Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962)

Mountain Rivera is at the end of his boxing career after a knockout by Cassius Clay in the seventh round. His left eye is one punch from permanent trauma, his ears turned to cauliflower, ... See full summary »

Director:

Ralph Nelson

Writers:

Rod Serling (teleplay), Rod Serling

Stars:

Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason, Mickey Rooney

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anthony Quinn	...	Louis 'Mountain' Rivera
Jackie Gleason	...	Maish Rennick
Mickey Rooney	...	Army
Julie Harris	...	Grace Miller
Stanley Adams	...	Perelli (as Stan Adams)
Madame Spivy	...	Ma Greeny
Val Avery	...	Young fighter's promoter
Herbie Faye	...	Charlie, the Bartender
Jack Dempsey	...	Himself
Barney Ross
Alex Miteff
Rory Calhoun	...	Himself
Muhammad Ali	...	Himself (as Cassius Clay)
Gus Lesnevich
Willie Pep

Storyline

Mountain Rivera is at the end of his boxing career after a knockout by Cassius Clay in the seventh round. His left eye is one punch from permanent trauma, his ears turned to cauliflower, his speech slurred from "being hit a million times," and he slings punches anytime he hears a bell, but his trainer and 'cutman' Army, and Miss Miller, a manipulative social worker, support his illusion that he could be a movie usher, a camp counselor, or a romantic partner for Miller. But his manager Maish Rennick, knowing the truth, can't admit that he's bet everything he had that Rivera wouldn't go four rounds against Clay. Maish will pay with his life when the goon squad comes to collect if he can't persuade Rivera to abandon his pride ("I fought 111 fights and never took a dive") and agree to a wrestling contract of which he's ashamed. When Maish blurts out his secret, Rivera realizes that walking out on the deal is not an option. To save the neck of the man who's betrayed him, he embraces the ...

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Plot Keywords:

wrestling | social worker | boxing | retirement | job interview | 

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Taglines:

From the asphalt jungle . . . from the fiery brilliance of our four great stars . . . comes an unforgettable motion picture! [Australia Theatrical]

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Genres:

Drama | Sport

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 November 1962 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Altin Eldiven

Filming Locations:

Downing Stadium, Randall's Island, East River, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min 85 min (TCM print)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Anthony Quinn did this film when Lawrence of Arabia went on a two month hiatus between October and December of 1961. The film was released before "Lawrence" came out.

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Quotes

Maish Rennick: [to Mountain] I figure you owe me. what do you figure/

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Connections

Version of Requiem voor een zwaargewicht (1959)

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Soundtracks

"Home on the Range"
(uncredited)
From poem written by Dr. Brewster M. Higley (1873)
Music by Daniel E. Kelley
Sung by Anthony Quinn

User Reviews

Great boxing flick that transcends stereotypes

This is a golden oldie if there ever was one. Adapted from Rod Serling's earlier `Playhouse 90' TV drama, it improved greatly on the original by taking full advantage of the film medium, including moody film-noir lighting, an excellent music score, and superb direction. Anthony Quinn is excellent, getting all the pathos out of the role without overdoing it. Mickey Rooney and Jackie Gleason, neither of whom is renowned for subtlety and restraint, hit just the right note in their performances, as does Julie Harris. The ending of this film couldn't be more different than the `Playhouse 90' ending. One of the more bizarre elements of this film, which was not in the original TV play, is the character of Ma Greeney, a really frightening person and the only example I am aware of in film of a lesbian gangster (and in 1962, yet). I can still remember how startled I was to see this character when I first watched this film on TV back in the late 1960s.

The new DVD of `Requiem for a Heavyweight' offers both a full-screen and wide-screen presentation. The quality of the transfer is really outstanding. The liner notes indicate that it is mastered in high definition. While I don't have the hardware to watch it in high-def., I can say that on an ordinary monitor it looks outstanding. Perhaps the sharpest DVD picture I've ever seen. The sound is clear, and the subtitles are very helpful in picking out dialog that may be indistinct, or not easily understood because of Anthony Quinn's manner of delivering the lines while in character.

However. It seems to me that at least one whole scene and a part of another scene is missing. I distinctly remember Maish (Jackie Gleason) telling Ma Greeney what he would do to her if she weren't a lady. In response, she laughs and says `that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me.' This is part of the early scene where Maish is attacked in an abandoned boxing ring by Ma's thugs. There is another whole scene I can recall in which Mountain (Anthony Quinn) is practicing holds with a wrestler. He asks that the wrestler stay away from his injured eye, and when he purposely goes for the eye, Mountain punches his lights out. The cuts I recall seeing on TV years ago always included these scenes, and I've never seen this shortened cut of the film before. It's still a great film, but I really miss these two scenes.