By Izumi okuhara

On September 18, 1999, one man took the mound of a major league team as a rookie. His name was Jim Morris, and he was 35 years old. This is a true story that seems almost unbelievable. The movie "The Rookie" showed the life of the oldest rookie, Jim Morris, and the movie broke the ten billion yen mark at the box-office.

Jim worked in Texas as a high school teacher. He was also the baseball club adviser, and he had led a full life. He spent peaceful days surrounded by his loving wife and children. However, he had a dream to became a major leaguer. He ought to have abandoned his dream at his age. Everyone thought that he would not be able to realize his dream because of his age, family responsibilities and declining strength. He was caught between his dream and reality.

At that time, there were some people who helped him. First of all, there was Jim's young son, Hunter. He loved baseball as much as Jim, and he was the only one who understood him well. He appreciated Jim's dream, and he prompted Jim to try for his dream again. He couldn't understand why Jim gave up his dream, so it was Hunter's hope that Jim would achieve it.

The others were Jim's high school baseball club students. Their team was very weak. Therefore, they hoped that Jim would find his dream by they themselves striving to win. They understood why Jim couldn't abandon his dream. It was not too much to say that the students got behind Jim. If the students didn't support Jim's dream, Jim wouldn't go for a tryout again.

He was rewarded for his efforts with success. He was able to join a minor league team. However, there were a lot of young powerful players on his team. His teammates treated him coldly. He felt tense all the time, because his loving family was back in Texas. Sometimes Jim considered leaving his team because of his solitude and confusion. However, he wanted to achieve his dream.

The minor leagues were very hard because the salary was very cheap, and he had to leave Texas alone. Though he had taken the first step in his dream, his wife Lorri was condemned to lead a hard existence. She had to earn money and care for their three children. However, Lorri continued to believe in her husband's dream. As a result, the common hardship brought the family closer together. After three months, Jim broke through the difficulties of getting into the major leagues.

"The Rookie" was filmed in Austin, Texas. It was possible to film it in a different location, but the producers wanted to film the movie in Texas because of its atmosphere and beautiful scenery. The producers thought that the atmosphere would reflect well in the movie. As a result, scenery, the vast and rolling landscape, the beautiful clouds was unforgettable.

It was difficult for producers to film the scene of the baseball game. They needed a lot of cuts to express the power and reality of the scene. Director of photography, John Schwartzman, said, "I couldn't use any tricks shooting this scene." I was amazed at how elaborate the scene was where Jim threw a ball at 150 kilometers. It is not gorgeous, but the production is very attractive.

The end of this movie is excellent. This movie is not just a success story, it is a story which expresses the bond of family, friends and community, and it is fascinating. Many people were brought to tears by the movies' theme, acting, and production techniques. They didn't compromise anything in this movie, so it was successful. We can say "The Rookie" is an excellent movie that it will remain one of the great movies of all time.