Le champion

Original title: The Champ

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

9.6K

YOUR RATING

A former boxer discovers that his biggest battle of all is going to be with his ex-wife, Annie, who returns after abandoning their young son seven years prior.

Play trailer2:13

1 Video

42 Photos

Boxing Tragedy Drama Sport

Billy Flynn is an ex-champion boxer who was KO'd by booze and gambling. When the wealthy, estranged mother of his young son begins trying to lure the boy away from him, Flynn must return to ... Read allBilly Flynn is an ex-champion boxer who was KO'd by booze and gambling. When the wealthy, estranged mother of his young son begins trying to lure the boy away from him, Flynn must return to the ring to provide for his child.Billy Flynn is an ex-champion boxer who was KO'd by booze and gambling. When the wealthy, estranged mother of his young son begins trying to lure the boy away from him, Flynn must return to the ring to provide for his child.

Director
- Franco Zeffirelli
Writers
- Frances Marion
- Walter Newman
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

9.6K

YOUR RATING

Director
- Franco Zeffirelli
Writers
- Frances Marion
- Walter Newman
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 2 wins & 8 nominations total

Videos1

Trailer 2:13

Official Trailer

Photos42

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
At just age nine, Ricky Schroder won the Golden Globe Award for "Best New Male Star of the Year in a Motion Picture" for his performance as T.J. Flynn in this film.

Goofs
At the gym in the beginning of the film, Tex Cobb is being battered in a sparring match and his seconds call him Tommy. At the end of the film, Cobb is featured as Roland Bowers, Heavyweight Contender.

Quotes
Ring Doctor: [SPOILER]
[Champ has just died]
Ring Doctor: I'm sorry.
T.J.: [Georgie and Jackie start to cry, TJ is shocked] No! Champ! No! Champ. Is he out? Is he out? What's the matter, Champ? Champ, wake up! Wake up! Wake - wake up!
[kisses his head]
T.J.: Champ, wake up, Champ! Hey, don't sleep now. We got to go home. Got to go home, Champ.
[Georgie collapses into sobs]
T.J.: Georgie. Don't cry. Georgie.
[TJ goes to the doctor]
T.J.: Mister, help me. Wake him up! Wake him!
Ring Doctor: We're all real sorry.
T.J.: Please, wake him up!
Ring Doctor: Let's go outside.
T.J.: No, no! I don't want to! I don't want to!
[runs to Jackie]
T.J.: Jackie! Wake him up! Wake him!
Jackie: TJ, please.
T.J.: I want Champ!
Jackie: TJ...
T.J.: I want Champ!
Jackie: TJ. Please, TJ, listen to me. He's gone. He's gone, son. He's gone.
T.J.: [shakes his head and backs away from Jackie] No. No! He's not gone! He's not! He's not!
Jackie: [Annie comes in, a smile on her face until she sees Champ and Jackie trying to calm TJ] Please.
T.J.: He is not dead! He is not dead! I want Champ!
Jackie: Please, listen to me, son.
T.J.: I want Champ!
Jackie: TJ, please, listen to me!
T.J.: I want Champ! Champ! He is not gone!
Jackie: [he and the doctor try to drag TJ away from Champ] Come on, son. Come on. TJ.
Annie: TJ.
[TJ walks towards her and hugs her, holding on tightly as he sobs]

Connections
Featured in Sneak Previews: Hair/Murder By Decree/A Perfect Couple/The Champ/Buck Rogers in the 25th Century/Love at First Bite/In Search of Dracula (1979)

User reviews72

Featured review

9/10

Very disappointed...

...with the rating of this masterpiece. A 5.8/10? -_- I am upset about this.

What you have here is an epic movie that deserves a 9/10. It's the story of the love between a boy and his father, and the boy trying to make it on his own when his mother and father can't.

The movie starts out very big on horse-racing, showing how Jon Voight, "The Champ", is and gives brief glimpses into his past life. After awhile though, his whole past comes back to him when his son unknowingly meets his mother and develops a bond with her. Conflict between him and his wife rises and we see even deeper into what was a merely a shell of his life in the beginning of the film; he is complicated and emotionally bruised man, snapping sometimes at his son that he loves with all his heart.

The film has the most believable performances I have ever seen on screen, and is a tearjerker. But it doesn't try to make you cry once; the entire second half of the film is full of these scenes. Some work while others don't. Either way, it shows the true power and delicacy of unconditional love, and the way it ends leaves you gasping for breath because of the emotional impact it leaves. Not perfect, but it deserves a solid 9.0/10.