Champion

Description

An unscrupulous boxer fights his way to the top, but eventually alienates all of the people who helped him on the way up. Unlike Charlie (John Garfield) in Body and Soul, Midge (Kirk Douglas) is not the basic good guy corrupted by the sweet science and led astray by evil managers and promoters, his arrogance and stubbornness make him at once a villain and a hero. Considered by most as one of the greatest boxing films ever made - nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Actor (Douglas) and winner of the Best Film Editing Oscar. The stellar cast includes Arthur Kennedy in his Oscar nominated performance, Marilyn Maxwell, Paul Stewart and Ruth Roman. Two of the film's best features are the terrific black-and-white Oscar nominated cinematography by Franz Planer and the Oscar nominated score by the legendary Dimitri Tiomkin. Written by the great Carl Forman (High Noon) and directed by Mark Robson (The Harder They Fall). Review: A Knockout In All Respects - There can be no reservations about "Champion". It is a virtually perfect film. The title is ironic. The film opens as the champion, Midge Kelly(Kirk Douglas) enters the ring to defend his title smiling to the cheers of the approving crowd. The ringside radio commentator hurls all these superlatives about the greatness of Kelly that is probably eaten up by the listeners. The scene is revisited later after events transpire and the meaning of this scene changes remarkably. Kelly's smile now seems like an evil smirk and the commentators blatherings seem cynical. "Champion" is primarily a character study of how fame and fortune can harden the human heart unless that heart isn't already inclined to turn. In the beginning Midge is drifting from one menial job to another with his handicapped brother Connie (Arthur Kennedy) in tow just to eke out an existence. He reluctantly takes up club fighting but he finds he likes the roaring approval of the crowd. At first the ferocity he brings to the ring is a reflection of the anger and resentment of those who slammed the door in his face. As he moves up the ranks this ferocity turns into something more insidious and despicable. The fame and fortune that boxing brought him has made him a loathsome user who disposes of the people in his life like he dispatches opponents in the ring. What Douglas delivers in his film cannot be understated. In a carefully tuned performance he subtley demonstrates the changes in Kelly. He dares the audience to loathe his character but doesn't dehumanize him in the process. The supporting cast aside from the Oscar nominated Douglas and Kennedy are uniformly excellent but the work of Paul Stewart is noteworthy in the role of Kelly's manager who is all to aware of the pitfalls of the fight game. Technically this film is first rate with superb photography, editing, art direction, and another memorable score by Dimitri Tiomkin. When they say they don't make them like this anymore that's not wholly true. The admirable thing about movies like "Champion" is they can tackle mature themes without being overly explicit. Review: Great boxing movie with Douglas in top form! - One of the best boxing movies. This made Kirk Douglas a star. It set the template for the kind of character he did better than anyone else. RIP.