Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story (2005)

Directors:

Ron Berger
Dan Klores

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

A story of violence, love, sex, politics and media centered around the life of Griffith, a six-time world welterweight champion. |

Plot Keywords:

Accidental Death | Boxer | Gay Interest | Gay Athlete

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Don Dunphy	...	Himself (archive footage)
Benny Paret	...	Himself (archive footage)
Emile Griffith	...	Himself
Pete Hamill	...	Himself
Juan Gonzalez	...	Himself
Howie Albert	...	Himself
Gil Clancy	...	Himself
Jimmy Breslin	...	Himself
Bill Gallo	...	Himself
Ron Ross	...	Himself
Hank Kaplan	...	Himself
Franklin Griffith	...	Himself
Jimmy Powers	...	Himself (archive footage)
Gaspar Ortega	...	Himself
Neal Gabler	...	Himself
Jack Newfield	...	Himself
Carmen Basilio	...	Himself
Lucy Paret	...	Herself
Joe Cortez	...	Himself
Manuel Alfaro	...	Himself (archive footage)
Emelda Griffith	...	Herself (archive footage)
Garry Moore	...	Himself (archive footage)
José Torres	...	Himself
Charles Kaiser	...	Himself
Liberace	...	Himself (archive footage)
Ruby Goldstein	...	Himself (archive footage)
Herb Goldstein	...	Himself
Ed Sullivan	...	Himself (archive footage)
Sugar Ray Robinson	...	Himself (archive footage)
Alexander Schiff	...	Himself (as Dr. Alexander Schiff)
Norman Mailer	...	Himself (voice)
Max Turshen	...	Himself (archive footage)
Joseph F. Carlino	...	Himself - Speake of Assembly
Gene Fullmer	...	Himself
Benny Paret Jr.	...	Himself
Ralph Dupas	...	Himself (archive footage)
Sadie Griffith	...	Herself
Eckhard Dagge	...	Himself
Luis Rodrigo	...	Himself
Juan LaPorte	...	Himself
Angelo Dundee	...	Himself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
George Foreman	...	Himself
Marvelous Marvin Hagler	...	Himself
Naseem Hamed	...	Himself
Jacqueline Kennedy	...	Herself (archive footage)
John F. Kennedy	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jake LaMotta	...	Himself
Michael Moorer	...	Himself
Ken Norton	...	Himself
Jimmy O'Farrell	...	Himself
Lee Harvey Oswald	...	Himself (archive footage)
Nelson Rockefeller	...	Himself (archive footage)
Dustin Warburton	...	Himself

Directed by
Ron Berger
Dan Klores

Produced by
Jake Bandman	....	assistant producer
Ron Berger	....	producer
Larry Burday	....	associate producer
Larry Burday	....	coordinating producer
Liza Burnett	....	associate producer
Lewis Katz	....	executive producer
Dan Klores	....	producer
Jack Newfield	....	co-producer
Adam Schiff	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Sherman Foote

Cinematography by
Buddy Squires

Film Editing by
Michael Levine

Art Department
Joy Kilpatrick	....	graphics designer

Sound Department
Mariusz Glabinski	....	sound editor
Marlena Grzaslewicz	....	sound editor
Roger Phenix	....	sound
Irv Reinhard	....	sound
Mark Roy	....	sound
George Shafnaker	....	sound (as George Shafnacker)
Ira Spiegel	....	sound editor
Dominick Tavella	....	sound re-recording mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Erik Akerblom	....	location engineer
Andrew Cravotta	....	videotape operator
Will Curtin	....	videotape operator
Andy Futo	....	assistant camera
Peter Holmes	....	videotape operator
Stephen Kazmierski	....	additional cinematographer (as Steve Kazmierski)
Justin Kelly	....	videotape operator
Cecilia Lewis	....	videotape operator
Carmen Maxcy	....	videotape operator
John Meenan	....	videotape operator
Laura Nespola	....	assistant camera
Gerry Reises	....	assistant camera
Anthony Savini	....	assistant camera
Derek Young	....	location engineer

Animation Department
Glen Schauer	....	stills animation

Editorial Department
Wally Carey	....	on-line editor
Patricia Flannigan	....	post-production
Scott Gaillard	....	color correction
Melissa Kirz	....	post-production
Susan Korda	....	editorial consultant
Jacob Steingroot	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Brian Chin	....	music supervisor
Oscar Hernandez	....	composer: additional music
Adam Lawrence	....	music librarian

Transportation Department
Eddie Amaro	....	driver
Leroy Sims	....	driver

Other crew
Howie Abbott	....	source: archive photographs
Joan Baird	....	assistant to producer
Charlie Barbrizio	....	production assistant
Tony Fosco	....	source: archive photographs
Libby Geist	....	production assistant
Herb Goldstein	....	source: archive photographs
Emile Griffith	....	source: archive photographs
George Kalinsky	....	source: archive photographs
Julianne Kim	....	bookkeeper
Jacob Maarbjerg	....	source: archive photographs
Claude Maloon	....	source: archive photographs
Randy Neumann	....	source: archive photographs
Veena Raj	....	assistant to producer
Elias Savada	....	copyright researcher
Daniel Vatsky	....	researcher
Karen Wyatt	....	archival researcher

Thanks
Susanna Aaron	....	special thanks
Kevin Barry	....	special thanks
Karen Berger	....	special thanks
Steve Bornn	....	special thanks
Jonathan Dana	....	special thanks
Clive Davis	....	special thanks
Bob Drury	....	special thanks
Angelo Dundee	....	special thanks
Don Elbaum	....	special thanks
Ari Emanuel	....	special thanks
Linda Fiorentino	....	special thanks
Gary Ginsberg	....	special thanks
Les Goodstein	....	special thanks
Christina Griffin	....	special thanks
Donna Gutkin	....	special thanks
Greg Hodes	....	special thanks
George Kalinsky	....	special thanks
Craig Kallman	....	special thanks
Abbe Klores	....	special thanks
Emily Kriegel	....	special thanks
Mark Kriegel	....	special thanks
Peter Lofrumento	....	special thanks
Steve Lott	....	special thanks
Norman Mailer	....	special thanks
Cristina McGinniss	....	special thanks
Judith McNally	....	special thanks
Hunter Meighan	....	special thanks
Lorne Michaels	....	special thanks
Liston Monsanto	....	special thanks
Beth Nathanson	....	special thanks
Claudette Sierra	....	special thanks
Bruce Silverglade	....	special thanks
Eddie Simon	....	special thanks
Fisher Stevens	....	special thanks
Allison Weiner	....	special thanks
Luana Wheatley	....	special thanks
Patrick Whitesell	....	special thanks
Cary Woods	....	special thanks
Melissa Young	....	special thanks

Other Companies

• Urban Marketing Corporation of America (UMCA)  field publicity

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color | Black and White

a great documentary

I am a Sergeant in the Army stationed in Korea and was unable to watch this amazing film when it premiered on TV. I think they had an inkling of just how amazing it would be because they showed it without commercials. This is a heart-wrenching story not only of boxing but of society as well and how we have changed over the years. The movie opens the fatal night of March 24, 1962 with Don Dunphy announcing the fight between Emile Griffith and Benny "Kid" Paret with the title at stake. The two had already fought twice splitting the victory between them. They were sort of the Ali-Frazier of the middleweight division. Paret had cruelly taunted his challenger before the fight calling him "maricon" (faggot). This was a shocking slur the press didn't even report at the time. Griffith had to be restrained from attacking him at the weigh in. This fight will always be one of boxing's most infamous because it was the first time a nationwide audience saw a man killed before their eyes. Ironically, even before this fight Griffith had not been known for being savage in the ring or a hard puncher. His record going into the fight was 28-3 with only 10 knockouts. However, in Round 13, he pinned Paret against the ropes and delivered the most savage beating you will ever see a boxer give another. In less then ten seconds he delivers over twenty devastating blows to the head. The referee did not stop the fight in time and Paret dies ten days later. There were so many far reaching aspects of this tragic night in 1962. Many hypocritical politicians called for the abolishment of boxing. It was years before fights were ever televised again. Referee Ruby Goldstein, who had had a distinguished career otherwise, never called another fight. However, the most devastating consequences that night were for poor Emile Griffith as this documentary makes painfully clear. Today, there is no big deal about a celebrity admitting their gay. It seems you cannot have a hit TV show, for example, without a character being gay. We put people like Ellen DeGeneres up on pedestals and make them icons of our culture. However, in the world of 1962, an admission of this was career suicide especially in the manly sport of boxing. How could a champion be gay? Griffith's personal life is his own business, but its heartbreaking watching this film and how the tragedy basically ruined this poor man. Griffith fought another fifteen years and became a six time champ. He was never the same fighter however. He fought another eighty bouts after March 24, 1962 but only scored twelve knockouts. He relied on his superb boxing ability rather then brute force to win. He admitted he was terrified of killing another. What shocked me is that champions of his era made nowhere near the outrageous purses of those today. Gil Clancy, his trainer, pointed out that it was common for even a champion to get only $50,000 for a fight. Like so many, Griffith stayed in boxing long after he should have retired. He lost twelve of his final twenty three fights. Today Griffith is a broken old man who requires full time care. He suffers from pugilistic dementia and also from nightmares still. I think the most touching moments of this film are the end where Paret's son embraces the weeping old champion and tells him he is forgiven.