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IMDbPro

L'Esclave aux mains d'or

Original title: Golden Boy
  • 1939
  • Approved
  • 1h 39m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
2.3K
YOUR RATING
William Holden and Barbara Stanwyck in L'Esclave aux mains d'or (1939)
BoxingDramaRomanceSport

A poor young Italian man, who is a virtuoso on the violin, wishes to become a champion boxer to make a fortune for his family. But what is the road to success and happiness, and what is the ... Read allA poor young Italian man, who is a virtuoso on the violin, wishes to become a champion boxer to make a fortune for his family. But what is the road to success and happiness, and what is the price?A poor young Italian man, who is a virtuoso on the violin, wishes to become a champion boxer to make a fortune for his family. But what is the road to success and happiness, and what is the price?

  • Director
    • Rouben Mamoulian
  • Writers
    • Lewis Meltzer
    • Daniel Taradash
    • Sarah Y. Mason
  • Stars
    • Barbara Stanwyck
    • Adolphe Menjou
    • William Holden
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.8/10
    2.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Rouben Mamoulian
    • Writers
      • Lewis Meltzer
      • Daniel Taradash
      • Sarah Y. Mason
    • Stars
      • Barbara Stanwyck
      • Adolphe Menjou
      • William Holden
    • 45User reviews
    • 18Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 1 win & 1 nomination total

    Photos73

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    + 67
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    Top cast60

    Edit
    Barbara Stanwyck
    Barbara Stanwyck
    • Lorna Moon
    Adolphe Menjou
    Adolphe Menjou
    • Tom Moody
    William Holden
    William Holden
    • Joe Bonaparte
    Lee J. Cobb
    Lee J. Cobb
    • Mr. Bonaparte
    Joseph Calleia
    Joseph Calleia
    • Eddie Fuseli
    Sam Levene
    Sam Levene
    • Siggie
    Edward Brophy
    Edward Brophy
    • Roxy Lewis
    • (as Edward S. Brophy)
    Beatrice Blinn
    Beatrice Blinn
    • Anna
    William H. Strauss
    • Mr. Carp
    Don Beddoe
    Don Beddoe
    • Borneo
    Charles Halton
    Charles Halton
    • Newspaperman
    • (scenes deleted)
    Stanley Andrews
    Stanley Andrews
    • Driscoll - Fight Official
    • (uncredited)
    Gordon Armitage
    • Fighter
    • (uncredited)
    Earl Askam
    • Policeman
    • (uncredited)
    Al Bain
    Al Bain
    • Fighter
    • (uncredited)
    Don Brodie
    Don Brodie
    • Reporter
    • (uncredited)
    Mushy Callahan
    Mushy Callahan
    • Fight fan
    • (uncredited)
    Dora Clement
    Dora Clement
    • Ill Ringsider Who Won't Leave
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Rouben Mamoulian
    • Writers
      • Lewis Meltzer
      • Daniel Taradash
      • Sarah Y. Mason
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews45

    6.82.2K
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    10

    Featured reviews

    8Jim Tritten

    "I'm my mothers girl"

    Well-written and well-acted vehicle serves as William Holden's entree to stardom. He was just 21 and is easier to recognize in his opening scene by his voice rather than his boyish looks and longish hair. Regardless of what it took to get him to give this performance, it is one that will be long remembered. Barbara Stanwyck plays the tough cookie who discovers she has a heart of gold, reminiscent of her role later perfected in "Meet John Doe." When asked if she was Adolphe Menjou's girl, Barbara replies "I'm my mother's girl." Great cast of supporting character actors add to enjoyment of a solid production whose best scenes involve family and not the ring. Good camera work, especially of those fight scenes, excellent sets, and great direction make this a surprisingly good night's entertainment. I avoided it for years thinking this was just another fight movie -- it is not -- and am now sorry that I waited.
    7mik-19

    Heavy-handed but charismatic

    "They are good for only one thing now - slugging!", Joe Bonaparte says with self-disgust, looking down at his broken hands after a middleweight prize fight at Madison Sqare Garden.

    Joe had the option to be a great classical violinist, but the girl he was in love with wet his appetite for the quick buck and the American dream. "It's a big city, little people don't stand a chance", says Lorna, egging him up, playing up to his male ego. "Money's the answer". And the poor Italian immigrant kid grabs the bait, hangs up the violin and sells out.

    'Golden Boy' is a piece of vintage Americana that is a bit hard to take today. Clifford Odets' controversial play was openly socialist and crammed with sudden, badly integrated political insights about "competetive civilization" and "a man hits his wife, and it's the first step towards fascism". It is all about the flip side of the American dream and gets a bit heavy-handed at times.

    Lee J. Cobb is almost unbearably schmaltzy as the all-embracing, tearful Italian Papa, whereas Adolphe Menjou balances his performance carefully as the basically benign boxing promoter whose mistress is Lorna, Joe's chosen one, "just a dame from Newark" as she presents herself.

    Barbara Stanwyck is more or less going through the motions as the hard-as-nails Lorna, and the real star of the picture is 21 year old newcomer William Holden, impossibly handsome and hunky, starting out with perfectly tousled curly hair. His performance is as yet immature and unfinished, but he has his moments and makes up for a shaky ride with loads of charisma, and he more than holds his own in the climactic title fight at the Garden, playing against the Chocolate Drop, "the pride of Harlem" in this race-segregated boxing haven.

    'Golden Boy' is not, though, one of director Mamoulian's happier efforts. It is far too maudlin to look like anything Mamoulian ever did, it is not like him to lay it on this thick. It has none of the quirks or edge from 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' among others, but it is lushly, richly orchestrated in the vein of 19th century European music.
    8kenjha

    Golden Holden

    In this adaptation of the famous Odets play, a young man must choose between music and boxing. In his star-making role, Holden looks impossibly young, and turns in a surprisingly strong performance, given his inexperience. Stanwyck is quite good in a typical role of a tough broad with a soft heart. She helped Holden overcome his jitters and the two developed a legendary friendship during the filming. Cobb, only seven years older than Holden, is schmaltzy but touching as the latter's father. Levene is wonderful as Holden's brother-in-law. Menjou overacts. Mamoulian is at his best when depicting the family life of the Bonapartes. The fight scenes are brief but effective.
    8PWNYCNY

    Wonderful Movie

    This is a wonderful, compelling, emotionally charged movie, with characters that are both interesting and likable. Of course, the central character of the movie is Joe Bonaparte, played by a young, gifted actor named William Holden. Joe's conflict, between his quest for fame as a prize fighter and his father's wish to become a concert violinist, although seemingly corny and contrived, actually works in this movie. And this can be attributed to the fine acting of all the players - Barbara Stanwyck, Lee J. Cobb, Adolph Menjou, and William Holden - who prove that high quality acting can transform a good script into a great script. One particularly intense scene is when Joe tries to play the violin - and he can't, leaving him devastated in the knowledge that he had squandered a gift and in the process had disappointed his father. This is a movie that is worth the time to watch and to enjoy.
    9alfiefamily

    What a wonderful movie!

    William Holden became a star as a result of this film, but there is no question that Barbara Stanwyck is the real star of this picture. She gives a performance that is beautifully layered and Her performance is nothing short of marvelous (My favorite line is when she says, "I'm my mother's girl"). And those beautiful shoulders!

    Everyone knows the story of the boy who is torn between a life of boxing and music. The screenplay is a product of the times that it was written in. How else can you explain dialogue that glorifies men beating their wives? Or the leftist remarks that are spoken by the Bonaparte's friend, Mr. Carp? A black boxer named "Chocolate"?! Never happen today.

    Everyone is great. Lee J. Cobb as an Italian is heartbreaking, even if his accent is laid on a little thick (It's like watching Laurence Olivier in "The Jazz Singer"). Sam Levene is good as the brother-in-law. And Joseph Calleia as Fuseli, is wonderful. When Stanwyck enters Holden's dressing room after the fight, he says, "Out Miss Moon, this ain't no cocktail lounge." Wonderful. I would love to see Pacino ham his way through this role.

    But it is Miss Stanwyck who stands out. We can be thankful that she gave Holden his opportunity and fought to keep him. We can be even more grateful for this wonderful performance.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      William Holden was so grateful to Barbara Stanwyck for her insistence on casting him in L'Esclave aux mains d'or (1939), his first big role, that he reportedly sent her flowers every year on the anniversary of the first day of filming.
    • Goofs
      Joe's chest is completely smooth during the big fight. Immediately after the fight, when he is dressed, he has chest hair visible at the top of his shirt.
    • Quotes

      Eddie Fuseli: This your girl?

      Lorna Moon: I'm my mother's girl.

    • Alternate versions
      A video version in Argentina was lifted from a 16mm print from Columbia Pictures, in English with Spanish language subtitles. The credits of this version are translated in Spanish.
    • Connections
      Edited into Head (1968)
    • Soundtracks
      We're in the Money Now
      Sung a cappella by Adolphe Menjou to the tune of the traditional

      nursery rhyme "The Farmer in the Dell"

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    FAQ

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 14, 1940 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Golden Boy
    • Filming locations
      • Eighth Avenue and 50th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA(Madison Square Garden, located at the West side of 8th Avenue from 1925 to 1968)
    • Production company
      • Columbia Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 39 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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    William Holden and Barbara Stanwyck in L'Esclave aux mains d'or (1939)
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