Joe Torre, the longstanding Major League Baseball player, manager and executive, gets center spotlight in a new documentary directed by John Turturro and produced by Motto Pictures.
“Joe Torre” will chart the career of the central figure, who managed the New York Yankees to four World Series championships, but accomplished much more. He remains the only person in MLB history who ahs recorded 2,000 hits as a player and 2,000 wins as a manager. The film hails from MLB Studios and BD4, the sports and documentary label under the Banijay America banner.
“Joe Torre’s lifelong journey to the World Series is full of ups and downs, twists and turns,
through a changing landscape and turbulent times. There’s something deeply human
about Joe Torre’s quiet strength,” said Turturro, in a statement. “In a time when men in sports hid
their emotions behind toughness, Joe defied convention. His strength comes from
compassion, his victories from understanding people.”
Production of the film is currently underway.
The documentary will examine Torre’s life, rising from a nervous child with an abusive father to a professional baseball player who won the league’s Most Valuable Player award the MVP in
1971, and to a manager who was fired three times before taking on his role with the Yankees. Torre played 4,272 games as a player and manager who never made the World Series, before leading the Yankees to a victory against the Atlanta Braves.
“It’s hard to imagine that a nervous Brooklyn kid who had low self-esteem could go on a
journey like mine across more than 60 years,” said Torre, in a statement. “I once didn’t think I was
going anywhere. But baseball gave me a place to hide — and ultimately the opportunity
to find things in myself that I never knew were there. I am grateful that John Turturro,
who witnessed the hometown dream I’ve been fortunate enough to live, is joining me to
look back and tell the story in a personal way.”
Dan Silver, CEO of BD4, said the project has special resonance for him as a New Yorker and dedicated Yankees fan.
“The attributes that defined Joe’s teams are some of the qualities that inspired me to name my company after the three subway lines that lead to Yankee Stadium,” Silver said. “To now be telling Joe’s story, with another proud New Yorker like John Turturro directing, and my longtime friends at Major League Baseball, feels both deeply personal and a true honor.”
Motto Pictures’ Christopher Clements and Julie Goldman produce, with executive
producers including Nick Trotta from MLB Studios; Dan Silver, Ryan Harrington from
BD4, the premium documentary label of Banijay America; and Ken Scherer, who developed the project with the Torre family. Andrea Torre serves as co-executive producer.
