For the last 32 years, there’s been one thing that athletes and non-athletes alike understand: there’s no crying in baseball. These five words are uttered by Tom Hanks’s Rockford Peaches manager Jimmy Dugan to Bitty Schram’s Evelyn Gardner, the right fielder for the Peaches, as she bursts into tears when confronted with his harsh criticism of her bungled play which aided the opposing team in tying up the game in A League of Their Own from director Penny Marshall (Big; Jumpin’ Jack Flash). While the moment is played for laughs, one of several in this now classic sports dramedy, it’s a scene that highlights the perceived differences between men’s and women’s sports, that somehow men are more rugged and controlled, whereas women are more emotional and prone to outbursts. It’s a prevalent element of a film that, as fictional as it is, borrows from real elements during World War II and the development of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) which operated from 1943 – 1954 wherein women stepped out of the kitchen and into the factories, offices, and athletic fields to fill the spaces that men called to serve occupied. Like now as then, the issue of gender parity remains a hot button issue, but the way Marshall handles it throughout League never stoops to melancholy nor lingers too long to detract from the central premise: sports are for everyone, especially women. Now, for the first time, Sony Pictures is offering Marshall’s A League of Their Own on 4K UHD with HDR in a Blu-ray combo pack which includes both a digital edition and the bonus features from the prior 25th anniversary release.
With the United States joining the Allied Powers in 1941 due to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the ensuing draft and pull of resources required men to leave their everyday lives and have the women step in to replace them. Spirits dwindling at the lack of baseball, Ira Lowenstein (David Strathairn) convinced candy bar magnate Walter Harvey (Garry Marshall) to finance the creation of an all-women’s baseball league. Recruited to tryout among over a hundred women, sisters Dottie Hinson and Kit Keller (Geena Davis and Lori Petty, respectively) are assigned to the Rockford Peaches, one of four teams constructed from those who made the cut. Throughout this inaugural season, the sisters and their teammates (plus the opposing teams) must deal with being sexualized, controlled, various abuses, and more, all while giving their all to play the game each of them would give anything to play.
You’re here to learn about the 4K UHD edition, so let’s get into it.
According to the press notes, the 4K UHD disc is a restoration from the original camera negative and treated with Dolby Vision. It’s not specified who approved the restoration, but the proof is on screen and it’s largely positive. The opening and closing sequences set in 1988 when older Dottie is going to/attends the AAGPBL reunion at the Baseball Hall of Fame have a bit more grain and visual noise, so there’s an initial sense that, perhaps, the restoration won’t be a strong one. But when it shifts back in time to when things begin via the WWII wartime commercial that catches the audience up on the politics, the difference is immediately noticeable. Colors are more natural and vibrant, images in frame are sharper, and there’s a general sense of excitement, of liveliness, that permeates the story. It’s particularly noticeable when the characters play baseball as (1) the Peaches wear uniforms that look more peach-like in color than a white with a hint of pink and (2) the green of the grass absolutely pops. To really notice the vast improvement from the original release to now, check out one of the teaser trailers on the Blu-ray and you can see the much heavier grain, persistent visible fuzz, and a bit of flatness in the color. Between the 4K and Dolby Vision, A League of Their Own likely hasn’t looked this good before. To confirm, throughout the viewing, the bitrate was checked at random and it got as low as 65 Mbps and as high as 80 Mbps, denoting a high-quality viewing experience for a 4K UHD presentation.
Additionally, the press release states that the 4K UHD edition includes audio options for Dolby Atmos, English 5.1, and English 2.0 surround. As I don’t have Dolby Atmos in the office, I can only speak to the English 5.1 audio mix and it’s a great one. This is more of a dramedy than a sports film, so there’s no major need for enveloping sound. Instead, the importance is on clarity of dialogue, sound mix, and scoring, all of which come through clear and crisp, there’s no distortion or noise that could step on or otherwise ruin the pacing of a line delivery which could ruin a joke. There’re a few moments in which the surround sound comes in handy, but, largely the back speakers are for ambient noise, musical scoring, and crowds.
In terms of bonus features, if you picked up the 25th anniversary edition on Blu-ray, then everything the 4K UHD edition has, you already have access to. This includes a commentary track with Marshall, Lori Petty (Tank Girl), Tracy Reiner (Die Hard) who played left fielder/pitcher Betty Horn, and Megan Cavanagh (Robin Hood: Men in Tights) who played second basewoman Marla Hooch; the documentary Nine Memorable Innings; 15 deleted scenes; 25th anniversary featurette “The Enduring Legacy of A League of Their Own;” and the music video for Madonna’s “This Used To Be My Playground.” What differs a bit from the 25th and this is that the 4K UHD disc includes two trailers (one domestic and one international) and four teasers (each one focused on a different central character), while the Blu-ray also includes three full episodes of the 1993 A League of Their Own television series. In this regard, there’s not much to really pull physical media enthusiasts back to the well, as it were, but the picture is so impressive that this may be reason enough to justify the pick-up.
Even all these years later, A League of Their Own is a remarkable film. The script by Lowell Ganz (Splash; Parenthood) and Babaloo Mandel (Splash; Parenthood) based on story from Kim Wilson and Kelly Candaele (When Hope and History Rhymed) positively sings from start to finish. It’s not only zippy in how it covers so much ground, the compelling performances make one as amused the hundredth time as they are the first. Whether it’s the one-liners from Jon Lovitz’s (Big) recruiter Ernie Capadino, the closeness between Madonna’s (Dick Tracy) Mae Mordabito and Rosie O’Donnell’s (Sleepless in Seattle) Doris Murphy, Hanks’s physical comedy, or the comradery between the Peaches, not a single element feels like a put on, even now. If there’s an issue to be had, it’s the absent representation of the Negro League (formed 20 years prior) and Black women in the AAGPBL, demonstrated by the inclusion of only one scene of a Black woman strongly throwing a ball back to Ellen Sue Gotlander (Freddie Simpson) with a few other members of the Black community standing in the background outside the field fence. If there’s a topic that should frustrate audiences, it’s that many of the issues hurled against the members of the AAGPBL are still being used to today as a tool to subjugate or reduce women and trans athletes and athletic programs.
Even after all this time, A League of Their Own still contains the capacity to start conversations. For all the frivolity in its execution, the undercurrent issues of gender parity make it just as important then as now. If you’re the sort who feels the same or just enjoys the film as a sports dramedy, then chances are you’ve already made up your mind as to whether the first-time 4K UHD edition is for you. This one is an easy recommendation for fans of the film, especially for those that perhaps (like our household) have not yet upgraded to Blu-ray. But for those who have the Blu-ray and all the aforementioned features, you may be wise to wait for a sale before snagging.
A League of Their Own Special Features:
4K UHD Disc
- Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, restored from the original camera negative
- English Dolby Atmos + English 5.1 + English 2-Channel Surround
- Two (2) Trailers: Domestic and International
- Four (4) Teasers
Blu-Ray Disc
- Feature presented in high definition, sourced from the 4K master
- English 5.1 + English 2-Channel Surround
- Feature Commentary with Director Penny Marshall and Actresses Lori Petty, Tracy Reiner and Megan Cavanagh
- Nine Memorable Innings Documentary
- Fifteen (15) Deleted Scenes
- The Enduring Legacy of A League of Their Own
- Three (3) Episodes from the 1993 TV series, “A League of Their Own”
- “This Used to Be My Playground” Music Video by Madonna
Available on 4K UHD Blu-ray Combo September 3rd, 2024.
For more information, head to the official Sony Pictures A League of Their Own webpage.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Recommendation
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