Bang the Drum Slowly (film)

Bang the Drum Slowly
Bang the Drum Slowly
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	John Hancock
Screenplay by	Mark Harris
Based on	Bang the Drum Slowly; by Mark Harris
Produced by	Maurice Rosenfield; Lois Rosenfield
Starring	Robert De Niro; Michael Moriarty; Vincent Gardenia
Cinematography	Richard Shore
Edited by	Richard Marks
Music by	Stephen Lawrence
Production; companies	ANJA Films; BTDS Partnership
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	August 26, 1973;
Running time	96 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1 million

Bang the Drum Slowly is a 1973 American sports drama film directed by John D. Hancock, about a baseball player of limited intellect who has a terminal illness, and his brainier, more skilled teammate. It is a film adaptation of the 1956 baseball novel of the same name by American author Mark Harris. It was previously dramatized in 1956 on the U.S. Steel Hour with Paul Newman, Albert Salmi and George Peppard.

This version stars Michael Moriarty and a then little known Robert De Niro as baseball teammates. De Niro's performance in this film and in Mean Streets, released two months later, brought him widespread acclaim.