Body and Soul (1947)

A talented boxer's young career hits difficult terrain when an unethical promoter takes interest in him.

Director:

Robert Rossen

Writer:

Abraham Polonsky (original screenplay)

Stars:

John Garfield, Lilli Palmer, Hazel Brooks

Won 1 Oscar. Another 4 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
John Garfield	...	Charley 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

Storyline

Charley Davis wins an amateur boxing match and is taken on by promoter Quinn. Charley's mother doesn't want him to fight, but when Charley's father is accidentally killed, Charley sets up a fight for money. His career blooms as he wins fight after fight, but soon an unethical promoter named Roberts begins to show an interest in Charley, and Charley finds himself faced with increasingly difficult choices.

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Plot Keywords:

boxing match | boxing | bare chested male | fixed fight | boxing promoter | 

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Taglines:

The story of a guy that women go for!

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Genres:

Drama | Film-Noir | Sport

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 April 1948 (Mexico)

Also Known As:

An Affair of the Heart

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Enterprise Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

An extremely large number of the cast and crew on the film - writer Abraham Polonsky, actors John Garfield, Anne Revere, Lloyd Gough, Canada Lee, Art Smith, Shimen Ruskin, producer Bob Roberts and even, albeit to a lesser extent, cinematographer James Wong Howe - found themselves either blacklisted or greylisted during the HUAC witch hunts of the 1950s, while director Robert Rossen only avoided that fate by naming names.

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Goofs

In the first dressing room scene, there's a close-up of Quinn leaning against the wall. In the very next shot, he's standing a few feet in front of the wall, then backs up and leans against it again.

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Quotes

Anna Davis: I did it to buy myself fancy clothes? Fool! It's for you! To learn, to get an education, to make something of yourself!
Charlie Davis: [yelling to Shorty] Shorty! Shorty, get me that fight from Quinn. I want money. Do you understand? Money, money!
Anna Davis: I forbid, I forbid. Better buy a gun and shoot yourself.
Charlie Davis: You need MONEY to buy a gun!

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Connections

Featured in The Andrew Klavan Show: Democrats Play Women (2018)

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Soundtracks

Body and Soul
Music by Johnny Green
Lyrics by Edward Heyman, Robert Sour and Frank Eyton

User Reviews

Down but not out

This boxing picture deals with the seedier side of the business; (is there any other?). It helps that it was written by Abraham Polonsky whose script is suitably cynical and hard-boiled. John Garfield is the pugnacious fighter easily swayed by the prospects of easy money and not adverse to taking a dive. It's a fine, hard-nosed performance. Garfield was always at his best in roles that required him to battle with his conscience.

The whole movie is well cast. The under-rated Lilli Palmer is fine as the 'nice' girl who loves him as is Hazel Brooks as the 'bad' girl who seduces him while the villains are ably taken care of by Lloyd Gough and William Conrad. Best of all there is Anne Revere as Garfield's mother. (Did Revere play everybody's mother movies?). It's another of her no-nonsense roles. Revere was one tough cookie who kept her heart of gold well-hidden. The climatic fight scene is very well staged and Robert Parrish and Frances Lyon's editing won the Oscar while James Wong Howe's cinematography adds considerably to the realism.