Baseball: A film by Ken Burns (1994)
PBS

Description

Ken Burns tops himself with this epic of American history, told in "nine innings," with a skilled narration by John Chancellor and the voices of Paul Newman, Jason Robards, Billy Crystal, and other stars. The series spans 150 years, starting with the myth-debunking tale of baseball's true beginnings -- when it was a game "one degree above mayhem." Then follow the growth of America's National Pastime through the decades of glory and record-setting achievements, as well as the scandals, the bigotry, and the big money. The series portrays the game as a mirror of America itself -- the passions, prejudices, and ambitions that have shape the country.

Tags

Baseball

Collected reviews and ratings

10 DVD Talk | Jeremy Kleinman

Quite simply stated, this is an amazing film. Burns has done a superb job capturing the soul of the game and presents a film which is both a treat and a learning experience for everyone, from avid baseball fans to baseball neophytes.
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8.0 Seattle P.I. | John Engstrom

"Baseball" is fine storytelling and compelling visual artistry, accompanied by an eclectic but often superb score.
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8.0 Variety | Jeff Silverman

"Baseball" goes down as a solid performance, by no means perfect but certainly memorable [...] Burns is able to remind us why the game itself, in the long run, continues to mean so much to us, and who we are as a nation.
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6.3 ReelViews | James Berardinelli

Baseball is a canvas painted with broad strokes and little detail. Burns has invested an incredible amount of effort and passion into a project that is by turns insightful, nostalgic, pedantic, and (unfortunately) occasionally dull.
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