America's Pasttime

There is a good review at the NY Times today about "Reel Baseball," a DVD collection of early baseball films. It includes this remarkable plot summary for "His Last Game," a movie from 1909:

[T]he story is unusually pointed: a Choctaw Indian, the star pitcher of his local (integrated!) baseball team, is plied with drink by a pair of gamblers who want him to throw the game; in an argument he kills one of them and is immediately sentenced to death by firing squad.

But as he is digging his own grave, the townspeople show up and press him into service for a game. He pitches, wins for the home team and then returns to the open grave, where he is summarily executed.

Wow.

Jesus and Coca-Cola

I wish I spoke Italian. There's a fascinating new film coming out of Italy - 7 Kilometers from Jerusalem. It's about an Italian ad executive experiencing a mid-life crisis. He decides to go to Jerusalem to clear his mind. While on the literal road to Emmaus, he meets Jesus, and his life is transformed. I can't wait for this film to come to the States.

The film has been the subject of some very minor controversy. When Jesus gets into the ad exec's Jeep, he takes a refreshing drink from a can of Coca-Cola. The executive says something to the effect of "What an endorsement!" The Pope is perfectly fine with this - it's Coke that has concerns. No word yet on how Jeep is reacting.

[HT: Richard Owen via Ruth Gledhill]