Body and Soul (1947)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Robert Rossen

Writer:

Abraham Polonsky (writer)

Release Date:

9 November 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Film-Noir | Sport

Tagline:

The story of a guy that women go for!

Plot:

Charley Davis wins an amateur boxing match and is taken on by promoter Quinn. Charley's mother doesn't want him to fight...

Plot Keywords:

Boxing | Cult Favorite | Social Worker | Boxing Film

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 nominations

Cast

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 (as Lloyd Goff)
Canada Lee	...	Ben Chaplin
Art Smith	...	David Davis
James Burke	...	Arnold
Virginia Gregg	...	Irma
Peter Virgo	...	Drummer, Roberts' Bodyguard
Joe Devlin	...	Prince
Shimen Ruskin	...	Shimen, the Grocer (as Shimen Rushkin)

Also Known As:

An Affair of the Heart

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #12435) | West Germany:16 | Finland:K-16

Company:

Enterprise Productions

Trivia:

An extremely large number of the cast and crew on the film - writer Abraham Polonsky, actors John Garfield, Anne Revere, Lloyd Gough, Canada Lee, Art Smith, Shimen Ruskin, producer Bob Roberts and even, albeit to a lesser extent, cinematographer James Wong Howe - found themselves either blacklisted or greylisted during the HUAC witch hunts of the 1950s, while director Robert Rossen only avoided that fate by naming names.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Charley Davis's fiancee, Peg, leaves him a note and misspells his name, "Charlie."

Quotes:

Anna Davis: I did it to buy myself fancy clothes? Fool! It's for you! To learn, to get an education, to make something of yourself!
Charlie Davis: [yelling to Shorty] Shorty! Shorty, get me that fight from Quinn. I want money. Do you understand? Money, money!
Anna Davis: I forbid, I forbid. Better buy a gun and shoot yourself.
Charlie Davis: You need MONEY to buy a gun!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Odd Couple: I Do, I Don't (#1.7)" (1970)

Soundtrack:

Body and Soul

A great showcase for Canada Lee

One especially noteworthy aspect of this movie is the character of Ben Chaplin, played by the criminally underappreciated African American actor Canada Lee. A trademark of Lee's few but memorable screen roles is how his characters transcend the racial stereotypes of the day (see also his role in "Lifeboat"). Where Chaplin is black, his race is never mentioned, and is never even made an issue. There's no assumption of deferrence to the white characters. He is treated as an equal, which, especially for 1947, is an amazing breakthrough.

The other strengths of the movie, particularly Garfield's performance and James Wong Howe's cinematography, have been duly mentioned in other posts.