Body and Soul (1947)

Director:

Robert Rossen

Writer:

Abraham Polonsky (writer)

Release Date:

9 November 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Film-Noir | Sport

Tagline:

The story of a guy that women go for!

Plot:

Charley Davis wins an amateur boxing match and is taken on by promoter Quinn. Charley's mother doesn't want him to fight...

Plot Keywords:

Boxing | Cult Favorite | Social Worker | Boxing Film

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 nominations

Cast

John Garfield	...	Charlie Davis
Lilli Palmer	...	Peg Born
Hazel Brooks	...	Alice
Anne Revere	...	Anna Davis
William Conrad	...	Quinn
Joseph Pevney	...	Shorty Polaski
Lloyd Gough	...	Roberts (as Lloyd Goff)
Canada Lee	...	Ben Chaplin
Art Smith	...	David Davis
James Burke	...	Arnold
Virginia Gregg	...	Irma
Peter Virgo	...	Drummer, Roberts' Bodyguard
Joe Devlin	...	Prince
Shimen Ruskin	...	Shimen, the Grocer (as Shimen Rushkin)

Also Known As:

An Affair of the Heart

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #12435) | West Germany:16 | Finland:K-16

Company:

Enterprise Productions

Trivia:

To get a more fluid camera movement in the boxing ring, cinematographer James Wong Howe filmed the fight while holding the camera and being pushed by an assistant as he wore roller skates.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Charley Davis's fiancee, Peg, leaves him a note and misspells his name, "Charlie."

Quotes:

Peg Born: Are you all right?
Charlie Davis: I never felt better in my life.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Odd Couple: I Do, I Don't (#1.7)" (1970)

Soundtrack:

Body and Soul

Blood, Sweat, and Soul in the Grandfather of the Boxing Genre...

If Jake LaMotta, the real life raging bull, ever went to the movies, he must have seen BODY AND SOUL a hundred times. It practically predicts the course of his career and the world of sports cinema, specifically boxing films. Robert Rossen's 1947 black and white boiler is clearly an influence on ROCKY and RAGING BULL, along with countless other rags-to-riches sports stories with a hint of corruption. John Garfield, an actor I feel serves an audience more with his mere screen presence than his acting skills, is stunning as "Charley Davis", the kid from New York who wants a shot at the title.

Notice Garfield's prudent girlfriend. Remind you of Adrian? (ROCKY) How about the mob boss who wants 50 percent of Garfield's winnings? Remind you of Nicholas Colasanto from RAGING BULL? Of course. BODY AND SOUL is the altar of origin from which these films worshiped. Garfield dabbled in boxing off-screen until his untimely death in 1952 and appears like LaMotta, or De Niro, in many scenes. His temper can fly quickly and without warning. CHAMPION with Kirk Douglas and SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME with Paul Newman have taken some licks from this sensational film that roared like most of the best films of the 1940's.

Boxing is the ultimate sport to depict in film because such interesting character studies can come out of them. A boxer is, for the most part, alone. Other sport films seem to suffer because more has to be captured and the sport itself is usually portrayed poorly and unrealistic. Boxing takes place in a small ring, as does the life of most boxers (or so it seems). Director Robert Rossen is also a master at creating pictures where a flawed main character creates his own suffering and pain and has a fundamental misunderstanding of women. Just see Broderick Crawford in ALL THE KING'S MEN or Paul Newman in THE HUSTLER.

No fight scene captures your attention until the pivotal final championship defense by "Charley Davis". Will he throw it for the easy bucks or win it for pride and the adulation of his simple New York roots? It is very unapparent and hard to see coming. The authenticity of the climactic fight is made all the more powerful with its newsreel look and in-your-face photography and makeup. Credit cinematographer James Wong Howe for the realistic look and credit the blood and sweat of Garfield, writer Abraham Polonsky, and director Rossen to bring such a captivating story of corruption and glory to the screen.