Rating: 
Summary: A Great Video About a Real Star of Baseball
Review: A well produced documentary about one of baseball's greats. He overcame bigotry and paved the way for the great Black ball players who succeeded him. Perhaps it was size or perhaps his demeanor which he used to overcome rampant anti-semitism of the time, but he wanted one thing...to be a great baseball player and make in the majors, or the "show" as it was called then. As the film portrays, he was a great individual, and certainly a patriot, given that he gave up his career early to enlist in the WW2 war effort. The great mystery left unsettled was did anti semitism play a part in coming so close to Babe Ruth's 60 home run record (59 home runs) that the opposing teams wouldn't pitch to him when he was within striking distance with a few games yet to play. A great documentary.
Rating: 
Summary: OVERCOMING BIGOTRY IN BASEBALL'S GOLDEN YEARS
Review: As far as baseball history goes, Hank Greenberg was a giant of a ballplayer. The way this man could hit and field, and his physical size made a big impact on the Great American Pastime between the 1930s and 1950s ... called by some American baseball's golden years. Players were well paid, but not astronomically as today. They were more in it for the game than for the money. Playing for the Detroit Tigers , Greenberg had a tough time because of his Jewish background. As the documenetary movie tells us, often in Greenberg's own words on camera, he was attacked more often by baseball fans' bigotry than the other players simply because he was the only Jew on his team. Other players had to endure ethnic slurs: but there were several players from each ethnic group, but only one Jew - Hank Greenberg. He seems to have taken it in stride. At one point, Greenberg says that he used these taunts to motivatre his home run batting. That's the way he hit back. There are some humerous anecdotes told us by Greenberg, such as when a New York City cop stopped him during the early part of his career, for a traffic violation. The cop couldn't believe it when Greenberg said that his occupation is professional baseball player. The policemen had not yet heard that there was a Jewish baseball player. I can still recall Hank Greenberg while he was playing baseball, during my boyhood (I was a Brooklyn Dodgers fan). The documentary movie evokes the earlier, simpler days of baseball. As movies go, this documnetary's presentation style leaves something to be desired. It's a little lackluster. But the archival footage and on camera comments by Greenberg, his family members, and the likes of Greenberg fans actor Walter Matthau and Alan Dershowitz make it very entertaining and informative. The point is also made several times in the movie that Greenberg was a trail blazer for all "minority" baseball players, such as Jackie Robinson. You don't need to be a baseball fan to be entertained and educated by "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg." This movie certainly earned its Academy Award nomination.
Rating: 
Summary: Important Ballplayer for many reasons.
Review: Hank Greenberg seemed like a pretty decent fellow and a whale of a ballplayer. Like many, he lost his prime years fighting those jerks in the Pacific. No telling how good his career number would have been if he could have been back in the states poking at the pill. Even with that handicap he still played in three World Series and won 2 MVP awards. This move does a pretty good job of documenting his life, but it seems to define him too much by his religion. Greenberg wasn't even a religious person, but the film continues to go back to the subject. I'm sure that he found discrimination along the way, but when you see the actual footage of him interviewed in 1983, you get the impression that he would be very uncomfortable with his life being told through that lens. He seems too no nonsense for that. It's interesting when he collides with rookie Jackie Robinson in 1947, and offers him encouragement. It's really a poetic moment in baseball history. The movie is good enough that it seems too short. A shame that there isn't more baseball footage from that time period.
Rating:
Summary: Important Ballplayer for many reasons.
Review: Hank Greenberg seemed like a pretty decent fellow and a whale of a ballplayer. Like many, he lost his prime years fighting those jerks in the Pacific. No telling how good his career number would have been if he could have been back in the states poking at the pill. Even with that handicap he still played in three World Series and won 2 MVP awards. This move does a pretty good job of documenting his life, but it seems to define him too much by his religion. Greenberg wasn't even a religious person, but the film continues to go back to the subject. I'm sure that he found discrimination along the way, but when you see the actual footage of him interviewed in 1983, you get the impression that he would be very uncomfortable with his life being told through that lens. He seems too no nonsense for that. It's interesting when he collides with rookie Jackie Robinson in 1947, and offers him encouragement. It's really a poetic moment in baseball history. The movie is good enough that it seems too short. A shame that there isn't more baseball footage from that time period.
Rating:
Summary: A must-see for all baseball fans/history buffs
Review: Hank Greenberg was more than just a baseball superstar. He was an icon -- the pride and joy of the Jewish Americans in the 1930s and 40s amidst rampant anti-Semitism. As the first prominent Jewish player in the Major League Baseball, Greenberg not only established himself as one of the best sluggers in baseball history, but he also gave the Jewish Americans something to cheer about. He also paved a path for other baseball pioneers like Jackie Robinson as he quietly fought discrimination by letting his stats speak for themselves. This movie isn't your typical boring documentary either. It shows a nice balance of Greenberg's baseball achievements and personal life (though I wish they focused a bit more on the baseball part) with a good mixture of old baseball footage, interviews with fans, family, friends and Greenberg himself, as well as clips from classic baseball movies such as The Pride of the Yankees. You don't have to be a baseball fan/historian to enjoy and appreciate this movie. Besides, there is nothing quite like listening to "Take Me out to the Ball Game" sung in Yiddish.
Rating:
Summary: A Fantastic Documentary
Review: have to admit it, before watching Life and Times of Hank Greenberg, I really didn't know that much about Hank Greenberg. I of course had heard his name mentioned as 'one of the greats' and I had heard that he was one of the first openly Jewish ballplayers to play baseball, but I really knew very little about his life story. As with many great documentaries, after watching Life and Times of Hank Greenberg I now feel like I really know the whole Hank Greenberg story, and it is a pretty amazing story. Greenberg played at a time where there simply weren't openly Jewish ballplayers. And while Hank wasn't a deeply religious person, he didn't (like some) conceal the fact he was Jewish. Hank Greenberg is known both for standing up in the face of bigotry as well as being an amazing ballplayer. Playing for the Detroit Tigers for the majority of his career, Hank Greenberg was the first player in the American League to receive the MVP award twice. In 1938 he came amazingly close to breaking Babe Ruth's single season home run record 23 years before it was broken by Roger Marris. Life and Times of Hank Greenberg is a loving tribute to a man who didn't let bigotry get in the way of his love for baseball and never stopped giving it his all. The documentary was produced over the course of 12 years and features interviews with Hank (who is no longer living), as well as many of the ball players and children of the people he played with. Watching a movie like Life and Times of Hank Greenberg really gives you a glimpse into what makes baseball America's pasttime and something that has the ability to create legends. If you're a baseball fan I'd highly recommend you check out Life and Times of Hank Greenberg - it's a fantastic documentary.
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent and moving
Review: I grew up in a Jewish household in the 1960s, well after Greenberg's playing days but he still was an icon for me. The film touches on a lot of points: biography, sports in America, institutionalized anti-Semitism and racism. Yet the viewer is never overwhelmed; this film really evokes a man, an era and a unique look at a unique American legend. My only quibble: I wish it had been longer and delved into Greenberg's efforts at desegregating professional baseball after his playing days.
Rating:
Summary: An exceptional documentary
Review: I think this is a truly exceptional documentary on many different levels. First, it tells the story of one of the best baseball players in history, who often goes unrecognized for his skills. I consider myself a big baseball fan, especially in the history of baseball and stars of the past. Yet before this movie, I knew very little about Hank Greenberg. Despite being one of the best hitters at that time, Greenberg isn't talked about very often. This DVD gets his story out, and shows how dominant of a ball player he was. A major reason that Greenberg is often overlooked when people talk about great ball players is that he spent many of his prime years serving the war effort and was away from baseball. This has kept his lifetime stats and therefore his notoriety down. Another major reason this movie was so good was how it showed Greenberg's career in baseball as a Jewish baseball player. Although his abuse was less than what Jackie Robinson would later recieve, he still did suffer abuse. Also, he was watched and revered by the Jewish community. He was respected and admired as a Jewish man who was just as good as other American ball players, giving Jews a sense of pride. One of the best parts of the film is when the viewer learns that Greenberg talked to Jackie Robinson about playing in baseball as a minority, and gave him support. Whether he was helping Detroit win the World Series, serving his country in the war, being a symbol of pride for the Jewish population, or giving Jackie Robinson advice, we can see that he meant a lot to a lot of people. This is a remarkable story about a remarkable man, through the lens of baseball. If you like baseball and baseball history, this movie is a must-see.
Rating:
Summary: An exceptional documentary
Review: I think this is a truly exceptional documentary on many different levels. First, it tells the story of one of the best baseball players in history, who often goes unrecognized for his skills. I consider myself a big baseball fan, especially in the history of baseball and stars of the past. Yet before this movie, I knew very little about Hank Greenberg. Despite being one of the best hitters at that time, Greenberg isn't talked about very often. This DVD gets his story out, and shows how dominant of a ball player he was. A major reason that Greenberg is often overlooked when people talk about great ball players is that he spent many of his prime years serving the war effort and was away from baseball. This has kept his lifetime stats and therefore his notoriety down. Another major reason this movie was so good was how it showed Greenberg's career in baseball as a Jewish baseball player. Although his abuse was less than what Jackie Robinson would later recieve, he still did suffer abuse. Also, he was watched and revered by the Jewish community. He was respected and admired as a Jewish man who was just as good as other American ball players, giving Jews a sense of pride. One of the best parts of the film is when the viewer learns that Greenberg talked to Jackie Robinson about playing in baseball as a minority, and gave him support. Whether he was helping Detroit win the World Series, serving his country in the war, being a symbol of pride for the Jewish population, or giving Jackie Robinson advice, we can see that he meant a lot to a lot of people. This is a remarkable story about a remarkable man, through the lens of baseball. If you like baseball and baseball history, this movie is a must-see.
Rating:
Summary: Portrait of a great ballplayer
Review: I wasn't expecting a documentary of such quality. Admittedly I didn't know much about the subject, but after 90 minutes I'll be paying more attention on my next visit to the Hall of Fame.
Hank Greenberg paved the way for Jackie Robinson to make it into the majors. People today don't realize how much antisemitism existed in America before WWII. This movie shows how Hank overcame it with grace and dignity while building a stellar career. Makes today's baseball stars look pale in comparsion. Don't rewind or stop the movie until you see and hear ALL the credits- you'll miss a lot!
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