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The Harder They Fall (1956) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   2,125 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 9% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Mark Robson
Writers:
Budd Schulberg (novel)
Philip Yordan (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Harder They Fall on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
9 May 1956 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Film-Noir | Sport | Thriller more
Tagline:
No Punches Pulled! If you thought "On The Waterfront" hit hard... wait till you see this one!
Plot:
Down-on-his-luck ex-sportswriter Eddie Willis is hired by shady fight promoter Nick Benko to promote his latest find, an unknown but easily exploitable phenom from Argentina. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(4 articles)
Standing Eight Count
 (From t5m.com. 2 November 2009, 4:38 AM, PST)
Screenwriter Budd Schulberg Dies
 (From CinemaSpy. 7 August 2009, 8:33 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Pulled Punches,Notwithstanding more (45 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Humphrey Bogart ... Eddie Willis

Rod Steiger ... Nick Benko
Jan Sterling ... Beth Willis
Mike Lane ... Toro Moreno
Max Baer ... Buddy Brannen
Jersey Joe Walcott ... George
Edward Andrews ... Jim Weyerhause

Harold J. Stone ... Art Leavitt, TV sportscaster
Carlos Montalbán ... Luís Agrandi

Nehemiah Persoff ... Leo
Felice Orlandi ... Vince Fawcett
Herbie Faye ... Max
Rusty Lane ... Danny McKeogh
Jack Albertson ... Pop
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
109 min
Country:
USA
Language:
Spanish | English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:12 (video re-rating) (2002) (uncut) | UK:A (original rating) (cut) | USA:Approved (certificate #17754) | West Germany:16 (nf)
Filming Locations:
Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows - 9641 Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills, California, USA more
Company:
Columbia Pictures Corporation more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Primo Carnera unsuccessfully sued the film's makers, claiming it damaged his reputation for implying that he was involved in fixed fights. Carnera's career is one of the biggest mysteries in boxing, as many of the sport's historians believe that, without Carnera's knowledge, his managers paid most of his opponents to throw their fights. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: A TV sportscaster's man-on-the-street interview with a punch-drunk fighter filmed on location on Skid Row features multiple camera angles (long shot, middle shot and close-ups) - a technological luxury requiring three consecutively-rolling cameras no TV news station in the mid-Fifties could possibly have afforded. more
Quotes:
Nick Benko: The people, Eddie, the people! Don't tell me about the people, Eddie. The people sit in front of their little TVs with their bellies full of beer and fall asleep. What do the people know, Eddie? Don't tell me about the people, Eddie! more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in À bout de souffle (1960) more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
14 out of 29 people found the following comment useful.
Pulled Punches,Notwithstanding, 29 November 2001
Author: brewhop from Prague, Czech Republic

For some reason this film,Bogey's swan song,is fitting and deserving of praise.As Bogart started his career playing mean and gangster-tough villains,an extended it toward's more introspective yet still tough-minded roles,so too are we graced in this movie to have a little bit of both Bogart world's.The tough and never flinching Bogart,and the thinking man persona,who can out muster other's with sheer forethought. Within this movie are many good Film noir elements,such as the shadowy street's and dark cornered recesses,along with an urban setting and extremely Noirish script.Budd Schulberg's writing is perfect for this type of drama,giving it the needed oomph for all those double crossing and talking weasel's,that make up cast of dishonest and likely foe's to Bogart's possible combination of the two.For in this movie Bogart's character has to truly reinvent and come to terms with the inner conflict of movie plot.A true denouement of storytelling and gritty realization coming together to demononstrate an offer a nice touch for lead character,in movie climax. With very nice filming of fight sequences,replete with the necessary smoke and crowd din to bring added authenticity and feel,as if one where back in the 50's doing the usual saturday night gig.Which was either going to the fight's,or listening on radio or possible TV.The ensemble cast works almost flawlessly and believable shows off what the fight game,behind closed door's was probably like.The key fighter {Big Mexican lug} manages to both amaze and bewilder with a combination that dosen't consist of a good left jab or right cross,but with an innocent and much less than tough-man bravura that gets caught up in mixed bag of what a prize fighter should be.His Character has depth and compassion,but also manages to be easily influenced by success and the power that it weilds.Power is the true name of this game and who better to play than Bogart,and who better to unravel and instruct audience with his brand of persona and believability. 4 out of 5 star or 8/10 for well displayed power grab.And a few pulled punches,also.

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