Corpo e Alma

I looked at this as simply a good story, a solid drama that happened to have the sport of boxing figure into it. "Boxing movies." if people insist on labeling this under that category, were particularly popular around the time of this film. Many of them had similar stories about a good guy being told to take a dive or else. Yes, that was in here, too, but it wasn't anywhere near the central part of the story. This film was more of an earlier "Raging Bull"-type tale in that it concentrated on the friends, family, freeloaders, criminals and women surrounding the main male character.

This was more of a story about a decent man who gets carried away with success and with the power and money that goes with it. As good as the lead actor, John Garfield, was in here - and he was good - I was more intrigued with the supporting characters.

Lilly Palmer looked and sounded the part of a refined sweet, pretty French girl (whatever that means) and was a good contrast to the uneducated and quick tempered brute (Garfield). As in so many stories, she wasn't fully appreciated by her man until the end. Anne Revere, as Garfield's mom (she seemed to always play the lead character's mother in 1940s films) was fascinating as she always was and kudos to Joseph Peveny as "Shorty" and Lloyd Gough a "Roberts." Both added a lot to the film. Wlliam Conrad and Hazel Brooks added some great film noir-- type dialog, berating each other once in a while.

These actors, and the photography of James Wong Howe, make this a cut above most if not all the so-called "boxing films."

Great flick. I loved it for two reasons: simplicity and realism - about life and about professional sports. Its a clearly drawn sketch of a guy like Charley. Garfield is at his best. He is totally credible. Everything is clear: Peg is all good - all giving. Alice the vamp is one hundred percent evil. So is the promoter, Roberts. A subtle contrast versus these black and whites is Garfield's character because he is flawed. He changes moral coloring as the plot progressives. They stay the same. We know the good guys and girls right away. No moral obscurity here. Clearly an old-fashioned movie - this is the way they used to be. No car chases, no mega-explosions, and no moral relativity either. And there's a plot, too. We need more of these.

Body and Soul was the first of several free lance productions that John Garfield did after his contract with Warner Brothers was concluded. He certainly didn't take any artistic chances because the role of Charlie Davis, the Jewish middleweight boxing champion from the Lower East Side of New York was something Garfield could identify with. He'd played a fighter in his second film, They Made Me A Criminal to great acclaim. And he'd appeared in the original production of Golden Boy though not in the lead. He'd be doing that on stage at the time of his demise in 1952.

But while Body and Soul didn't blaze any artistic trails for Garfield, it did give him a great role that earned him a second Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Garfield lost to Ronald Colman that year in A Double Life.

Garfield has the feel for the heart and soul of Davis because that was his background. Another reviewer suggested that the Davis character is based on the famous lightweight champion Benny Leonard who would have been a hero to a Jewish kid like Julius Garfinkle growing up first on the Lower East Side and then in the Bronx. Leonard also died around the time Body and Soul was being made and movie audiences would have known that and the film would have a special poignancy for them.

The story is told in flashback as Charlie Davis dozes off in the training room before a defense of his middleweight crown. He's in a depression about the death of someone named Ben.

Ben turns out to be Canada Lee former champion himself who was Garfield's trainer. We see how Garfield who at first listened to his mother Anne Revere not to fight, but then when father Art Smith dies, economics forces him into the ring. Garfield gets involved with two women, artist Lilli Palmer and nightclub singer Hazel Brooks.

He also gets involved with a manager who eventually turns on him in William Conrad and a sleazy promoter in Lloyd Gough. If you're a fan of boxing films I think you can figure out where this will all end up.

But the ride is a good one. Besides Garfield's nomination, Body and Soul got another Oscar nomination for Original Screenplay by Abraham Polonsky. And it won the Oscar that year for Best Film Editing. That's for the great work in that department during that final boxing match.

For fans of John Garfield, Body and Soul is a must. Besides all that there's that great Johnny Green-Edward Heyman song from the Thirties that got a revival because of this film.

A vintage tale of corruption in boxing world with a fine message and nice production design. A kind young boxer called Charlie Davis (John Garfield) living in poor conditions attempts to carry out a boxing career . As Garfield is a Jewish boxer whose mother (Anne Revere) wants him to quit the ring and get an education. Instead, he rises quickly to the world championship , thanks in part to a mobster protector . Along the way , he becomes involved with an unethical gangster promoter (Lloyd Gough) and falls in love for a good girl (Lilli Palmer) and a bad girl (Hazel Brooks) . Depicting the triumphs and misfortunes in the seedy world of the professional boxing . It details the story of a fighter who'll do anything to get to the top and does , with tragic results . As the good boxer with a certain ambition has to fight against nasty people , cheats and corruption in politics .

One of the best boxing movies ever , and almost impressionistic in its development , as it contains a thoughtful and thought-provoking approach . A classic Forties' boxing film that defines deeply the genre . Resulting in a well made , grim and stunning drama , adequately photographed by James Wong Howe , evocative musical score by Hugo Friedhofer , magnetically interpreted and dynamically directed . This is an allegorical work that covers everything from the importance of honor personal to fight for life . It displays stark realism with appropriate boxing combats and intense drama including top-notch performance. John Garfield gives his best acting , he has a perfect character as the pugilist starring who becomes involved with crime and corruption in his quest to box his way out his ghetto environment . Being accompanied by a very fine cast , such as : Lilli Palmer , Hazel Brooks , Anne Revere , William Conrad , Joseph Pevney , Lloyd Gough and special mention mention for Canada Lee as an injured boxer with cerebral damage. Although many of whose participants were to fall foul of the House UnAmerican Activities Committee within the ensuing few years . The picture had many imitators but few peers . Remade in 1981 by George Bowers with Leon Isaac Kennedy , Peter Lawford, Muhammad Ali , Perry Lang .

This 1947 gem was competently directed by Robert Rossen and attractive script by the black-listed Abraham Polonsky . This is a great film by a stunning filmmaker , Robert Rossen , who delivers an exciting rematch that artfully milks it for all it's worth. Rossen was a pretty good film writer by writing a lot of interesting and notorious storylines for prestigious directors and he also made a few important pictures , such as : ¨Lilith¨, ¨They came to Cordura¨, ¨Island in the sun¨, ¨Alexander Magno¨ , ¨Mambo¨, ¨The Brave Bulls¨ , ¨All the King's Men¨, ¨Johnny O'Clock¨. Rating : 7.5/10. Better than average . Worthwhile watching .

Body and Soul is directed by Robert Rossen and written by Abraham Polonsky. It stars John Garfield, Lilli Palmer, Hazel Brooks, Anne Revere and William Conrad. Music is by Hugo Friedhofer and cinematography by James Wong Howe.

A talented boxer's career begins to spiral out of control when financial hunger, matters of the heart and a shady promoter begin to take a hold.

Viewing it now, Body and Soul looks to be chock full of boxing movie clichés, which of course wasn't the case back in the 40s. Such as it is with the year of release, it has been honourably inserted into the film noir pantheon. If that's worthy - and many of the noir bible writers seem to think so - is up to the individual viewer to decide, what is apparent though is this is a fine piece of film making regardless of genre or style assignment.

Charlie Davis' (Garfield in a worthy Oscar Nominated performance) descent down a crooked path is certainly noir in plot terms, and it makes for riveting viewing. The screenplay for the time is very choice and worthy, focusing as it does on corruption and violence within the sporting world. The look of the pic is that of realism, Rossen and Howe mixing elegiac beauty with fluent fight sequences (of which there aren't actually many), the monochrome sharp as a left hook.

There's no sentimentality on show, this is stripped bare to show the dark that lurks beneath the cheering crowds and sensational advertisement posters. Pic pulses with the beat of the street, the sweat is from those trying to make a living, all while anti capitalism seeps from every frame. The finale drives home a point - consistent with Rossen in general - and even though pic has a very stage bound core, the craft from all involved ensures it never hurts the dramatic worth. 7.5/10