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THE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE
Review by Gordon Justesen
Stars:
Will Smith, Matt Damon, Charlize Theron, Bruce McGill, Joel Gretsch, J. Michael
Moncrief
Director: Robert Redford
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Surround, DTS 5.1 Surround
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Studio: Dreamworks
Features: See Review
Length: 127 Minutes
Release Date: April 3, 2001
Film
***1/2
I’ve
never been much of a golfer. I have attempted to get into the sport on several
occasions, and I could never seem to improve my strategies on those attempts. I
have occasionally traveled to nearby Augusta, Georgia to attend several Masters
tournaments, which really are a sight to be seen. With that said, you’d
probably think that a movie using the game of golf as a metaphor for life
wouldn’t interest me in the least, but I was wrong. Aside from the Kevin
Costner comedy Tin Cup, which was very enjoyable, another movie has come
along that captures the game in sheer beauty. Robert Redford has crafted a
stunning, beautifully filmed movie about the game in The Legend of Bagger
Vance, based on the novel of the same name by Steven Pressfield. You don’t
even have to be a golf fanatic to enjoy this movie, because the movie deals
mostly with the theme of self-redemption, in this case a fallen soul who was
once a golf icon to those who saw him play. Redford does a masterful job at
setting the tone for this movie and executing it.
The
story takes place in Savannah, Georgia during the first years of the great
depression. The depression wasn’t entirely bad news for Savannah’s
upper-class citizens, but it has a harsh effect on one man. He creates a vast,
grandly constructed golf course, and he soon goes broke as a result. The man
then commits suicide, leaving all of his business affairs in the hands of his
daughter, Adele (Charlize Theron). Facing the possibility of losing everything,
Adele plans to risk all of her money on a golf tournament to be held on her
father’s course, letting everyone in town that his course is still in top and
prestigious form. Invited to this tee-off are two of the greatest golfers in the
world: Walter Hagan (Bruce McGill) and Bobby Jones (Joel Gretsch).
The people of Savannah demand that a player represent them in the match,
and young Hardy Greaves believes the town has one in Rannulph Junuh (Matt
Damon). Hardy’s dad once idolized Junuh, hailing him as the greatest golfer
that ever existed. Junuh himself has kept himself hidden from the social life
following a harsh experience in World War I, and now resides to poker playing
and frequent drinking. Both Hardy and Adele, who was once in love with Junuh,
persuade him to participate in the tournament, which he soon agrees to.
Having
been away from the game for some time, Junuh believes he has lost his swing, to
which he receives a little help in getting back. One night while practicing his
driving shots, a man appears out of nowhere and already senses that Rannulph
needs some assistance in retrieving what he has lost. The man is Bagger Vance
(Will Smith), who helps in rehabilitating Junuh, and becomes his caddy, too.
Bagger Vance has unique theories on the game, relating them much the game of
life, which will hopefully help Junuh, who is need of finding his place not only
on the golf course, but in life as well.
The
one aspect of The Legend of Bagger Vance is the way Redford and
screenwriter Jeremy Leven approach this material in a most unconventional
manner. It would’ve been very easy to present Jones and Hagan, the two
opposing golfers, as mean-spirited adversaries, but they aren’t. They are
there to enjoy the game, and themselves and nothing more. There’s even a
wonderful moment where Bobby Jones tells Rannulph what terrific pro he is in the
game. I also appreciated that Redford strayed from using any racist
characterizations, even though such problems may have existed in this time and
setting. It’s more or less a social fantasy, showing the way things could’ve
been.
The
movie is filled with some very nice performances, particularly from Will Smith
as the title character. Bagger Vance is actually not in the movie a great deal,
but Smith is in top, gracious form, making up for his previous debacle, Wild
Wild West. For me, the real stars of the movie are the directing and
especially, Michael Ballhaus’ stunning cinematography, which captures the
beauty of Savannah in the 30s, and beautiful green of the golf course. The
camera is used in some remarkable ways during the golfing scenes that do nothing
short of leaving you completely awe-inspired. This is some great cinematography
that truly deserved an Oscar nomination.
Robert
Redford is a truly gifted filmmaker, and always brings a unique touch to the
movies he directs. The Legend of Bagger Vance is very much a fitting entry in Redford’s impressive body of work,
which includes such monumental classics as Ordinary People, A River Runs Through It, and Quiz Show.
This movie is a pure, poetic piece of work.
Dreamworks
has created a mostly gorgeous transfer, which brings them to 9 under par (just
kidding). After I was a little letdown at the transfers for What
Lies Beneath
and The
Contender,
I was starting to think that they might not bring back the greatness they once
had. Now, they are now very much back in the game, along with their fabulous job
on their recent release, Almost
Famous.
Picture quality is stunning at times, particularly in the scenes on the golf
course, upon which the greens shine beautifully. The only thing keeping it from
a full, four-star rating is a little noticeable grain in a couple of darkly lit
scenes. Other than that, a grand looking disc at best.
This
is a movie made up mostly of dialogue, but it’s in the gaming scenes where The
Legend of Bagger Vance
comes to life on DVD. The Dolby Digital presentation provides terrific use of
capturing distinct sounds, particulary in the golfing sequences where several
slow motion shots are used, and background noise is heard very well. The
beautiful musical score by Rachel Portman is also captured wonderfully in this
presentation.
I would’ve really looked forward to a Robert Redford commentary, but the extras on this disc are better than none. Included is a brief presentation called “Robert Redford: Insight Into Bagger Vance”, which is essentially a montage of production photos, with commentary by Redford. Also included is as brief production featurette, a theatrical trailer and teaser for the film.
Summary: