THE TENTH INNING tells the tumultuous story of America's national pastime from the early 1990s to the present day, introducing an unforgettable array of players, teams and fans, celebrating the game's resilience and enduring appeal, and showcasing both extraordinary accomplishments - and devastating losses and disappointments.
The film highlights dramatic developments that transformed the game: the crippling 1994 strike that left many fans disillusioned with their heroes; the increasing dominance of Latino and Asian players who turned baseball into a truly international game; baseball's skyrocketing profits, thanks to new stadiums, interleague play, and the wild card; the rise of a new Yankee Dynasty; the Red Sox' historic World Series victory; the astonishing feats of Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds; and the revelations about performance-enhancing drugs that cast a shadow on many of the era's greatest stars and their accomplishments.
Combining extraordinary highlights, stunning still photographs, popular music of the period, and insightful commentary by players, managers, experts and fans, Burns and Novick's THE TENTH INNING interweaves the story of the national pastime with the story of America. In an age of globalization, deregulation and speculation, the film demonstrates that baseball has continued to be a mirror of the country - at its best and at its worst. The film also movingly shows that when America felt most threatened, following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, baseball offered common ground, providing Americans with solace, distraction, and the hope that things could one day return to normal.
The film airs 16 years after the original Emmy Award-winning, nine-part documentary series BASEBALL debuted in 1994 during the players' strike. The original series was seen by more than 43 million viewers, making it the most-watched program in PBS history.
"Baseball has changed so much in the last 15 years, but at the same time, the reason that the game is so enduring is that it is timeless," said Ken Burns. "Like the original series, this film pays tribute to one of our nation's greatest institutions. We celebrate tremendous athletic achievements and examine the humanity and diversity of the players, the dynamic relationship with the fans, and all the layers and nuances that make a seemingly simple exercise of hitting a ball with a stick infinitely fascinating."
"We have worked hard to provide a human dimension to the recent history of the game - to appreciate the great athletes who have given so much joy to so many, and to understand the real-world forces shaping their decisions," Lynn Novick said. "For us as filmmakers, it has been tremendously exciting, and challenging, to try to do justice to this complicated story, and to try to understand what it says about who we are."
THE TENTH INNING Includes on camera interviews with Bud Selig, Joe Torre, Pedro Martinez, Ichiro Suzuki, Bob Costas, George Will, Thomas Boswell, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Marcus Breton, Mike Barnicle, Keith Olbermann, and others.
Narrated by Keith David (The War, Jazz, Unforgivable Blackness.)
Bonus Features include 2.5 hours of deleted scenes and additional interviews.
If you already own the original Baseball Boxed Set, The Tenth Inning is a great complimentary addition to round out the series.
This film is presented in "widescreen" format, enhanced for 16x9 televisions.
Audio: English 5.1 Surround; Spanish 2.0 Stereo;
Subtitles: English SDH.
Region: NTSC 1.
Producer: Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, David McMahon
Executive Producer: Ken Burns
Production Company: WETA; Florentine Films
Production Year: 2010
Copyright Year: 2010
Director: Lynn Novick, Ken Burns
Narrator: Keith David
Writers: Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, David McMahon
Discs: 2
Subtitles: Y
Subtitle Language: English (SDH)
Language track: Spanish
Audio Format: 5.1 Surround
Aspect Ratio: 16x9 Widescreen