"It is through others that we develop into ourselves." - Lev Vigotsky I’m a serious movie buff. In my heaven there’s a library of DVDs – “Divinity Video Discs” - that contain every film and television show ever made, even those lost to the dust and apathy of time. This library includes every critic’s review of every film or show. A sort of divine IMDB, and you don’t need your smartphone or laptop. Just think of a film or show and, voilà! – there it is, ready to watch. Popcorn is extra, of course. Even Eternity has bills to pay. On cable I just watched the Robert Redford film, The Natural. I saw it when it was released in 1984. I loved every moment of it. Even on the smaller screen it is still a delight. Randy Newman’s music alone makes it worth watching. For greater insights as to why it impresses me so I went to the reviews of the late Roger Ebert and James Berardinelli. It’s hard to imagine two such vastly different reactions to a movie. Ebert disliked it intensely; Berardinelli called it, “…arguably the best baseball movie ever made.” Despite their powerful disagreements, here’s the wonderful part of my reading experience: Both reviewers schooled me in technical, thematic, and artistic points that I would never have discovered on my own. I learned from both their well-crafted essays and my understanding of this movie was truly enhanced. We live in a deeply polarized world in a polarized time. We tend, perhaps more than ever, to listen to only those with whom we agree. As I needed the genius of both Ebert and Berardinelli to gain a full appreciation of this work of cinematic art, so do I need your and everyone else’s thoughts, beliefs and understandings regarding the challenges that so demand our attention and talents today. We do not live on an island; we are all a part of the main. We need each other to cope, create, solve, thrive, and live. Please don’t walk away when we disagree. I promise to always keep my intellectual and spiritual door open to you. Let’s Zoom or Skype our way into a pleasant online discussion while we savor our favorite coffee, and savor as well our respective geniuses, from which we can both grow to be better people. More Information: "The Natural" Reviews "The Natural" in IMDB Blu-Ray: "The Natural" #cooperation #BlackLivesMatter #TheNatural #RobertRedford #RogerEbert #JamesBerardinelli #IMDB #polarization #gettingalong #tolerance #movielover #JohnDonne #Baseball
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