Film Snail

6.7

Body and Soul

NR·1947·104m

Drama

Summary

Charley Davis, against the wishes of his mother, becomes a boxer. As he becomes more successful the fighter becomes surrounded by shady characters, including an unethical promoter named Roberts, who tempt the man with a number of vices. Charley finds himself faced with increasingly difficult choices.

Cast

John Garfield

Charley Davis

Lilli Palmer

Peg Born

Hazel Brooks

Alice

Anne Revere

Anna Davis

William Conrad

Quinn

Joseph Pevney

Shorty Polaski

Lloyd Gough

Roberts

Canada Lee

Ben Chaplin

Larry Anzalone

Fighter Being Knocked Out (uncredited)

Al Bain

Club Patron (uncredited)

Steve Benton

Fight Spectator (uncredited)

Eddie Borden

Fight Spectator (uncredited)

Paul Bradley

Fight Spectator (uncredited)

James Burke

Arnold (uncredited)

George M. Carleton

Prizefight Doctor (uncredited)

James Carlisle

Fight Spectator (uncredited)

Wheaton Chambers

Ben's Doctor (uncredited)

Mary Currier

Miss Tedder (uncredited)

Sayre Dearing

Bartender (uncredited)

Joe Devlin

Prince (uncredited)

Artie Dorell

Jack Marlow (uncredited)

Al Eben

Taxi Driver (uncredited)

Caferino Garcia

Boxer in Training Camp (uncredited)

Herschel Graham

Fight Spectator (uncredited)

Joe Gray

Cornerman (uncredited)

Virginia Gregg

Irma (uncredited)

Stuart Hall

Observer at Scene (uncredited)

John Indrisano

Davis-Marlowe Fight Referee (uncredited)

Sheldon Jett

Sam - Pool Hall Proprietor (uncredited)

Milton Kibbee

Dan - Marlowe's Manager (uncredited)

Mike Lally

Timekeeper (uncredited)

Glen Lee

Marino (uncredited)

Theodore Lorch

Man at Weigh-in (uncredited)

Wilbur Mack

Fight Spectator (uncredited)

George Magrill

Fight Stadium Cop (uncredited)

Pat McKee

Fight Spectator (uncredited)

Sid Melton

Prizefight Spectator (uncredited)

Harold Miller

Fight Spectator (uncredited)

Forbes Murray

Weigh-in Official (uncredited)

William H. O'Brien

Bartender (uncredited)

Charles Perry

Cornerman (uncredited)

Paul Power

Party Guest (uncredited)

Mike Ragan

Ring Photographer (uncredited)

Bob Reeves

Police Officer (uncredited)

Frank Riggi

Boxer in Training Camp (uncredited)

Cyril Ring

Victor - Butler (uncredited)

Shimen Ruskin

Shimen, the Grocer (uncredited)

Tim Ryan

Jack Shelton (uncredited)

Art Smith

David Davis (uncredited)

Larry Steers

Fight Spectator (uncredited)

Bert Stevens

Party Guest (uncredited)

Dan Tobey

Fight Announcer (uncredited)

Sid Troy

Party Guest (uncredited)

George Tyne

Charlie's Friend (uncredited)

Sailor Vincent

Fight Spectator (uncredited)

Peter Virgo

Drummer (uncredited)

John Wald

Ringside Announcer (uncredited)

Ulysses Williams

Boxer Getting Knocked Out (uncredited)

Crew

Director

Robert Rossen

Screenplay

Abraham Polonsky

Reviews

John Chard

May 26, 2019

He could've had the whole world. So he leaned over sideways and grabbed you.

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