Introduction
The issues of racism and inequality remain topical in present-day life. Nowadays, ethnic and social equity are regarded as essential rights of every human being, but only several decades ago a large part of the American non-major population was exposed to segregation and unjust treatment in every aspect of social performance: interpersonal, economic, legal, and political.
In the 20th century, when the American economy started to achieve a prosperous state, and economic wealth became an attractive and realistic objective of all citizens, social and economic inequality had continued to stay fierce. While the majority of suppressed citizens from the minor ethnic groups were afraid to go against the accepted social norms, some individuals started to make significant efforts to put the epoch of racism to an end and became the leaders of liberation movements.
Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks are only a few of those who were not scared to stand for justice and inspire others to fight for their rights. Overall, it is possible to say that in the history of the USA every social transformation for better was driven by this kind of passionate people and the movie “42” tells the story of two of such individuals – Jackie Robinson, the first African-American professional baseball player, and Branch Rickey, the owner of Brooklyn Dodgers, who supported the baseballer in the achievement of professional success in 1947 when racism had still flourished.
The problems of racism are deeply interrelated with ethical implications, and this subject is often exploited by moviemakers for a variety of purposes. It is possible to say that “42” strives to teach the lesson about morality, personal strength, belief, and motivation to overcome difficult times. Helgeland implemented effective visual and audio mediums to succeed in the realization of his vision and efficiently transmit important messages to the audience. Each aspect of movie creation from the selection of cast members to camera work and editing helped the director to create a picture that provokes emotional resonance in the audience and becomes a thought-provoking material stimulating the viewers’ in-depth reflection on big social problems.
Synopsis
The manager of Brooklyn Dodgers, Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford), informs his colleagues about the decision to hire an African-American player as he sees that baseball is of great interest for the diverse social groups and expects that such strategic move will bring greater profits. The management selects Jack Robinson (Chadwick Boseman), an amateur college baseball player. After the trial of the sportsman’s skills at Montreal Royals, Mr. Rickey offers Robinson a contract, and Dodgers officially accept the first black baseball player in the country despite the fact that his future teammates created and signed the petition attempting to sabotage the acceptance of the black man into the field of professional sports.
When entered into the locker room before the first training session, Jackie Robinson is given the uniform with number 42 which later on acquires a symbolic meaning. On the way to the victory at the end of the series season, Robinson faces a lot of difficulties including public disapproval, assaults from his colleagues and rivals, slander in mass media, own weaknesses, and short temper. It is hard to withstand the pressure of racial stereotypes and negative attitudes without fighting them back. However, Robinson applies persistence and concentration at the game as the major strategic approach suggested by Rickey.
Ultimately, such a strategy allows Robinson’s athletic talent to shine proving the whole nation that the racial prejudices are misleading, and they should loosen the grip over the minds of people.
Movie Title and Its Significance
The title of the movie, 42, is a direct reference to the actual number given to Jack Robinson as a professional player at Brooklyn Dodgers. It is one of the central symbolic elements in the picture, and it is possible to say that real plot complication unfolds from the moment when the number printed at the back of the player’s sportive uniform first appears on the screen. Throughout the course of the story development, number 42 implicitly unfurls its symbolic meaning – it denominates the power of overcoming negative expectations imposed on a person by others, belief in one’s strength and ability, persistent, and ultimate self-establishment. Thus, in the movie, number 42 is not an ordinary numerical sign but a personification of human qualities.
Number 42, Jackie Robinson faced intense challenges in his career and social life, and by surmounting them with great dignity he “served something greater” – great social changes and renewal of the obsolete worldview (42). Based on this, the number may also be regarded as a symbol of positive changes and the power of individuals’ contributions to the improvement of unfair circumstances and conditions.
The meaning of the movie title is multilateral and complex as it unifies multiple implications. It certainly refers to a real-life historical character, but at the same time, it includes a set of qualities needed for the achievement of personal and common goals, and these qualities can be found and cultivated in every person.
The First and the Final Frames
The movie starts with the narration of the reporter, Wendell Smith, who was the witness and the writer of Robinson’s breakthrough. At the beginning of the movie, Mr. Smith starts writing his chronicle and describes the overall situation in the country. It was the time when the USA had just finished the wars with Germany and Japan, but contrary to the relative success in the establishment of peace at the international fronts, there still were a lot of problems within the country.
The first of these problems was racial segregation. However, Wendell continues that despite many social problems there still were some positive phenomena, and baseball was one of them. Baseball was and remains one of Americans’ favorite games, and in the 1940’s it drew the attention of both major and minor ethnic groups. Thus, despite the fact that all professional players were the white American citizens, baseball provided a favorable ground for the development of social unity. And this idea became a basic element of the movie plot.
The final frames of “42” are logically interrelated with the opening frames. A viewer sees how Wendell Smith sited on the stadium’s platform watching Robinson at his home round track run and typing the last sentence of his article: “Robinson rounds third, headed for home sweet home” (42). The series of final shots include the interchange of Robinson’s running on the field, returning home to his wife, and the frames expressing recognition of the sportsman by all significant actors in the movie: Branch Rickey, the audience at the stadium, teammates, and journalists.
The logical link between the opening and final shots is based on Smith’s writing. Although during the course of the picture progress, the reporter’s role may seem insignificant and is perceived as secondary, by focusing a viewer’s attention on Smith’s work and storytelling, Brian Helgeland endows the character with great significance. Bill Plaschke from “Los Angeles Times” noted that “Jackie Robinson was making history, Wendell Smith wrote it” (par. 1). And through the smart plot design, the director managed to pay homage to the sportswriter who made a remarkable contribution to breaking social stereotypes.
Analysis of the Conflicts, Means and Objectives
The issues of racial inequality were topical in the USA for a significant period starting from the suppression of the Native Americans and the times of slavery. Although the minor ethnic groups officially acquired the status of the American citizens at the end of the 19th century, the social suppression continued for over a century, and the echoes of the past racial conflicts reach the present times.
In the 1950s, African Americans were exposed to social and legal segregation and had to attend separate public service facilities, frequently of poorer quality, for the colored people while the white American population enjoyed its civil and human rights to the full extent. The progressive changes in the political and social environment took place merely in 1960 when the laws equalizing the social status of ethnically diverse citizens were adopted. Prior to the apparent social transformations, the initiative for the creation of an inclusive social environment and promotion of equanimity was led by individuals from both minor and major ethnic groups. And “42,” tells the story of such individuals who contributed to the demolition of ethnic stereotypes and made social restructuring possible.
In the movie, Brian Helgeland effectively communicates the problems of racial discrimination and attempts to demonstrate the potential impacts of every individual on the formation of common social perceptions. The director uses multiple visual and audio mediums endowed with symbolic meanings to unfold the plot and reveal the ethical and psychological implications hidden in the storyline.
It is possible to say that the selection of the sports drama genre is significant and efficiently aligned with Helgeland’s choice of audience communication means, symbols, and objectives. The plot unfolds in the context of baseball games which were very popular in the country in the 1950s. In the picture, baseball serves as the contrasting element which is opposed to the adverse international and domestic political situation, and the fact that it was loved by people from different ethnic backgrounds defines its “democratic” nature (42). In this way, Brian Helgeland represents baseball as a fertile and favorable ground for the establishment of new democratic values and uses it as the basis for the topic deployment.
The audio range in the movie is quite typical for the pictures devoted to the depiction of events set in the ’50s and ’60s. Helgeland was not innovative in the design of sound content and preferred to keep up with the classics. The movie’s soundtrack is primarily orchestral and instrumental, and the sounds are used to highlight the important moments characterized by emotional intensity. For example, the romantic and particular episodes that can be regarded as sentimental are usually followed by the strings.
At the same time, the episode of Robinson’s victory by the end of the world series in 1947 is supported by the triumphal accompaniment of the winds which are commonly used to create the opulent and solemn sounds. In this way, the selected sounds, although may be considered predictable and obvious, are consistent with the overall scenic requirements and suit the movie plot perfectly.
Overall, it is possible to say that the visual range in “42” is clean and consistent. In the review of the movie written by Mark Kermode for “The Guardian,” he characterizes Helgeland’s direction as no-nonsense and reminding of the American new wave film-making (par. 1). Though infallible visual styling and coloring help the viewers to get the feeling of the retro period, the major components that hold the plot include the actors’ play and the dialogues.
Along with the character of Jackie Robinson, the director included many secondary characters in the story. The dialogues and conflicts between the characters help to comprehend the issues of racism more profoundly and evaluate them from different perspectives of diverse social actors including reporters, sportsmen, baseball fans, administration, commentators, etc. The consideration of multiple social perceptions in the movie helped to create an in-depth image of the social situation of that time, reveal the phenomena of racism in its whole complexity, and demonstrate how and why the challenges provoked by racial discrimination can be and should be surmounted.
The level of Helgeland’s efficiency in the communication of important ethical messages to the audience can be demonstrated in the example of a movie scene depicting the game at Crosley Field, Cincinnati – June 21, 1947. After Dodgers came out to the field under the indignant shouts of the crowd, a viewer sees a boy absorbedly talking to his father about baseball. When Jackie Robinson appears on the field, the crowd starts to shout at him in an abusive manner. It is possible to notice a hint of confusion on the boy’s face but, in a second, he starts to imitate the aggressive behavior of the adults surrounding him. Then, the frames where Robinson’s teammate approaches him and friendly enfolds his shoulder to encourage him are shown.
When the boy sees that a white teammate is supportive to the black baseball player, he understands that there may be another way of treating other people, and a viewer may presuppose that next time when encountered a similar case, the boy may choose another form of behavior only because he was shown that there is an option of avoiding ignorance and compliance with social stereotypes.
The relevance of the Movie to the Real-Life Context
Although the explicit forms of racism may be substantially eliminated from the American public worldview, the problems of racism are still quite strong in the country. It is possible to say that the major cause of racism’s long-term existence in the society is hidden both in the national history and in the way the different media influence the minds of the citizens. It is possible to say that, to some extent, new laws against racial discrimination psychologically emphasize inequality between distinct groups of population and do not let people from diverse ethnic backgrounds forget about the racial differences.
However, different forms of art and mass media, including movies, may contribute to the promotion of equality which psychologically, legally, and ethically would be perceived as right because it will be rooted in personal values.
The issues raised in “42” are relevant to the present-day circumstances and the complex social situation at both international and domestic political levels. By recalling the historical events, the movie reminds the audience about the mistakes of the past and demonstrates that following the majority is not always the right way to live and emphasizes the power of individual choice, strength, and support.
Along with the problems of racism, the movie touches upon the issues of self-establishment and motivation. By focusing attention on Jackie Robinson and revealing both weak and strong qualities of his character, the director made the movie more appealing to individual viewers who, by associating themselves with the character, may learn many lessons about the significance of self-determination and freedom of choice and apply this knowledge, which is relevant to all times and environments, to transform the reality around them.
Movie’s Value
Most of the movie’s critiques recognize the strong work of the actors. For example, Todd McCarthy from “The Hollywood Reporter” claims that Chadwick Boseman “is considerably more convincing playing Robinson than Robinson himself was in the 1950 film,” “The Jackie Robinson Story” (par. 10). The role of the first Afro-American leaguer played by Bosman is a strong work played without a bit of affectation. Boseman looks natural in every scene, and it speaks of the actor’s profound understanding of his character.
Generally speaking, “42” has a significant value and the appreciation of the work in multiple reviews only proves it. For instance, in “The New York Times Review,” the movie is described as “accessible and inspiring” (Scott par. 3).
And it is true because the movie is made in a simple and understandable way that may be appealing to a vast number of viewers. Scott continues by saying that although not every detail of the movie is historically accurate, it “mostly succeeds in respecting the facts of history and the personality of its hero, and in reminding audiences why he mattered” (par. 3). Overall, it is possible to say that Helgeland’s “42” is a successful interpretation of historical events. But more importantly, the director succeeded in the selection and application of mediums which helped him to provide a good lesson about the ethics of interpersonal and social relations.
Summary
Movies play a significant role in conveying important information to the audience, raise of awareness, and formation of the personal and public worldview. As stated by Timothy Corrigan, “the clothes you wear express social values just as the films you watch communicate social values” (93). A movie is a source of information about events, social processes, norms of morality, and significance of interpersonal relations. In this way, a movie can become a political instrument that can be used both for positive and adverse purposes.
It is possible to conclude that “42” by Brian Helgeland has both esthetical and social value. It creates an esthetical reality in which all elements contribute to its harmony and unity, and by cooperating with this esthetical artwork, a viewer develops an emotional attitude towards the picture. Moreover, the movie outlines the topical problems, and the articulate delivery of the movie’s implicit psychological content helps to cultivate both social and personal values aimed to improve the character of interpersonal relationships and demolition of social, ethnic, and all other types of stereotypes.
Works Cited
42. Ex. Prod. Jason Clark and Dick Cook. Burbank, CA: Warner Home Video. 2013. DVD.
Corrigan, Timothy. A Short Guide to Writing about Film. New York: Longman, 1998. Print.
Kermode, Mark. “This Jackie Robinson Biopic is Heroic But Doesn’t Quite Do Justice to Its Source Material.” The Guardian. 2013. Web.
McCarthy, Todd. “42: Film Review.” The Hollywood Reporter. 2013. Web.
Plaschke, Bill. ” As Jackie Robinson Was Making History, Wendell Smith Wrote It.” Los Angeles Times. 2013. Web.
Scott, A. O. ” That Rookie at First Is in a New Position.” The New York Times. 2013. Web.