THE LIFE AND TIMES OF HANK GREENBERG 1998 - USA Director Aviva Kempner
Documentary - Reviewed by Frankie Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron. These players are thought of most often when people look at prominent baseball figures from the 1930s and 1940s. However, another great slugger of the time often gets overlooked. Hank Greenberg, the first Jewish baseball player to not change his name to a Christian one usually gets forgotten. Those who remember him are most likely baseball buffs, or former residents of the Detroit area. Director Aviva Kempner wanted to change that. After Greenberg's death in 1986, Kempner began a 12-year struggle to fund, film, and spread awareness of Greenberg by making this film. Her hard work is evident. The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg is a wonderful documentary. It's just long enough to keep it from getting boring, it has a good amount of humor, and the interviews and cross-references are mini-marvels. Hank Greenberg first stepped to the plate in 1934 when he got signed to the Detroit Tigers. Throughout the season, especially when the pennant race heated up, he was the constant target of anti-Semitic remarks from people in the crowd. Baseball was America's game, and some believed Jews shouldn't be allowed to play it. Greenberg gained popularity by often hitting one or two home runs a game, and leading his team to the pennant. For so many people though, he was much more than a baseball player. He was a Jewish icon, a symbol of hope, a voice speaking to all Jews in America that said they could be just as successful as the "true" Americans. In one interview a fan describes his school days when they used to listen to baseball games on the radio during class. Whenever Greenberg came up to the plate all the other kids would look at him, perhaps thinking he knew whether he would hit a home run or not. Indeed the player was a sense of pride for people he hadn't even met. | |
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