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IMDb > Champion (1949)
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Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   1,074 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 47% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Carl Foreman (screenplay)
Ring Lardner (story)
Contact:
View company contact information for Champion on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
9 April 1949 (USA) more
Tagline:
This is the only sport in the world where two guys get paid for doing something they'd be arrested for if they got drunk and did it for nothing.
Plot:
Boxer Midge Kelly rises to fame...mainly by stepping on other people. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 9 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
Jack Wrangler, dead at 62
 (From AfterElton.com. 7 April 2009, 2:07 PM, PDT)

Noir City 7—Eddie Muller’s Introductory Remarks to The Harder They Fall
 (From Twitch. 2 February 2009, 1:16 PM, PST)

User Comments:
A gritty melodrama – not great but good more (34 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Kirk Douglas ... Michael 'Midge' Kelly
Marilyn Maxwell ... Grace Diamond
Arthur Kennedy ... Connie Kelly
Paul Stewart ... Tommy Haley
Ruth Roman ... Emma Bryce
Lola Albright ... Palmer Harris
Luis Van Rooten ... Jerome 'Jerry' Harris
Harry Shannon ... Lew Bryce
John Daheim ... Johnny Dunne (as John Day)
Ralph Sanford ... Hammond
Esther Howard ... Mrs. Margaret Kelly
more
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Additional Details

Runtime:
99 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Director Mark Robson reused variation of Midge's workout montage sequence nearly 20 years later for Neely's (Patty Duke) career montage in Valley of the Dolls. more
Goofs:
Continuity: Midge mangles the sculpture that Palmer has made of him, twisting the head out of alignment. In next shot, the head of statue is back in its original location. more
Quotes:
Tommy Haley: You know what a "Golem" is? I think I knew all the time I was building one. more
Soundtrack:
Never Be It Said more

FAQ

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8 out of 8 people found the following comment useful.
A gritty melodrama – not great but good, 5 April 2003
Author: bob the moo from Birmingham, UK

As the commentator announces the entrance of World Champion boxer Midge Kelly as he prepares to defend his title for the 4th of 5th time, we flashback to many years before, where Midge and his brother are riding trains looking for work. Midge is renown for having pulled himself up from the gutter through boxing, however his story is one littered with hurts and damage he has caused in his relentless pursuit of success.

This is a solid boxer film, even if it is really more of a melodrama than the hard nosed thriller that the pictures of a battered Kirk Douglas suggest it might be. The plot is good in the way we first see the image of a triumphant boxer but then flash back to add meat to the bare bones of the legend. Along it is a melodrama the boxing scenes and some tough male confrontation give it a grittier edge. The weakness is that we aren't allowed to judge Midge ourselves, with some boxing noirs the boxer is laid bare – if he's brutal then we're allowed to see that. Here we're allowed to see the damage he does but from the get-go it is excused by a harsh background, poor childhood etc. Even at the end Midge is allowed redemption of a sort. This gives it a sappy edge that takes away from the drama and grit.

The main reason it works so well is a great performance by Douglas. He hogs the attention when he is onscreen and really paints a realistic character for us to digest. Although the script gives Midge excuses, Douglas does not – he shows Midge at his best and at his most brutal and self seeking with equal measure, forcing neither side to the fore. He is well supported by good understated performances by Kennedy as his brother and Stewart as his manager. The women are important in Midge's story but none of the actresses really made an impression. When they are all in one scene towards the end I struggled to remember who was who.

Overall this is not the gritty noir I'd hoped it would be, more a melodrama. The script is weakened by defending the character but Douglas carries the film over any weakness by the strength of his performance.

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