We have discussed the five characteristics that we decided defined the genre of the Epic Film. The question I am raising here today is whether The Natural, the classic baseball movie starring acting legend Robert Redford, (a film I admittedly may watch before every weekend series I play), fits into the genre of an epic. The first characteristic of an epic that we chose was that the journey “focuses on the journey of a single character. This protagonist is typically a historical figure or a mythical hero.” Roy Hobbs is certainly not a real historical figure, but very much a mythical hero, as, from the perspective of the fans, he comes from nowhere to inspire a team of losers to win despite their tyrannical owner. The storyline tracks Hobbs’ life from the first scene, where we see Hobbs as a boy playing catch with his father, on his circuitous journey back to the cornfields of the Midwest playing catch with his son—with only a few speed bumps along the way.
Another characteristic that we used to define the epic genre was that a large number of people are dependent upon the success of the protagonist. In The Natural, Hobbs’ success helps the team win the pennant, which not only benefits the rest of the players on the team, but saves his manager Pop from losing the team and a life in baseball, the only thing he truly loves.
Finally, we decided that a true epic is accompanied by a memorable and dramatic musical score, something that The Natural undoubtedly possesses. Randy Newman’s score that plays during Hobbs’ final home run still echoes through ballparks today when players hit home runs. It not only resonates through time, but perfectly captures all of the electric emotions that run through the player and the crowd when the ball leaves the yard.
Given these facts, I would have to say the storyline of The Natural is the epitome of a character’s epic journey—it’s characteristics only veiled by its taking place between the foul lines as opposed to in an unknown world.