/film-redford-and-duvall-in-malamud-s-natural.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s2254natu.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;You&#8217;ve got a gift, Roy &#8212; but it&#8217;s not enough; you&#8217;ve got to develop yourself.&#8221; Synopsis: After being shot as a young man by a mysterious woman (Barbara Hershey) in a hotel, baseball rookie Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) &#8212; now in his 30s &#8212; joins a minor league team run by cantankerous Pop Fisher (Wilford Brimley) and the more even-tempered Red Blow (Richard Farnsworth), both of whom are concerned about ongoing corruption by the team&#8217;s majority owner (Robert Prosky). Meanwhile,&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=92611\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-92611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO 4.9.9 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"&quot;You&#039;ve got a gift, Roy -- but it&#039;s not enough; you&#039;ve got to develop yourself.&quot; Synopsis: After being shot as a young man by a mysterious woman (Barbara Hershey) in a hotel, baseball rookie Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) -- now in his 30s -- joins a minor league team run by cantankerous Pop Fisher (Wilford\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"max-image-preview:large\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\"\/>\n\t<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=92611\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"generator\" content=\"All in One SEO (AIOSEO) 4.9.9\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"FilmFanatic.org - Movie discussions for the true film fanatic\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Natural, The (1984) - FilmFanatic.org\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"&quot;You&#039;ve got a gift, Roy -- but it&#039;s not enough; you&#039;ve got to develop yourself.&quot; Synopsis: After being shot as a young man by a mysterious woman (Barbara Hershey) in a hotel, baseball rookie Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) -- now in his 30s -- joins a minor league team run by cantankerous Pop Fisher (Wilford\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=92611\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-10-20T20:43:54+00:00\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-10-21T05:21:43+00:00\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Natural, The (1984) - FilmFanatic.org\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"&quot;You&#039;ve got a gift, Roy -- but it&#039;s not enough; you&#039;ve got to develop yourself.&quot; Synopsis: After being shot as a young man by a mysterious woman (Barbara Hershey) in a hotel, baseball rookie Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) -- now in his 30s -- joins a minor league team run by cantankerous Pop Fisher (Wilford\" \/>\n\t\t<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"aioseo-schema\">\n\t\t\t{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"BlogPosting\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\\\/?p=92611#blogposting\",\"name\":\"Natural, The (1984) - FilmFanatic.org\",\"headline\":\"Natural, The (1984)\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\\\/?author=1#author\"},\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/Natural-Poster.png\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\\\/?p=92611\\\/#articleImage\",\"width\":618,\"height\":942},\"datePublished\":\"2023-10-20T13:43:54-07:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-10-20T22:21:43-07:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"commentCount\":1,\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\\\/?p=92611#webpage\"},\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\\\/?p=92611#webpage\"},\"articleSection\":\"Response Reviews\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\\\/?p=92611#breadcrumblist\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org#listItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\\\/?cat=3#listItem\",\"name\":\"Response Reviews\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\\\/?cat=3#listItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Response Reviews\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\\\/?cat=3\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\\\/?p=92611#listItem\",\"name\":\"Natural, The (1984)\"},\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org#listItem\",\"name\":\"Home\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\\\/?p=92611#listItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Natural, The (1984)\",\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\\\/?cat=3#listItem\",\"name\":\"Response Reviews\"}}]},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"FilmFanatic.org\",\"description\":\"Movie discussions for the true film fanatic\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\\\/?author=1#author\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\\\/?author=1\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\\\/?p=92611#authorImage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/eddf9f367f813d863e2735ea4817eb507da90fc27e3a4f0d509000360cc431ce?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"width\":96,\"height\":96,\"caption\":\"admin\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\\\/?p=92611#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\\\/?p=92611\",\"name\":\"Natural, The (1984) - FilmFanatic.org\",\"description\":\"\\\"You've got a gift, Roy -- but it's not enough; you've got to develop yourself.\\\" Synopsis: After being shot as a young man by a mysterious woman (Barbara Hershey) in a hotel, baseball rookie Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) -- now in his 30s -- joins a minor league team run by cantankerous Pop Fisher (Wilford\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\\\/#website\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\\\/?p=92611#breadcrumblist\"},\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\\\/?author=1#author\"},\"creator\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\\\/?author=1#author\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-10-20T13:43:54-07:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-10-20T22:21:43-07:00\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\\\/\",\"name\":\"FilmFanatic.org\",\"description\":\"Movie discussions for the true film fanatic\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/filmfanatic.org\\\/#organization\"}}]}\n\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO -->\n\n","aioseo_head_json":{"title":"Natural, The (1984) - FilmFanatic.org","description":"\"You've got a gift, Roy -- but it's not enough; you've got to develop yourself.\" Synopsis: After being shot as a young man by a mysterious woman (Barbara Hershey) in a hotel, baseball rookie Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) -- now in his 30s -- joins a minor league team run by cantankerous Pop Fisher (Wilford","canonical_url":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=92611","robots":"max-image-preview:large","keywords":"","webmasterTools":{"miscellaneous":""},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=92611#blogposting","name":"Natural, The (1984) - FilmFanatic.org","headline":"Natural, The (1984)","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?author=1#author"},"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Natural-Poster.png","@id":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=92611\/#articleImage","width":618,"height":942},"datePublished":"2023-10-20T13:43:54-07:00","dateModified":"2023-10-20T22:21:43-07:00","inLanguage":"en","commentCount":1,"mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=92611#webpage"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=92611#webpage"},"articleSection":"Response Reviews"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=92611#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org#listItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org","nextItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?cat=3#listItem","name":"Response Reviews"}},{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?cat=3#listItem","position":2,"name":"Response Reviews","item":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?cat=3","nextItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=92611#listItem","name":"Natural, The (1984)"},"previousItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org#listItem","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=92611#listItem","position":3,"name":"Natural, The (1984)","previousItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?cat=3#listItem","name":"Response Reviews"}}]},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/#organization","name":"FilmFanatic.org","description":"Movie discussions for the true film fanatic","url":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?author=1#author","url":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?author=1","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=92611#authorImage","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/eddf9f367f813d863e2735ea4817eb507da90fc27e3a4f0d509000360cc431ce?s=96&d=mm&r=g","width":96,"height":96,"caption":"admin"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=92611#webpage","url":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=92611","name":"Natural, The (1984) - FilmFanatic.org","description":"\"You've got a gift, Roy -- but it's not enough; you've got to develop yourself.\" Synopsis: After being shot as a young man by a mysterious woman (Barbara Hershey) in a hotel, baseball rookie Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) -- now in his 30s -- joins a minor league team run by cantankerous Pop Fisher (Wilford","inLanguage":"en","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/#website"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=92611#breadcrumblist"},"author":{"@id":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?author=1#author"},"creator":{"@id":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?author=1#author"},"datePublished":"2023-10-20T13:43:54-07:00","dateModified":"2023-10-20T22:21:43-07:00"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/","name":"FilmFanatic.org","description":"Movie discussions for the true film fanatic","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/#organization"}}]},"og:locale":"en_US","og:site_name":"FilmFanatic.org - Movie discussions for the true film fanatic","og:type":"article","og:title":"Natural, The (1984) - FilmFanatic.org","og:description":"&quot;You've got a gift, Roy -- but it's not enough; you've got to develop yourself.&quot; Synopsis: After being shot as a young man by a mysterious woman (Barbara Hershey) in a hotel, baseball rookie Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) -- now in his 30s -- joins a minor league team run by cantankerous Pop Fisher (Wilford","og:url":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=92611","article:published_time":"2023-10-20T20:43:54+00:00","article:modified_time":"2023-10-21T05:21:43+00:00","twitter:card":"summary_large_image","twitter:title":"Natural, The (1984) - FilmFanatic.org","twitter:description":"&quot;You've got a gift, Roy -- but it's not enough; you've got to develop yourself.&quot; Synopsis: After being shot as a young man by a mysterious woman (Barbara Hershey) in a hotel, baseball rookie Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) -- now in his 30s -- joins a minor league team run by cantankerous Pop Fisher (Wilford"},"aioseo_meta_data":{"post_id":"92611","title":null,"description":null,"keywords":null,"keyphrases":null,"primary_term":null,"canonical_url":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"og_object_type":"default","og_image_type":"default","og_image_url":null,"og_image_width":null,"og_image_height":null,"og_image_custom_url":null,"og_image_custom_fields":null,"og_video":null,"og_custom_url":null,"og_article_section":null,"og_article_tags":null,"twitter_use_og":false,"twitter_card":"default","twitter_image_type":"default","twitter_image_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_fields":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"schema":{"blockGraphs":[],"customGraphs":[],"default":{"data":{"Article":[],"Course":[],"Dataset":[],"FAQPage":[],"Movie":[],"Person":[],"Product":[],"ProductReview":[],"Car":[],"Recipe":[],"Service":[],"SoftwareApplication":[],"WebPage":[]},"graphName":"","isEnabled":true},"graphs":[]},"schema_type":"default","schema_type_options":null,"pillar_content":false,"robots_default":true,"robots_noindex":false,"robots_noarchive":false,"robots_nosnippet":false,"robots_nofollow":false,"robots_noimageindex":false,"robots_noodp":false,"robots_notranslate":false,"robots_max_snippet":null,"robots_max_videopreview":null,"robots_max_imagepreview":"large","priority":null,"frequency":null,"local_seo":null,"breadcrumb_settings":null,"limit_modified_date":false,"ai":null,"created":"2025-07-17 05:39:45","updated":"2025-07-17 05:39:45","seo_analyzer_scan_date":null},"aioseo_breadcrumb":"<div class=\"aioseo-breadcrumbs\"><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\" title=\"Home\">Home<\/a>\n\t\t<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">&raquo;<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?cat=3\" title=\"Response Reviews\">Response Reviews<\/a>\n\t\t<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">&raquo;<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\tNatural, The (1984)\n\t\t<\/span><\/div>","aioseo_breadcrumb_json":[{"label":"Home","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org"},{"label":"Response Reviews","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?cat=3"},{"label":"Natural, The (1984)","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=92611"}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=92611"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92611\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":92648,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92611\/revisions\/92648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=92611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=92611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=92611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}