Kevin Costner and the Civil War

Kevin Costner is my favorite movie actor. When he was young, he was so cool that even a man like me was fascinated by him. Since middle age, he has become more mature and cooler.

By the way, there are many actors in the United States who are bad at baseball. And they are sometimes used in baseball movies, so I feel uncomfortable with those movies. But Kevin Costner is a huge exception. Kevin Costner has loved playing baseball since he was a child, so he is really good at baseball. I think that he is the best among American actors. He looks great when he pitches to the legendary hitter Shoeless Joe Jackson in "Field of Dreams"(1989), and he looks like a real baseball player when he casually hits the ball coming out of the batting machine in "Bull Durham"(1988), and it doesn't feel strange at all when he plays a pitcher who achieves a perfect game before retiring from the major leagues in "For Love of the Game"(1999).

DVD of the movie “For Love of the Game” (Japanese version)

Before I get to the main topic, I'd like to briefly touch on the American movie actors who are good and bad at baseball, other than Kevin Costner. I'll say in advance that everything I write from now on is just my personal preference, so please don't get angry. I have no disrespect for any of the actors. Movie actors don't have to be good at baseball. 　

First, actors who are good at baseball. The masterpiece baseball comedy "Major League" (1989). Charlie Sheen, who plays the pitcher in this movie, was a pitcher on his high school baseball team, so his pitching form is really good and his ball speed is amazing. He may be able to throw the ball at a speed of about 130 km/h.

Anyone who is interested in American movies and baseball should know that Kevin Costner and Charlie Sheen are good at baseball, as I've written so far. My pride wouldn't allow me to keep writing examples like that. So from here on, I'll only give you some surprising examples.

In the American movie "A League of Their Own" (1992), Tom Hanks plays the male manager of a women's baseball team. It is probably not widely known that Tom Hanks is a good baseball player. However, if you watch the scene in this movie where Tom Hanks is batting, you will realize that he is also quite good at baseball.

Next is Jack Nicholson, who plays the lead role in the American movie "The Shining" (1980), which has nothing to do with baseball. There is a scene where he throws a ball with all his might against a wall. It is a very short scene that can be called a mere moment. After seeing Nicholson's pitching form in that scene, I think Nicholson must be good at baseball.

Both Tom Hanks and Jack Nicholson are good at acting, having won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice. For these two, it may be natural that they are good at baseball. These two are often seen in the media watching major league games at the stadium, so it is well known that they love baseball.

Next, let's talk about actors who are bad at baseball. I'll give you an unexpected example in this regard as well. What I'm about to write is probably something that no one has noticed.

The American movie "The Great Escape" (1963) depicts Allied soldiers escaping from a German prison camp during World War II. For men of my generation, it is a nostalgic classic. In this movie, the late great actor Steve McQueen plays Captain Hilts, an American prisoner of war. Captain Hilts is set to love baseball. So, there are scenes where Captain Hilts throws the ball with his right hand against the glove on his left hand, and where he repeatedly throws the ball against the wall in the solitary cell. However, I think that Steve McQueen's acting in these scenes is not good at all. I think Steve McQueen had not played much baseball since he was a child. His acting makes it seem that way. First of all, the action of throwing the ball with his right hand against the glove on his left hand is not good at all. He releases the ball from his right hand too soon. He releases the ball without bending his wrist much. This is a typical action of someone who is not used to baseball.

DVD of the movie “The Great Escape” (Japanese version)

When someone who is used to baseball repeatedly throws the ball against a wall, they usually throw it on the floor near the wall. In that way, the ball that bounces off the floor and hits the wall always tends to return to a fixed place. However, Steve McQueen throws the ball on the floor quite far from the wall, so the ball that bounces off the floor and hits the wall does not return to a fixed place, but returns to different places.

Despite these points, the movie is really great and Steve McQueen is cool and awesome.

Steve McQueen is my favorite actor and I do not mean to disparage him in any way by writing this, and I apologize if there are any mistakes in what I have written.

I've digressed a bit, but let's get back to Kevin Costner.

Kevin Costner is really good at baseball, but his best known work would probably be "Dances with Wolves" (1990), which depicts the sad history of the United States against the backdrop of the Civil War. After all, he produced, directed, and starred in the movie, and it won seven Academy Awards. I also think this movie is a great masterpiece. Even though it is over three hours long, I never got bored and lost track of time while watching it. But there is one thing that bothers me about this movie. There are no baseball scenes at all.

DVD of the movie “Dances with Wolves” (Japanese version)

The history of baseball cannot be discussed without the Civil War. It is said that the Civil War was the catalyst for baseball, which originated in the eastern United States, to spread throughout the country. It is said that soldiers who were taught baseball by soldiers from the east during breaks in the battles returned to their hometowns after the war and spread the game there (although it should be said that there are objections to this idea).

Kevin Costner loves baseball, so I wish he had included some baseball scenes in this Civil War movie.

So, are there any movies about the Civil War that have baseball scenes in them? Of course there are. Here is my favorite of those movies. "Glory" (1989). The film is about black troops in the Union Army, formed mainly by black slaves who escaped from the South. There is a scene of the soldiers playing baseball. It's only briefly in the background, so you don't notice it if you're not paying attention.

DVD of the movie “Glory” (Japanese version)

But I still think it would have been nice to see baseball scenes like this in Kevin Costner's film. If that had happened, I would have liked Kevin Costner even more.

( If I’ve made a mistake or left out something important, please let me know. I’ll try to make corrections or additions.)