Warner Bros. has released seven clips from the Jackie Robinson biopic 42, led by Chadwick Boseman.  Harrison Ford co-stars as Branch Rickey, the general manager who broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball by signing Robinson to the Dodgers.  It's a curious performance by Ford, who wraps a thick dialect around such mouthfuls as:

"Someday you're going to meet God.  And when he inquires as why you didn't take the field against Robinson in Philadelphia, and you answer that it's because he was a negro, it may not be a sufficient reply!"

Since we are withholding judgement until we see the full context of the performance, let's focus on the fact that the period piece photography is sharp, and Boseman looks to be a charasmatic lead.  Christopher Meloni, Ryan Merriman, Brad Beyer, Judy Tylor, Jon Bernthal, Nicole Beharie, and T.R. Knight co-star.  Directed by Brian Helgeland, 42 opens April 12.  Watch the clips after the break.

Official synopsis:

Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures are teaming up with director Brian Helgeland for “42,” the powerful story of Jackie Robinson, the legendary baseball player who broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier when he joined the roster of the Brooklyn Dodgers. “42″ will star Academy Award(R) nominee Harrison Ford (“Witness”) as the innovative Dodger’s general manager Branch Rickey, the MLB executive who first signed Robinson to the minors and then helped to bring him up to the show, and Chadwick Boseman (“The Express”) as Robinson, the heroic African American who was the first man to break the color line in the big leagues.

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