I got invited to go see “Champion” a movie made in 1949. It is an American film noir drama based on a short story by Ring Lardner. It was filmed in black-and-white. It recounts the struggles of a boxer named “Midge” Kelly (played by Kirk Douglas) fighting to become a champion boxer in his division while fighting his own inner demons. It is a stark, realistic study of the boxing rackets and the degeneracy of a prizefighter. The drama is not exactly faithful to the original Lardner story, which has a very hard-edge to it. Kirk Douglas does a good, aggressive job, while in the ring and as a ladies man he does quite well. Arthur Kennedy is dour as his crippled brother who distrusts the slaughterous sport. Ruth Roman, Marilyn Maxwell and Lola Albright are all attractive as “Champ’s” various girlfriends as the story unfolds. Paul Stewart is most convincing as the quiet, hard-bitten manager. This is a good movie but not as good as “Body and Soul” which might have served as a model for “Champion.” “Body and Soul” is a 1947 film noir, which tell the story of a boxer who becomes involved with crooked promoters. It stars John Garfield, Lilli Palmer, Hazel Brooks, Anne Revere and William Conrad. This movie was written by Abraham Polonsky and was directed by Robert Rossen. It is considered as the first film about boxing; it’s also a cautionary tale about the lure of money and how it can derail even a strong common man in his pursuit of success. After the movie we all went to IHOPS where we discussed the movie in full detail. After a while they all started talking about dating and their relationships. I looked around and noticed I was the only one without a date? I’ve got to find me a lady that likes movies as much as I do? There’s a Doris Day movie coming up next Tuesday! No “Pressure” right?
Posted on: Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:19:13 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015