The Legend of Bagger Vance is one of my all-time favorite movies, and I watched it twice this weekend.
Based on the book by Steven Pressfield, the movie tells the story of Rannulph Junah, a disillusioned war veteran who reluctantly agrees to play a game of golf with Walter Hagen and Bobby Jones.
Photo Source: Amazon
“He finds the game futile until his caddy, Bagger Vance, teaches him the secret of the authentic golf stroke which turns out also to be the secret to mastering any challenge and finding meaning in life.” (Written by M. Fowler, IMdb)
At the beginning of the movie, a young Hardy Greaves, played by J. Michael Monclief, approaches Junah, played by Matt Damon, to tell him the he thinks Junah should play in the upcoming golf tournament with Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen. Junah is battling a lot of demons since returning from the war. Even Junah’s love interest, Adele Invergorden, played by the lovely Charlize Theron, tries to persuade Junah to play in the golf tournament.
Photo Source: IMDb
Bagger Vance: Yep… Inside each and every one of us is one true authentic swing… Somethin’ we was born with… Somethin’ that’s ours and ours alone… Somethin’ that can’t be taught to ya or learned… Somethin’ that got to be remembered… Over time the world can, rob us of that swing… It get buried inside us under all our wouldas and couldas and shouldas… Some folk even forget what their swing was like…
While Junah is practicing his golf swing, Bagger Vance, played by Will Smith, shows up at just the right time to Junah to find his one true authentic swing. At several times during the golf tournament, Vance offers some unconventional advice for Junah. This advice is questioned by several, including Junah, but the mystical caddy pulls Junah out of the shadows and into the light.
Photo Source: IMDb
Bagger Vance: Put your eyes on Bobby Jones… Look at his practice swing, almost like he’s searchin for something… Then he finds it… Watch how he settle hisself right into the middle of it, feel that focus… He got a lot of shots he could choose from… Duffs and tops and skulls, there’s only ONE shot that’s in perfect harmony with the feild… One shot that’s his, authentic shot, and that shot is gonna choose him… There’s a perfect shot out there tryin’ to find each and every one of us… All we got to do is get ourselves out of its way, to let it choose us… Can’t see that flag as some dragon you got to slay… You got to look with soft eyes… See the place where the tides and the seasons and the turnin’ of the Earth, all come together… where everything that is, becomes one… You got to seek that place with your soul Junuh… Seek it with your hands don’t think about it… Feel it… Your hands is wiser than your head ever gonna be… Now I can’t take you there Junuh… Just hopes I can help you find a way… Just you… that ball… that flag… and all you are…
Although the film is based on fiction, both Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen were real golfers. Jones was the more famous because, among other things, he founded the US Masters tournament in Augusta. (IMDb)
The movie advances several years, and shows an older Hardy Greaves playing golf. Hardy suffers a heart attack on the green, And wakes up to see an ageless Bagger Vance waving him to come to him.
The was the final film appearance of Jack Lemmon, uncredited as the Narrator. I would like to think that Lemmon was the older Hardy.
Photo Source: IMDb
Have you seen The Legend of Bagger Vance? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this movie. Please leave your comments below.
Enjoy this movie, have a great day!