King of the Hill

197456 min 50 secFilm: Documentary

G

Direction: William CanningDonald Brittain

Production: William CanningColin Low

Script: Donald Brittain

Spring 1972. The Chicago Cubs are poised to win the National League's Pennant race, lead by their star pitcher, a Black Canadian named Ferguson Jenkins, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991. Out of all the major league players in the history of the game, only a handful had come from Canada, and none had risen as high as the "golden" right-hander from Chatham, Ontario. The first Cubs pitcher to win the Cy Young award, Jenkins had tied a team record by winning 20 or more games, six seasons in a row. He stands poised on the threshold of greatness as he enters a season that will challenge the limits of his astonishing talents. Follow Jenkins and the Cubs through the trials and frustrations of the 1972-73 seasons, from the hope and innocence of spring training, to the dog days of an August slump. The camera gets up close to the skirmishes at home plate, and records the intimate chatter on the mound, in the dugout, and in the locker room. King of the Hill offers a view of baseball as seen from the inside. This must-have video for all serious baseball fans captures the human side of the game. It provides a glimpse into the rewards and pressures of sports stardom, in an affectionate testament to the sacred traditions and the easy cameraderie of the quintessential summer sport.

Subject categories


  • Sports and Leisure > Ball GamesPortraits
  • Diversity > Black Studies
  • Health/Personal Development > Fitness/Physical Activities
  • Physical Education > Outdoor Education

Credits


director
William Canning
Donald Brittain
producer
William Canning
executive producer
Colin Low
script
Donald Brittain
narrator
Donald Brittain
photography
David De Volpi
sound
Hans Oomes
editing
Marrin Canell
sound editing
Karl Duplessis
André Galbrand
Roger Hart
re-recording
Jean-Pierre Joutel
Michel Descombes
music
Eldon Rathburn

Awards


  • Main Prize by the Inernational Jury for Cinema and Television Films - accompanied with a cash award of 1000DMInternational Sport Film Festival