Body and Soul (1947) (1947)
Average Rating: 7.7/10
Reviews Counted: 10
Fresh: 10 | Rotten: 0
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 3
Fresh: 3 | Rotten: 0
liked it
Average Rating: 3.9/5
User Ratings: 634
Movie Info
This riveting 1947 drama, regarded by many as the greatest boxing movie of all time, centers on a former pugilist who looks back on his life in and out of the ring and realizes that self-respect is a more important prize than winning. John Garfield is Charlie Davis, a former boxing champion who began fighting in order to save himself and his mother from poverty after his father was killed in a mob-related bombing. William Conrad plays Quinn, a veteran boxer-turned-trainer who discovers that
Jan 1, 1947 Wide
Mar 5, 2002
Cast
-
John Garfield
Charlie Davis -
Lilli Palmer
Peg Born -
James Burke
Arnold -
Anne Revere
Anna Davis -
Canada Lee
Ben Chaplin -
Mary Currier
Miss Teddy -
Joe Devlin
Prince -
Hazel Brooks
Alice -
William Conrad
Quinn -
Tim Ryan
Shelton -
Lloyd Gough
Roberts -
Wheaton Chambers
Doctor -
Virginia Gregg
Irma -
John Indrisano
Referee -
Milt Kibbee
Dan -
Joseph Pevney
Shorty Polaski -
Cyril Ring
Victor -
Shimen Ruskin
Grocer -
Art Smith
David Davis -
Dan Tobey
Fight Announcer -
Peter Virgo
Drummer
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All Critics (11) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (10) | Rotten (0) | DVD (4)
Trite is hardly the word for the plot, which was already wheezy by the time this minor classic was made in 1947, but Abraham Polonsky's script brings such tight, painful focus to the moral choices that it seems fresh and real.
Garfield's bullish performance saves the movie from its stagy moments and episodic script.
Top CriticAltogether this Enterprise picture rolls up a round-by-round triumph on points until it comes through with a climactic knockout that hits the all-time high in throat-catching fight films.
If the movie works today, it's probably because of Abraham Polonsky's beautiful screenplay, a rich desert plate filled with glorious, lowdown street and sports prose.
John Garfield gives a wonderful performance in the noir sports melodrama, directed by the blacklisted Polonsky
Now only seems gripping because of Garfield's gritty performance.
The fight film to which all others are compared.
This is tight, hard-hitting entertainment.
Audience Reviews for Body and Soul (1947)
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Foreign Titles
- Body and Soul (AU)

