Top 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsMost Popular Video GamesMost Popular Music VideosMost Popular Podcasts
    Release CalendarBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersSundance Film FestivalIndependent Spirit AwardsBlack History MonthSXSWSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Body and Soul

  • 19811981
  • RR
  • 1h 49m
IMDb RATING
4.5/10
363
YOUR RATING
Leon Isaac Kennedy and Jayne Kennedy in Body and Soul (1981)
A young man struggles to become a boxing champ, but success blinds him. It is only through the love of his girlfriend that he is brought back to reality.
Play trailer1:57
1 Video
72 Photos
DramaSport
A young man struggles to become a boxing champ, but success blinds him. It is only through the love of his girlfriend that he is brought back to reality.A young man struggles to become a boxing champ, but success blinds him. It is only through the love of his girlfriend that he is brought back to reality.A young man struggles to become a boxing champ, but success blinds him. It is only through the love of his girlfriend that he is brought back to reality.
IMDb RATING
4.5/10
363
YOUR RATING
    • George Bowers
    • Leon Isaac Kennedy(screenplay)
    • Abraham Polonsky(suggested by the original screenplay by)
  • Stars
    • Leon Isaac Kennedy
    • Jayne Kennedy
    • Perry Lang
    • George Bowers
    • Leon Isaac Kennedy(screenplay)
    • Abraham Polonsky(suggested by the original screenplay by)
  • Stars
    • Leon Isaac Kennedy
    • Jayne Kennedy
    • Perry Lang
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 6User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:57
    Watch Trailer

    Photos72

    Leon Isaac Kennedy and Muhammad Ali on the set of "Body and Soul"
    Leon Isaac Kennedy, Muhammad Ali, and Jayne Kennedy on the set of "Body and Soul"
    Leon Isaac Kennedy and Jayne Kennedy in Body and Soul (1981)
    Leon Isaac Kennedy and Jayne Kennedy in Body and Soul (1981)
    Muhammad Ali, Leon Isaac Kennedy, and Jayne Kennedy in Body and Soul (1981)
    Muhammad Ali, Leon Isaac Kennedy, and Jayne Kennedy in Body and Soul (1981)
    Body and Soul (1981)
    Body and Soul (1981)
    Body and Soul (1981)
    Body and Soul (1981)
    Body and Soul (1981)
    Body and Soul (1981)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Leon Isaac Kennedy
    Leon Isaac Kennedy
    • Leon Johnson
    Jayne Kennedy
    Jayne Kennedy
    • Julie Winters
    Perry Lang
    Perry Lang
    • Charles Golphin
    Nikki Swasey Seaton
    Nikki Swasey Seaton
    • Kelly Johnson
    • (as Nikki Swassy)
    Michael V. Gazzo
    Michael V. Gazzo
    • Frankie
    • (as Mike Gazzo)
    Kim Hamilton
    Kim Hamilton
    • Mrs. Johnson
    Muhammad Ali
    Muhammad Ali
    • Self
    Peter Lawford
    Peter Lawford
    • Big Man
    Gilbert Lewis
    Gilbert Lewis
    • Tony
    • (as Gil Lewis)
    Chris Wallace
    Chris Wallace
    • Dr. Bachman
    Robbie Epps
    • Iceman
    J.B. Williamson
    • St. Louis Assassin
    Al Denava
    • Mad Man Santiago
    • (as Al Denavo)
    Mel Welles
    Mel Welles
    • Joe Gillardi
    Danny Wells
    Danny Wells
    • Sports Announcer #1
    Johnny Brown
    Johnny Brown
    • Sports Announcer #2
    DeForest Covan
    DeForest Covan
    • Cut Man
    • (as DeForrest Covan)
    Azizi Johari
    • Pussy
      • George Bowers
      • Leon Isaac Kennedy(screenplay)
      • Abraham Polonsky(suggested by the original screenplay by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Odds Against Tomorrow
    7.4
    Odds Against Tomorrow
    The Devil to Pay
    6.2
    The Devil to Pay
    Body and Soul
    7.6
    Body and Soul
    Penitentiary
    5.6
    Penitentiary
    Penitentiary III
    4.4
    Penitentiary III
    Penitentiary II
    4.3
    Penitentiary II
    Three the Hard Way
    6.2
    Three the Hard Way
    A Rage in Harlem
    5.9
    A Rage in Harlem
    Fighting Mad
    5.3
    Fighting Mad
    Body & Soul
    4.7
    Body & Soul
    Mysterious Island of Beautiful Women
    4.4
    Mysterious Island of Beautiful Women
    Seed of Innocence
    5.3
    Seed of Innocence

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Part of a cycle of ring fighter movies, mostly boxing, some wrestling, initiated by the box-office and critical success of the Academy Award Best Picture winning boxing movie Rocky (1976). The films include Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982), Rocky IV (1985), Tough Enough (1983), Title Shot (1979), Raging Bull (1980), The Champ (1979), Matilda (1978), The Main Event (1979), The Prize Fighter (1979), The Greatest (1977), Body and Soul (1981), Paradise Alley (1978), ...All the Marbles (1981) (aka "The California Dolls"), The One and Only (1978), Every Which Way but Loose (1978) and Any Which Way You Can (1980).
    • Quotes

      Julie Winters: I just wish your were double jointed so you could turn around and kiss your own ass.

    • Connections
      Featured in Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (2014)
    • Soundtracks
      Happy Feeling
      Music by Webster Lewis

      Lyrics by Zoom

    User reviews6

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    4/10
    Too much body! Not enough soul!
    I remember watching this movie years ago I am a 46 year old woman and back in the 80s, Jane Kennedy and Leon Kennedy were like icons to a lot of African American people. I didn't care for the movie then and I don't now. I see where they were trying to go with this story but as one of the commenters said, it lacked depth and credibility. I also admire the commenter who said he was white and sick of seeing us (leon as a boxer) being portrayed in this cartoonish kind of way. Again I agree. This movie was so laid on with naked women, it literally blinded the storyline and where they were trying to go with it. You saw Leon in bed more with his groupies than you did with him in the ring!!!. The nice gem to this movie was the young girl who played his sick sister. She did an excellent job, you can tell she was brewing to be a good actress. And Jane of course was pretty as always. But Leon and Jayne as actors.?.. I wish they would have tried again. However I weather watch this movie than any of the penitentiary's that Leon has been in! There were three of them!!! And to me that is three too many LOL. Again this is a touching story, I just wish they had of executed it better. However I still consider it as what they would call and old cult classic from these two who were very popular at that time.
    helpful•3
    3
    • bronzesrv
    • Jul 25, 2019

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 9, 1981 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Miami, Florida, USA
    • Production companies
      • Golan-Globus Productions
      • Kennedy Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 49 minutes
      • Color
      • Mono

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Leon Isaac Kennedy and Jayne Kennedy in Body and Soul (1981)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Body and Soul (1981) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.