Un ex cronista deportivo es contratado por un turbio promotor de peleas para promover su último hallazgo, una desconocida estrella en ascenso de Argentina pero fácilmente explotable.Un ex cronista deportivo es contratado por un turbio promotor de peleas para promover su último hallazgo, una desconocida estrella en ascenso de Argentina pero fácilmente explotable.Un ex cronista deportivo es contratado por un turbio promotor de peleas para promover su último hallazgo, una desconocida estrella en ascenso de Argentina pero fácilmente explotable.
- Dirección
- Guionistas
- Elenco
- Nominado a 1 premio Óscar
- 2 nominaciones en total
- Luís Agrandi
- (as Carlos Montalban)
- Fighter
- (sin créditos)
- Oklahoma City Ring Announcer
- (sin créditos)
- Boxing fan at Dundee fight
- (sin créditos)
- Dirección
- Guionistas
- Todo el elenco y el equipo
- Producción, taquilla y más en IMDbPro
Opiniones destacadas
In addition to Bogart's fantastic performance, Rod Steiger chews the scenery nicely as a corrupt manager. Their scenes together are really well done, and very well written. I particularly enjoyed the scene after the big fight where Bogart presses to find out how much their fighter will ultimately wind up for getting so badly beaten in the ring.
There are probably a good dozen very, very good fight films, and this belongs to their number. The tension in the film derives from the ultimate conflict between Bogart's inherent decency and Steiger's unmitigated exploitativeness. The two had great on screen chemistry in their scenes together. They employed very different acting styles, Steiger being one of the first Method actors to enjoy success in the movies. Bogart was strictly old school, but he not only held his own, he dominated their scenes together.
Humphrey Bogart's last movie was a triumph! His acting was terrific! Excellent movie!
Mark Robson, the director, was a man that understood that underworld well. He had already directed the excellent "Champion", so he proved to be a natural for taking the helm of this movie. Mr. Robson, worked as an editor for Orson Welles and knew what worked in the cinema. Working with the cinematographer Burnett Guffey, a man who was one of the best in the business, Mr. Robson created a film that was a ground breaker. New York City in the fifties is the background for the story that was shot in real exteriors that added a drama to the film.
This was the last film in which Humphrey Bogart made. In fact, Mr. Bogart shows signs of the illness that would take his life after the film was completed. Humphrey Bogart's Eddie Willis is a man that clearly wants to be fair to the poor boxer, Toro, from Argentina, who is being manipulated by the bad guys under the evil Benko. This was one of the best appearances of Mr. Bogarts in the movies.
The other surprise in the film is the portrayal by Rod Steiger of the mob man that wants to use Toro for his own illegal gains. Rod Steiger stood in sharp contrast with Humphrey Bogart. Being a method actor, his technique was entirely different from the one of his co-star. Yet, when both men are seen on the same frame, one can sense two great actors doing what they did best.
The interesting cast put together for the film made it better than it could have been. Under Mark Robson's direction we see a lot of New York based actors in the background. One would have liked to see more of Jan Sterling, who plays Eddie's understanding wife Beth. Also in the cast, Nhemiah Persoff, Jack Albertson, Max Baer, Jersey Joe Walcott, Mike Lane, Carlos Montalban, make good contributions to the film.
The boxing sequences are masterfully staged by Mr. Robson, who gives us a ringside seat to watch the matches. This film shows the director at the top of his craft.
My favorite line in this movie is when Bogart angrily asks Steiger how he'd like to have his jaw broken like Toro's. Steiger's henchmen immediately start to converge on Bogart, who says, "He didn't have 5 guys in the ring with him." It's a great line that brings home how the powerful are protected from the very pain they inflict on others.
The movie's title, from the old saying, "the bigger they are, the harder they fall," is also very ironic, because the "big" guys Steiger and the corrupt fight backers actually never "fall" it is only the "little" guys, like Toro, who fall the hardest.
By the way, it was really spooky seeing Max Baer himself re-create his historic fight with Primo Carnera in this film, which is based on Max Baer's historic fight with Primo Carnera! You can see a film of this 1934 fight online, in which Baer knocks Carnera down 11 times in 11 rounds. By round 2, Baer was actually chasing Carnera around the ring, and at least 3 times he knocked him down so hard that he actually fell on top of him!
This was sadly to be the last film from the great Humphrey Bogart. He would pass away the following year, but thankfully this Mark Robson directed piece proves to be a fitting swansong. He puts depth to his portrayal of Willis and his face off scenes with Rod Steiger's Benko are a real acting joy to observe. The film itself {great scripting from Phillip Yordan} is a scathing and critical look at the boxing circuit, corruption, greed and a scant care for human life come bubbling to the surface, with Burnett Guffey's stark black & white photography adding grime to the nasty underbelly. Real life {and one time heavyweight champion of the world} boxer Primo Carnera sued {and lost} Columbia because The Harder They Fall's story was close enough to his own life story, that in itself makes this film's core story all the more interesting. 8/10
¿Sabías que…?
- TriviaJoe Greb has a small and uncredited role as a brain-damaged boxer who gives an interview about the damaging effects of the sport. In reality, Greb had a 12 year career as a boxer and fought in 119 bouts during that period. Greb suffered irreparable brain damage from his time as a boxer and was a vocal proponent of fighter safety. In essence, he plays himself in this film.
- ErroresIn the opening, when Eddie hires a cab, initially it's a '55 Plymouth; in the next scene, as they're driving off, it's a '54 Ford.
- Citas
[Willis tells Toro to throw his fight with Buddy Brannen to avoid getting hurt]
Toro Moreno: I don't know, I don't know. What would people think of me?
Eddie Willis: What do you care what a bunch of bloodthirsty, screaming people think of you? Did you ever get a look at their faces? They pay a few lousy bucks hoping to see a man get killed. To hell with them! Think of yourself. Get your money and get out of this rotten business.
- ConexionesFeatured in Great Performances: Bacall on Bogart (1988)
Selecciones populares
- How long is The Harder They Fall?Con tecnología de Alexa
Detalles
- Fecha de lanzamiento
- País de origen
- Idiomas
- También se conoce como
- The Harder They Fall
- Locaciones de filmación
- New York International Airport, Jamiaca, Nueva York, Estados Unidos(New York International Airport, now John F. Kennedy International Airport)
- Productora
- Ver más créditos de la compañía en IMDbPro
Taquilla
- Total en EE. UU. y Canadá
- USD 1,350,000
- Tiempo de ejecución1 hora 49 minutos
- Color
- Relación de aspecto
- 1.85 : 1