Body and Soul (1947 film) explained

Body and Soul is a 1947 film noir which tells the story of a boxer who becomes involved with crooked promoters. It stars John Garfield, Lilli Palmer, Hazel Brooks, Anne Revere and William Conrad.

The movie, written by Abraham Polonsky and directed by Robert Rossen, is considered the first great boxing picture; it's also a cautionary tale about the lure of money—and how it can derail even a strong common man in his pursuit of success.

Plot

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.

Reaction

The film received positive reviews when first released. Some modern film reviews find the film's message heavy handed today but most reviewers continue to praise Garfield's performance. http://www.sover.net/~ozus/bodyandsoul.htm

TV Guide's review notes "The fight sequences, in particular, brought a kind of realism to the genre that had never before existed (James Wong Howe wore skates and rolled around the ring shooting the fight scenes with a hand-held camera). A knockout on all levels." http://online.tvguide.com/movies/database/ShowMovie.asp?MI=20044

It's known for its fight scenes which influenced the Scorsese classic Raging Bull.

Cast

Actor	Role
John Garfield	Charlie 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
Art Smith	David Davis

Awards

It won the Academy Award for Film Editing and was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (John Garfield) and Best Writing, Original Screenplay.