For
some reason, I’ve always found movies about baseball and baseball
players more interesting than the game itself. While I have tremendous
difficulty sitting through a baseball game on television; however, you
could pop in a copy of THE NATURAL or PRIDE OF THE YANKEES
into the DVD player and I’d remain glued to the set. Now, as baseball
movies go, FEAR STRIKES OUT ($20) is one of the most interesting,
as well as being one of the most unusual films about the game. FEAR
STRIKES OUT is a biography of baseball player Jimmy Piersall, who
suffered a nervous breakdown from the pressures of struggling and finally
making it to the major leagues.
FEAR
STRIKES OUT stars Anthony Perkins as Jimmy Piersall, who proved he
could go "psycho" years before the role that would become a life
long association. Actually, Perkins gives an great performance as the
vulnerable Piersall, who is continually being pushed by his overbearing
father John (Karl Malden), because he wants his son to fulfill his dream
to play in for the Boston Red Sox. Although the process takes years, Jimmy
eventually snaps while playing for the Red Sox, due to the continuous and
unrelenting pressure placed upon him by his father. The cast of FEAR
STRIKES OUT also features Norma Moore, Adam Williams, Perry Wilson and
Peter J. Votrian.
Paramount
Home Entertainment has made FEAR STRIKES OUT available on DVD in a
1.78:1 wide screen presentation that features the anamorphic enhancement
for 16:9 displays. This is actually a super looking black and white
presentation that greatly benefits from the fact that FEAR STRIKES OUT
was filmed in the VistaVision process. The image on the DVD is wonderfully
sharp and very nicely defined. Blacks appear pure, as do the whites.
Contrast is generally excellent, with the picture producing a rich and
varied grayscale that gives the impression of great depth. The cleanly
authored DVD keeps all signs of digital compression artifacts well
camouflaged.
FEAR
STRIKES OUT comes with a very pleasant sounding Dolby Digital monaural
soundtrack. Background hiss and surface noise have been cleaned up,
leaving the track with a nice crisp sound. Dialogue is always completely
understandable, and the voices come across with a good sense of character.
Of course, due to the state of recording technology in the late 1950s,
there are limitations in the fidelity of the soundtrack, which does have
an effect on the sound effects and the music. However, Elmer Bernstein’s
terrific score still manages to come across quite well with a bit of
amplification applied. A French language track has also been included on
the DVD, along with English subtitles. The very basic interactive menus
allow one to access the standard scene selection and set up features. No
supplements have been included on the DVD.
FEAR
STRIKES OUT is a solid and entertaining film biography of baseball
player Jimmy Piersall that greatly benefits from Tony Perkins terrific
performance. Paramount has done a truly fine job with this forty-plus year
old film, offering a presentation that makes the movie seem decades
younger. If you are a film buff, baseball or Tony Perkins fan, you’ll
definitely want to check out FEAR STRIKES OUT on DVD.
For
some reason, I’ve always found movies about baseball and baseball
players more interesting than the game itself. While I have tremendous
difficulty sitting through a baseball game on television; however, you
could pop in a copy of THE NATURAL or PRIDE OF THE YANKEES
into the DVD player and I’d remain glued to the set. Now, as baseball
movies go, FEAR STRIKES OUT ($20) is one of the most interesting,
as well as being one of the most unusual films about the game. FEAR
STRIKES OUT is a biography of baseball player Jimmy Piersall, who
suffered a nervous breakdown from the pressures of struggling and finally
making it to the major leagues.
FEAR
STRIKES OUT stars Anthony Perkins as Jimmy Piersall, who proved he
could go "psycho" years before the role that would become a life
long association. Actually, Perkins gives an great performance as the
vulnerable Piersall, who is continually being pushed by his overbearing
father John (Karl Malden), because he wants his son to fulfill his dream
to play in for the Boston Red Sox. Although the process takes years, Jimmy
eventually snaps while playing for the Red Sox, due to the continuous and
unrelenting pressure placed upon him by his father. The cast of FEAR
STRIKES OUT also features Norma Moore, Adam Williams, Perry Wilson and
Peter J. Votrian.
Paramount
Home Entertainment has made FEAR STRIKES OUT available on DVD in a
1.78:1 wide screen presentation that features the anamorphic enhancement
for 16:9 displays. This is actually a super looking black and white
presentation that greatly benefits from the fact that FEAR STRIKES OUT
was filmed in the VistaVision process. The image on the DVD is wonderfully
sharp and very nicely defined. Blacks appear pure, as do the whites.
Contrast is generally excellent, with the picture producing a rich and
varied grayscale that gives the impression of great depth. The cleanly
authored DVD keeps all signs of digital compression artifacts well
camouflaged.
FEAR
STRIKES OUT comes with a very pleasant sounding Dolby Digital monaural
soundtrack. Background hiss and surface noise have been cleaned up,
leaving the track with a nice crisp sound. Dialogue is always completely
understandable, and the voices come across with a good sense of character.
Of course, due to the state of recording technology in the late 1950s,
there are limitations in the fidelity of the soundtrack, which does have
an effect on the sound effects and the music. However, Elmer Bernstein’s
terrific score still manages to come across quite well with a bit of
amplification applied. A French language track has also been included on
the DVD, along with English subtitles. The very basic interactive menus
allow one to access the standard scene selection and set up features. No
supplements have been included on the DVD.
FEAR
STRIKES OUT is a solid and entertaining film biography of baseball
player Jimmy Piersall that greatly benefits from Tony Perkins terrific
performance. Paramount has done a truly fine job with this forty-plus year
old film, offering a presentation that makes the movie seem decades
younger. If you are a film buff, baseball or Tony Perkins fan, you’ll
definitely want to check out FEAR STRIKES OUT on DVD.
