When it Was a Game 2 (1992)

More color home movies of baseball players (1925-1961)

The initial joy of seeing baseball players like Lou Gehrig and retired greats like Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb and Cy Young in living color is worn off when you get to volume 2 of "When It Was a Game," but this is still a captivating look into the past. The time frame for these collected home movies from players and fans on 8mm and 16mm film is a bit broader this time around, going back to 1925 and forward to 1961, which means the oldest shots are actually in black & white and seem rather out of place, because once again the thrill here is seeing players and ballparks in glorious color. There is Hank Aaron wearing the great looking uniform of the Boston Braves, old Crosley Field in its green splendor, and Babe Ruth making his final appearance in a Yankee uniform at the Stadium. There is a bit more effort this time to have the disembodied voices talking about subjects that sort of match up to the images on the screen, such as Joe Garagiola talking about graffiti on an outfield billboard, Enos Slaughter explaining why he always ran on and off the field, and the story of catcher Moe Berg being a government spy while barnstorming with Connie Mack in Japan. There is a nice section on what lfie was like the Pacific Coast League when major league baseball did not exist west of St. Louis.

But whether you actually listen to what is being said or tune it out will not affect your enjoyment of these nostalgic images. At the end of these hour-long HBO documentaries, when they simply show shots of various ballplayers and superimpose their names, that is the essence of what makes "When It Was a Game" so special. There is Jackie Robinson in color, Hank Greenberg in color, Mel Ott in color, and so on and so forth. Even when it is someone we are used to see in color, such as Yogi Berra or Willie Mays, we are still talking a young Yogi and a young "Say Hey" Kid. A lot of the action is off field-baseball players in Spring Training wearing bathing suits and cleats, Yogi and some other Yankees sticking out their tongues for the camera, the Chicago Cubs in a parade before the start of a World Series game-but that does not detract from our enjoyment of these simple film clips spliced together. May 21, 2003

moving documentary

All 3 WIWAG are excellent. This is more than just a well put together documentary. Its very moving because of the footage, narration and music. You don't feel like you are watching a DVD about baseball. It feels like you are watching a snapshot of Americana from the 50's and 60's. After watching this, you wish that things today were as they were back in those days. Not just baseball or sports, but life in general as it was protrayed in the DVDs. April 24, 2003

The best baseball movie of all time.

This is no Hollywood baseball movie. This is the real deal. Exquisite colors and poetic comments from those who played baseball the way it should be played- as a game. October 26, 1999

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