Bang the Drum Slowly (film)

• Robert De Niro: Bruce Pearson
• Michael Moriarty: Henry Wiggen
• Vincent Gardenia: Dutch
• Ann Wedgeworth: Katie
• Maurice Rosenfield: Team Owner
• Tom Ligon: Piney Woods
• Danny Aiello: Horse

The last Game is an American sports drama from 1973, based on the novel of screenwriter Mark Harris.

Action

Henry Wiggen is a star of the baseball team the New York Mammoths. For his Dutch manager he is a very valuable player. Contract negotiations with the Board of the team proven to be difficult. Henry wants a new contract that earns him more Gage. Incidentally, Henry sells insurance to other teammates. The somewhat backward catcher Bruce Pearson is one of the best friends Henry. Henry's nickname on the team is the author because he has even published a book. Bruce misunderstands the nickname and called Henry instead often Arthur.

Henry and Bruce left the Mayo Clinic. Bruce can be studied there because with him a Hodgkin 's lymphoma was diagnosed. He remains only a short time to live. The two friends go in Bruce's hometown in Georgia. Bruce has always wanted Henry to show his birthplace. As a sign that he accepted his imminent death, he burned the first night all of his old baseball article.

In the team no one knows anything about Bruce's fate. In the preseason Dutch plans to replace Bruce by a young talent, Piney Woods. Henry confuses the management when he accepted a new contract under a special condition. He will continue only with Bruce. Should one leave the team, also goes the other. Dutch attempts to Henry to take back the contract. At the same time a losing streak starts for the Mammoths. The team begins to fall apart.

Bruce wants to rewrite with the help of Henry 's life insurance. As beneficiaries now to his girlfriend Katie are the only secret to Bruce's money, however, is interested and his intellectual handicap advantage. One day, a player on Bruce pecking, Henry loses his nerve. He reveals unwittingly that Bruce will die soon. This is no secret, quickly have crew and team management about it. All now take care of Bruce, the morale of the team increases.

At the end of the season, Bruce is too sick to play. The team struggles to win the World Series, but Bruce travels to Georgia to see his parents. After the final Bruce dies. Henry vowing never to tease someone again.

Reviews

The lexicon of the International film wrote that it was a likable film from the athletes milieu, who lives by his brilliant lead actor in the first place.

Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun - Times, the film is the ultimate baseball movie. He acted less from death, but rather the daily life of baseball professionals.

Awards

Vincent Gardenia in 1974 received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

In the same year, Robert De Niro won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Background

The film premiered on August 26, 1973 in New York 's premiere. In Germany, it was broadcast on 17 February 1991 as a television premiere on ZDF.

The novel by Mark Harris, who is the film to basically, was published in 1955. The first film version was in 1956 in the television series The United States Steel Hour instead. Here played Paul Newman and Albert Salmi the lead roles.

Together with the produced in the same year gangster film Mean Streets ( Mean Streets ) by Martin Scorsese, this film meant the breakthrough for the Robert De Niro at the time still little known.

The pre-season was filmed in Florida. As home of the New York Mammoths served Shea Stadium, home of the New York Mets.